Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2015/prelims/mathematics-v/1/c/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford 2015 Prelims Mathematics V 1 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Use the spherical coordinates parametrizationThen , so the outward unit normal vector is and the surface area element is . Since throughout this band, the vector field is smooth near it. The surface integral of the curl isFor the induced boundary orientation, the lower circle is traversed with increasing , and the upper circle with decreasing . One way to check the signs is that the outward conormal is at the lower circle and at the upper circle; the positive unit tangent vector is .
Along a circle of fixed , . Therefore the circulation iswhich equals the boxed surface integral and verifies Stokes theorem with the required orientation.
New to topics? Read the docs here!