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Math 21a
Spring, 2014
All the vectors F(x, y) are unit vectors; you can tell simply by taking the length (squared):
2
|F(x, y)| =
y
p
x2 + y 2
!2
+
x
p
x2 + y 2
!2
=
y 2 + x2
= 1.
x2 + y 2
These unit vectors are tangent to circles that are centered at the origin with radius
is undefined.)
p
x2 + y 2 . (The vector field
p
(c) (Stewart 13.1 #26 ) f , where f (x, y) = x2 + y 2
p
Solution: The gradient of f (x, y) = x2 + y 2 is
f (x, y) =
1 2
1
x
y
(x + y 2 )1/2 (2x)i + (x2 + y 2 )1/2 (2y)j = p
i+ p
j.
2
2
2
2
2
x +y
x + y2
As in part (a), this vector field is undefined at the origin, but elsewhere has length 1. Every vector in this vector
field points directly away from the origin (perpendicular to the level curve f = c, which is a circle of radius c):
2.
(a) (Stewart 13.1 #11-14 ) Match the vector fields F with the plots labeled IIV that are drawn in the textbook on
page 911. Give reasons for your choices. Please dont use Mathematica to solve this problem, as you will be
expected to be able to do this by hand on the exam.
(i) (Stewart 13.1 #11 ) F(x, y) = hy, xi
Solution: F(x, y) = hy, xi corresponds to Graph II. In the first quadrant all the vectors have positive x- and
y-components, in the second quadrant all vectors have positive x-components and negative y-components, in
the third quadrant all vectors have negative x and y-components, and in the fourth quadrant all vectors have
negative x-components and positive y-components. In addition, the vectors get shorter as we approach the
origin.
(ii) (Stewart 13.1 #12 ) F(x, y) = h1, sin yi
Solution: F(x, y) = h1, sin yi corresponds to Graph IV since the x-component of each vector is constant,
the vectors are independent of x (vectors along horizontal lines are identical), and the vector field appears to
repeat the same pattern vertically.
(iii) (Stewart 13.1 #13 ) F(x, y) = hx 2, x + 1i
Solution: F(x, y) = hx 2, x + 1i corresponds to Graph I since the vectors are independent of y (vectors
along vertical lines are identical) and, as we move to the right, both the x- and y-components get larger.
(iv) (Stewart 13.1 #14 ) F(x, y) = hy, 1/xi
Solution: F(x, y) = hy, 1/xi corresponds to Graph III. All the vectors in the first quadrant have positive xand y-components, in the second quadrant all vectors have positive x-components and negative y-components,
in the third quadrant all vectors have negative x- and y- components, and in the fourth quadrant all vectors
have negative x-components and positive y-components. This is like Exercise 11.
(b) (Stewart 13.1 #15-18 ) Match the vector fields F with the plots labeled IIV that are drawn in the textbook on
page 912. Give reasons for your choices. Please dont use Mathematica to solve this problem, as you will be
expected to be able to do this by hand on the exam.
(i) (Stewart 13.1 #15 ) F(x, y, z) = i + 2j + 3k
Solution:
direction.
F(x, y, z) = i + 2j + 3k corresponds to Graph IV, since all vectors have identical length and
(b) Under the Help menu in Mathematica, click on Documentation Center to open the built-in documentation.
Using the search bar, find out which command will plot vector fields, and what the syntax for that command looks
like.
Hint: You might search for vector field plot, plot vector or vectorplot1 , and look at the examples to see
how the command is used.
Solution: VectorPlot[{vx , vy }, {x, xmin, xmax}, {y, ymin, ymax}] generates a vector plot of the vector
field vx , vy as a function of x and y.
(c) Use the command you found below to plot the gradient vector field of f .
gradientfield = CommandYouFound[ ..., ..., ...]
Solution:
The command
VectorPlot[{Cos[x + y], Cos[x + y]}, {x, -4, 4}, {y, -4, 4}, Axes->True, AxesLabel->{x,y}]
gives you the following plot:
(Weve used some options to plot and label the axes; these extras are totally optional.)
1 This is the actual name of the command you want but you still need to look at the documentation to find out (1) how its capitalized!
and more importantly (2) what the right inputs are.
(d) Also plot the level curves of f on the same plot using the ContourPlot command we learned in Homework 01:
contours = ContourPlot[ ..., ..., ..., ContourShading->None];
Show[contours, gradientfield]
Solution:
(e) Explain how the contours and the gradient field are related to each other.
Solution: The above graph shows that the gradient vectors are perpendicular to the level curves. Also, the
gradient vectors point in the direction in which f is increasing and are longer where the level curves are closer
together.
(f) Use the CommandYouFound to check your sketches from question 1. You dont need to turn in these plots.
Solution:
4. (Stewart 13.1 #36 ) Before starting this problem, read through (Stewart 13.1 #35 ).
(a) Sketch the vector field F(x, y) = i + xj and then sketch some flow lines. What shape do these flow lines appear to
have?
Solution:
(c) If a particle starts at the origin in the velocity field given by F, find an equation of the path it follows.
Solution:
dy
dx
= x. Integrating, we have
y=
1 2
x + C.
2
Since the particle starts at the origin, we know (0, 0) is on the curve, so we can deduce that C = 0. Thus the path
1
the particle follows is y = x2 .
2