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Computational Electromagnetics :
Review of Vector Calculus

Uday Khankhoje

Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras

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Topics in this module

1 Chain rule of differentiation and the gradient

2 Gradient, Divergence, and Curl operators

3 Common theorems in vector calculus

4 Corollaries of these theorems; miscellaneous results

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Table of Contents

1 Chain rule of differentiation and the gradient

2 Gradient, Divergence, and Curl operators

3 Common theorems in vector calculus

4 Corollaries of these theorems; miscellaneous results

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Chain rule of differentiation

• Consider a scalar function of several variables, f (x, y, z)

• Want to calculate a small change in f , i.e. df

Say each variable has changed, e.g. x → x + dx . . .
• Chain rule tells us: ∂f ∂f ∂f
df = ∂x dx + ∂y dy + ∂z dz

• Dot product between ( ∂f ∂f ∂f

∂x , ∂y , ∂z ) and (dx, dy, dz)
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Working with the gradient

~
• Compact way to write change df = ∇f · dl

• Now we want the total change going from ~a to ~b

R ~b
~a df

R ~b
• ~ = f (~b) − f (~a) is path independent.
∇f · dl
~a

~ =0
H
Corollary: ∇f · dl
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Table of Contents

1 Chain rule of differentiation and the gradient

2 Gradient, Divergence, and Curl operators

3 Common theorems in vector calculus

4 Corollaries of these theorems; miscellaneous results

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Gradient as the ‘Del’ operator

• Saw that ∇f = ( ∂f ∂f ∂f
∂x , ∂y , ∂z ) =

∂
• Generalize a ‘Del’ operator as ∇ = x̂ ∂x ∂ ∂
+ ŷ ∂y + ẑ ∂z

• Acts in three ways (like an ordinary vector)

(gradient) (divergence) (curl)

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~= ∂Ay ∂Az
Divergence: ∇ · A ∂x
x
+ ∂y + ∂z

• Geometrically: measures how much a vector ‘diverges’ at a pt

• Examples

~ = (x, y, z)
A ~ = (0, 0, 1)
A ~ = (0, 0, z)
A
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x̂ ŷ ẑ
~=
Curl: ∇ × A ∂ ∂ ∂
∂x ∂y ∂z
A x A y Az
• Geometrically: measures how much a vector ‘swirls’ around a pt

• Examples

~ = (x, y, z)
A ~ = (−y, x, 0)
A ~ = (0, x, 0)
A
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Table of Contents

1 Chain rule of differentiation and the gradient

2 Gradient, Divergence, and Curl operators

3 Common theorems in vector calculus

4 Corollaries of these theorems; miscellaneous results

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Integrals in vector calculus

• Line integrals: ~
~ · dl
R
A

• Surface integrals: ~
~ · ds
R
A

• Volume integrals:
R
f dv
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Divergence (a.k.a. Gauss’s / Green’s) Theorem

~ dv = ~
~ · ds
R H
Geometrically: V ∇·A S A

Proof sketch:

CEM : Helps reduce dimensionality of problem

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Curl (a.k.a Stoke’s) Theorem

~ =
~ · ds ~
~ · dl
R H
Geometrically: S (∇ × A) ΓA

Proof sketch:

~ =0
~ · ds
H
Corollary: S (∇ × A)
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Stoke’s Theorem in a multiply connected region

~ ~ = ~ −
~ · dl ~
~ · dl
R H H
Geometrically: surface + hole S (∇ × A) · ds Γ1 A Γ2 A

CEM : Helps reduce domain of computation

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Table of Contents

1 Chain rule of differentiation and the gradient

2 Gradient, Divergence, and Curl operators

3 Common theorems in vector calculus

4 Corollaries of these theorems; miscellaneous results

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Corollaries: Integration by parts

d (f g)
• Two scalar functions, f, g. Know that: dx = f ddxg + g ddxf
Rb Rb d (f g) Rb
Rearranging, integrating: a f ddxg dx = a dx dx − df
a dx g dx

• Extend to vector calculus: scalar f , vector A functions

~ = f (∇ · A)
Product rule: ∇ · (f A) ~ +A ~ · ∇f

~
~ · ds
R H
Volume integration: V ( ) = S (f A) [Divg. thm]

~ dv = ~ −
~ · ds ~ · ∇f dv
R H R
Rearranging: V f (∇ · A) S (f A) V A
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Miscellaneous: Some vector calculus identities

• ∇ × ∇f = 0 for any scalar function f

~ = 0 for any vector field A

• ∇ · (∇ × A) ~

~ = ∇(∇ · A)
• ∇ × (∇ × A) ~ − ∇2 A
~

~
• Vector field is specified upto a constant: if curl (∇ × A)
~
and divergence (∇ · A) are specified
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Miscellaneous: Getting the normal to a curve

A function y = f (x)

df
Vector along the tangent at some point: ~v = (1, dx )

What is ~v · ∇g

Thus n̂ is along ∇g. Useful for boundary conditions in Electromagnetics.

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Topics that were covered in this module

1 Chain rule of differentiation and the gradient

2 Gradient, Divergence, and Curl operators

3 Common theorems in vector calculus

4 Corollaries of these theorems; miscellaneous results

Reference: Chapter 1 of David Griffiths: Introduction to Electrodynamics, 4rth Ed.,

Pearson