Consider two surfaces: a sphere and a paraboloid:
x 2 + y 2 + z 2 = 4 ( x − 1 ) 2 + y 2 = z
Let closed curve C be the intersection between the two surfaces. There is a vector field throughout all space:
E = ( E x , E y , E z ) = ( z , x , y )
Determine the following quantity:
∣ ∣ ∣ ∮ C E ⋅ d ℓ ∣ ∣ ∣ − 2 π
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Nice job actually computing the line integral directly. My intent was to essentially force people to use Stoke's theorem and integrate the curl of the vector field over the portion of the sphere that lies above the paraboloid. In many of my problems, the boundary curve is easier to think about than the surface. I wanted to post one where the surface is easier to think about than the boundary curve.
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Ah, nice problem intent! Stokes' theorem would have been a better way to go.
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Parameterising the paraboloid:
x = 1 + r cos t y = r sin t z = r 2
Plugging this parameterization into the equation of the sphere leads to the equation (after simplifying):
r 4 + r 2 − 2 r cos t − 3 = 0
This is a 4th degree equation in r which is to be numerically solved for each value of t where 0 ≤ t ≤ 2 π . Finally, the parameterised curve is:
R ( t ) = ( 1 + r cos t ) i ^ + r sin t j ^ + r 2 k ^
Where r is the real root of the 4th degree polynomial. Now there may be more than one real root of this equation, so finding that is something I am yet to figure out. To be very honest, I got lucky in finding the answer. The simulation code is attached below. I look forward to receiving feedback on this solution, as I am sure there is a better way of solving this.