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For a continuously differentiable vector field on all of ${\mathbb{R}}^3$, the necessary and sufficient condition for a conservative vector field is $\nabla \times \mathbf{F}=0$. Necessity follows from equality of mixed partial derivatives of a potential; sufficiency uses the ${\mathbb{R}}^3$ being a simply connected space. On a general domain the topology cannot be omitted.

Here the relevant mixed partial derivatives areThus the curl vanishes. Integrating the first component in $x$ gives $\Phi =x^2\cos y-2x{z}^3+A(y,z)$. Matching the second component gives $A_y=3+2y{e}^z$, hence $A=3y+y^2{e}^z+B(z)$. Matching the last component forces $B^{\prime }=0$. A potential of a conservative vector field with the convention $\mathbf{F}=\nabla \Phi$ is consequentlyIf a physical potential is defined instead through $\mathbf{F}=-\nabla V$, it is $V=-\Phi$.

A conservative vector field on ${\mathbb{R}}^n$ is a vector field $\mathbf{V}=\nabla F$ for a globally defined smooth potential of a conservative vector field $F$. The chain rule givesso its line integral is path independent.

Green theorem states that, for a bounded planar region $D$ with piecewise smooth boundary and continuously differentiable $P,Q$ on a neighbourhood of its closure,The boundary is positively oriented: the region lies on the left while it is traversed, so outer components run counterclockwise and hole boundaries clockwise.

For the proposed potential of a conservative vector field, the fundamental theorem of calculus and differentiation under the integral sign giveSince $Q_x=P_y$, the last integral equals $P(x,y)-P(x,0)$, including negative $y$ with the usual signed-integral convention. Hence the proposed potential is global andThe fact that the vector field is defined on all of ${\mathbb{R}}^2$ ensures both straight integration segments stay inside its domain; a hole in the domain could obstruct a global potential.

Integrating the oscillatory term together with the constant components gives a potential of a conservative vector fieldDirect partial derivatives recover both components of $\mathbf{V}$, proving it is a conservative vector field. Its line integral is therefore path independent. At an integer endpoint $(m,n)$, the sine term vanishes, so for any of the specified pathsAny other potential has the same gradient, so differs from $F$ by a constant on the connected plane. In particular every potential changes by $1$ under $x\mapsto x+1$ and by $2$ under $y\mapsto y+1$. Equivalently the integral from $(0,0)$ to $(1,0)$ is $1$, whereas a unit-periodic potential would make that difference zero. There is no potential periodic with period one in both coordinate directions. This is an example of how periods obstruct a periodic potential: a periodic vector field need not have a periodic potential.

Part (c) givesThe half-space $x_1>0$ is a simply connected domain, so the Poincare lemma makes this curl-free field a conservative vector field: it is the gradient of a single-valued scalar potential.

Using $\tan u+\cot u=2/\sin (2u)$,The spherical-coordinate formula from part (b) shows that a potential must satisfy $f_{\varphi }=2$ and may be independent of $r,\theta$. On $x_1>0$ the azimuthal angle has the single-valued branchHence one solution, up to an additive constant, is

The Stokes theorem states that for an oriented smooth surface $S$ with positively oriented boundary $\partial S$,A field is conservative vector field if its line integral is path-independent, equivalently if every closed line integral vanishes. If $F=\nabla \varphi$, the fundamental theorem for line integrals givesThis is zero for every closed curve, so every globally defined gradient field is conservative.

A line integral is path independent when its value depends only on the two endpoints. On a connected domain, this holds for the line integral of every exact differential.

A potential for a conservative vector field $X$ is a function with scalar values $\Phi$ whose gradient is $X$. Potentials differ by a constant on each connected component. The fundamental theorem for line integrals gives ${\int }_{\gamma }X\cdot d\mathbf{x}=\Phi (\gamma (1))-\Phi (\gamma (0))$. In mechanics a conservative force is conventionally written $-\nabla V$, so its potential energy is $V=-\Phi$. This spatial potential differs from the scalar potential $V(\varphi )$ that denotes the derivative-free energy density of a scalar field.