Circulation of a triangular region

In summary, the conversation discusses finding the circulation of a line integral within a triangular region using Green's theorem. The solution was obtained by calculating the curl and integrating it over the region, resulting in an answer of 0. However, there was confusion when trying to verify the solution using line integrals along each segment of the triangle, leading to a different answer. It was determined that a negative sign was missed in the parametrization, resulting in the discrepancy.
  • #1
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Homework Statement


Find the circulation (line integral) of y2dx+x2dy for the boundary of a triangular region contained within x+y=1, x=0, and y=0.

Homework Equations


Green's theorem

The Attempt at a Solution


I think I actually already got the solution; I used the Green's theorem to get the curl of 2x-2y and integrated that for x from 0 to 1-y and y from 0 to 1 to get an answer of 0.

However, I was a bit confused as I was trying to verify the solution by calculating the line integrals of each segment of the triangular region; I keep getting a different answer. I know that along the two axes, x/dx and y/dy are 0, respectively, so the line integrals of those would be 0, making the line x+y=1 the only contributor to the total integral.

I parametrized y as 1-t and x as t, and integrated [(1-x)^2+x^2]*sqrt(2) from 1 to 0 of t; however, the answer to that is not 0.

Why am I getting different answers here? Help would be appreciated.
 
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  • #2
I get the same answer using Green's thm.
Looking at the line integral over x+y = 1 of y^2 dx + x^2 dy, it looks like you missed a negative sign in your parametrization.
dx = -dy, since the slope of the line is -1.
 
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  • #3
Ah, okay. Thank you very much.
 

Related to Circulation of a triangular region

1. What is the formula for finding the circumference of a triangular region?

The formula for finding the circumference of a triangular region is C = a + b + c, where a, b, and c are the lengths of the three sides of the triangle.

2. How do you find the area of a triangular region?

The area of a triangular region can be found by using the formula A = 1/2 * base * height, where the base is the length of one side of the triangle and the height is the perpendicular distance from that side to the opposite vertex.

3. Can the perimeter of a triangular region be greater than its circumference?

No, the perimeter of a triangular region cannot be greater than its circumference. The perimeter is the sum of the lengths of the three sides of the triangle, while the circumference is the distance around the triangle. Since the circumference includes all three sides, it will always be greater or equal to the perimeter.

4. How do you calculate the length of a side in a triangular region if you know the other two sides?

To calculate the length of a side in a triangular region, you can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that in a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

5. How does the shape of a triangular region affect its circulation?

The shape of a triangular region does not affect its circulation. Circulation is the measurement of the distance around an object, and it is solely determined by the length of the sides of the triangle. The shape of the triangle may affect other properties, such as area and angles, but not its circulation.

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