Find suitable curve, Green's theorem

In summary, the person is trying to find a simple closed positively oriented curve in the plane such that the integral over the region enclosed by the curve is as big as possible. They used Green's theorem and found an expression for the integral that when evaluated gives 12pi.
  • #1
usn7564
63
0

Homework Statement


Excuse my terminology, not sure what the actual translations are.

Find a simple (no holes in it), closed, positively oriented, continuously differentiable curve T in the plane such that:

[tex]\int_{T}(4y^3+y^2x-4y)dx + (8x +x^2y-x^3)dy[/tex]

is as big as possible, finally calculate the value of the integral.

The attempt at a solution
I used Green's Theorem to get a rather simple (or so I figured) expression:
[tex]12\iint_{D}1-(\frac{x^2}{4}+y^2)dxdy[/tex]
This made it clear (I presume) that I wanted the ellipse satisfying the equation [tex]1 \leq \frac{x^2}{4}+y^2[/tex]
Then I parametrised it with
[tex] x = 2cos\theta [/tex]
[tex] y = sin\theta[/tex]

And got
[tex]12 \cdot 2\iint r(1-r^3)drd\theta[/tex]

With the 2 and extra r due to the Jacobian determinant. Solved it with [tex]0 \leq \theta \pi[/tex] and [tex]0 \leq r \leq 1[/tex].

I get 6pi, done it numerous times and it stays at 6pi. The answer should be 12pi. Any idea where I'm messing up? I haven't really parametrized an ellipse for a while but I don't remember there being any oddities there, though I guess that's an area where I could have messed up. Quite google search lead me to believe it's not it though, so really not sure.
 
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  • #2
usn7564 said:

Homework Statement


Excuse my terminology, not sure what the actual translations are.

Find a simple (no holes in it), closed, positively oriented, continuously differentiable curve T in the plane such that:

[tex]\int_{T}(4y^3+y^2x-4y)dx + (8x +x^2y-x^3)dy[/tex]

is as big as possible, finally calculate the value of the integral.

The attempt at a solution
I used Green's Theorem to get a rather simple (or so I figured) expression:
[tex]12\iint_{D}1-(\frac{x^2}{4}+y^2)dxdy[/tex]
This made it clear (I presume) that I wanted the ellipse satisfying the equation [tex]1 \leq \frac{x^2}{4}+y^2[/tex]

No. You want the region where the integrand is positive, which is the inside of that ellipse, not the exterior as you have written.

And got
[tex]12 \cdot 2\iint r(1-r^3)drd\theta[/tex]

With the 2 and extra r due to the Jacobian determinant. Solved it with [tex]0 \leq \theta \pi[/tex] ##\color{red}{2\pi}##? and [tex]0 \leq r \leq 1[/tex].

Apparently you did integrate over the interior of the ellipse. That integral is correct and when I evaluate it I get ##12\pi##.
 
  • #3
usn7564 said:
...

And got
[tex]12 \cdot 2\iint r(1-r^3)drd\theta[/tex]
...

Why is the integrand r(1 - r3) ?

Shouldn't it be r(1 - r2), or am I overlooking something?
 
  • #4
SammyS said:
Why is the integrand r(1 - r3) ?

Shouldn't it be r(1 - r2), or am I overlooking something?

You are right, I missed that when I read his proof. The integrand should be ##r-r^3##, which is how you get the ##12\pi##.
 
  • #5
God, I need to proof read next time I make a topic. It was [tex]r-r^3[/tex] though I can find my error I believe. I integrated [tex]0 \leq \theta \leq \pi[/tex] thinking that's the part of the integral that will give me a positive value. Come to think of it that makes less sense when I'm not doing a regular single variable integral, how silly of me. Just slipped my mind that I was working with the domain and not 'everything' so to speak.

Thanks a lot. Won't make that mistake again.
 

Related to Find suitable curve, Green's theorem

1. What is Green's theorem?

Green's theorem is a mathematical tool used in vector calculus to relate a line integral around a closed curve to a double integral over the region enclosed by the curve. It states that the line integral of a vector field around a closed curve is equal to the double integral of the curl of the vector field over the region enclosed by the curve.

2. How is Green's theorem used to find a suitable curve?

To use Green's theorem to find a suitable curve, you first need to have a vector field defined in the xy-plane. Then, you can choose a closed curve that encloses the region of interest and use Green's theorem to find the line integral of the vector field around that curve. By setting this line integral equal to the double integral of the curl of the vector field over the region enclosed by the curve, you can solve for the unknown curve.

3. What makes a curve "suitable" in the context of Green's theorem?

A curve is considered "suitable" if it satisfies the boundary conditions set by Green's theorem. This means that the curve must be closed, meaning it starts and ends at the same point, and it must enclose the region of interest.

4. Can Green's theorem be used in any dimension?

No, Green's theorem is specific to the two-dimensional xy-plane. In higher dimensions, similar theorems such as Stokes' theorem and the generalized Stokes' theorem are used.

5. What are some applications of Green's theorem in science?

Green's theorem has many applications in science, particularly in physics and engineering. It is commonly used to solve problems involving fluid flow, electromagnetism, and heat transfer. It is also used in the study of potential theory, which has applications in fields such as aerodynamics and fluid mechanics.

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