Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2017/prelims/mathematics-v-resit/question-2/a/iii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford 2017 Prelims Mathematics V resit Question 2 a iii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
On the unit sphere, the outward unit normal vector is and . Hence the outward flux integral isUsing spherical polar coordinates and the divergence from ii, the volume integral over the unit ball isThis improper integral converges precisely because . When the vector field is singular or fails to be continuously differentiable at the origin, justify the equality by applying the divergence theorem on . The outward flux through its inner sphere is , soThus the two integrals agree for every , with the limiting interpretation where needed; the classical smoothness hypothesis does not hold for every such .
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