Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/undated/prelims/mathematics-iii-resit/3/a/solution

The middle component suggests a scalar potential with , so . The chain rule and give
Matching the other two components requires . Therefore
Its negative gradient is the given vector field in all three components; the additive constant has no effect on that gradient.

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