Divergence and curl of a radial vector field 2026-10-06
For , the gradient satisfies . The product rule and Einstein notation then give the displayed divergence formula in dimension . In dimension three, its derivative matrix is symmetric, so the curl vanishes. Zero divergence forces on each positive radial interval. This formula does not assert regularity at the origin.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ia Paper 3 3A a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
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The scalar triple product isPut . When , the three vectorsform the reciprocal basis to , so . Their scalar triple product is . Thereforesince the cyclic permutation preserves orientation. The identity also holds when , either by continuity or directly because the cross products are then linearly dependent.
For the given basis , the same identities giveIf , dotting with gives , so the are linearly independent and hence form a basis. Moreover, , so the original basis is reciprocal to the primed basis. Uniqueness of a reciprocal basis gives
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ia Paper 3 3B a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25