Math 21a Handout on Curl and DivergenceSuppose that f = (P, Q, R) is a vector field on a region in R3. The text discusses twodifferent ways to differentiate f. The first, the divergence of f, gives a function, while the second,the curl of f, produces another vector field. Here,• div f = Px + Qy + Rz ,• curl f = (Ry - Qz, Pz - Rx, Qx - Py) .(1)There are two tautological, though still important identities that are satisfied by the divergence andthe curl, namely• curl ∇h = 0 .• div (curl g) = 0.(2)That is, the curl of a gradient vector field is always zero, and the divergence of a curl is also alwayszero. (You are asked to prove the latter identity in Problem 9 on page 293.)Both of the identities in (2) have a converse of sorts:• For certain kinds of regions in R3, all vector fields with zero curl are gradients.• For certain kinds of regions in R3, all vector fields with zero divergence are curls.(3)Now, it is a bit off the planned path to detail the precise nature of the regions for which each of theconditions in (3) hold. However, it is true that both conditions in (3) hold if the region in questionis all of R3, and if the region is just a ball in R3. In fact, both conditions hold for any region whichis convex , where convex means that the line segment between any two points in the region stayscompletely in the region. Thus, a cube is convex, but a doughnut is not.In the case where curl f = 0 in a convex region, a function h whose gradient equals f can bedirectly written down: Choose a point, O, in the region as a ‘base point’. Then, the function hassigns to any other point X in the region the value of line integral of f along the line segment fromO to X. Indeed, if you declare the point O to be the origin, and think of X as a vector whose tail isat the origin, then the functionh(X) ≡ (•())XftXdt01∫(4)has ∇h = f if and only if curl f = 0. (It is a real test of your understanding of the meaning of theline integral and the derivative to verify that the gradient of this function gives back the vector fieldf if and only if curl f = 0.)Note that if you study electrostatics, you will find that the electric field in empty space isdescribed by a vector field with zero curl (this is one of Maxwell’s equations), and is thus thegradient of a function. The latter is called the ‘scalar potential’, and it plays an important role in thetheory of electric fields.Meanwhile, if div f = 0, a vector field g whose curl equals f isg(X) = - ( ( ))XftXtdt×∫01 .(5)It is quite a challenge to verify that curl g = f if and only if div f = 0By the way, if you study the physics of magnetism, you will find that the magnetic field inspace is described by a vector with zero divergence (this is also one of Maxwell’s equations). Thefact that the magnetic vector is the curl of another vector (called the vector potential) is quite auseful piece of information in the physics of magnetic
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