3.

VECTOR ANALYSIS
8e Applied EM by Ulaby and Ravaioli
Edited by Ahmed Omar
Chapter 3 Overview
Laws of Vector Algebra
 Properties of Vector Operations
Equality of Two Vectors
Commutative property
 Position & Distance Vectors
Position Vector: From origin to point P

Distance Vector: Between two points

Vector Multiplication:
1. Scalar Product or ”Dot Product”

the smaller angle between them

Hence:
 Vector Multiplication:
1. Scalar Product or ”Dot Product”
• One of the most important applications of the dot product is that of
finding the component of a vector in a given direction.

• Projection of a vector on another vector.

Vector Multiplication:
2. Vector Product or ”Cross Product”

the smaller angle between them

 Triple Products
Scalar Triple Product

Vector Triple Product Hence:

Cartesian Coordinate System
Differential length vector

Differential area vectors

𝑥 ∶ −∞ 𝑡𝑜 ∞
𝑦 ∶ −∞ 𝑡𝑜 ∞
𝑧 ∶ −∞ 𝑡𝑜 ∞
Other Coordinate Systems
Different descriptions for the same point/vector

If we have a point/vector defined in cartesian coordinate

system, can we defined it in another coordinate system?
z
A

What does it mean another coordinate system?

Is it a different point/vector?
Cylindrical Coordinate System

𝑟 ∶ 0 𝑡𝑜 ∞
∅ ∶ 0 𝑡𝑜 2𝜋
𝑧 ∶ −∞ 𝑡𝑜 ∞
Cylindrical Coordinate System

𝑑∅ 𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛
 Cylindrical Coordinate System

• We know that for the angle equal to 360 degrees (2π), the arc
length is equal to the circumference.
• C = 2πr = (total angle) * r
• C/2 = πr = (the angle between r) * r

Then, the arc length is equal to the radius multiplied by the central angle (in radians).
L=r*θ
Spherical Coordinate
System

𝑅 ∶ 0 𝑡𝑜 ∞
𝜃 ∶ 0 𝑡𝑜 𝜋
∅: 0 𝑡𝑜 2𝜋
Spherical Coordinate
System
 For interested students
Technology Brief 5: GPS

How does a GPS receiver determine its location?

 For interested students

GPS: Minimum of 4 Satellites Needed

Unknown: location of receiver

Also unknown: time offset of receiver clock

Quantities known with high precision:

locations of satellites and their atomic
clocks (satellites use expensive high
precision clocks, whereas receivers do not)

Solving for 4 unknowns requires at least 4

equations ( four satellites)
Coordinate Transformations: Coordinates

 To solve a problem, we select the coordinate system that best

fits its geometry
 Sometimes we need to transform between coordinate systems
 Coordinate Transformations:
Express Cartesian vector in cylindrical coordinates
𝐱ො 𝐲ො 𝐳ො
𝑟 𝐫ො
𝑟 𝐫ො ෡
∅ 𝐳ො ෡
∅

𝑟 𝐱ො 𝐲ො 𝐳ො 𝐫ො 𝐱ො 𝐫ො 𝐲ො 𝐫ො
𝐱ො 𝐲ො 𝐳ො ෡
∅ ෡
∅ ෡
∅
𝐫ො ෡
∅ 𝐳ො
𝐱ො
𝐲ො
𝐳ො
Coordinate Transformations: Unit Vectors
Using the relations:

leads to:
Distance Between 2 Points
Gradient of A Scalar
Field
Gradient of A Scalar Field
Gradient ( cont.)
Divergence of a Vector Field
Divergence Theorem

Useful tool for converting integration over a volume to

one over the surface enclosing that volume, and vice versa
Curl of a Vector Field
Stokes’s Theorem
 Laplacian Operator
Laplacian of a Scalar Field

Laplacian of a Vector Field

Useful Relation
 For interested students

Tech Brief 6: X-Ray Computed Tomography

How does a CT scanner generate a 3-D image?

 For interested students

Tech Brief 6: X-Ray Computed Tomography

 For each anatomical slice, the
CT scanner generates on the
order of 7 x 105
measurements (1,000
angular orientations x 700
detector channels)
 Use of vector calculus allows
the extraction of the 2-D
image of a slice
 Combining multiple slices
generates a 3-D scan