Evaluate the line integral of the square C

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The four corners of the square C are $(0,0), (0,2), (2,2) , (0,2) $ and the given integral is $$\int_C y^4dx+5x^2dy$$ Parameterizing the square is where I am stuck.

I have $$\left<2t,0 \right> for \space 0 \leq t \leq 1$$

$$\left<2, 2(t-1) \right> for \space 1\leq t\leq 2$$ $$\left<6-2t, 2 \right> for \space 2\leq t\leq 3$$ $$\left<0,0 \right> for\space 3\leq t\leq 4$$

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There are two ways to go about this -

  • Apply Green's theorem if you know about it already
  • Take individuals paths and do line integral. Given the way vector field is set up and your path, you really have to find integral along two segments only.

The four corners of the square are $A(0,0),B(2,0),C(2,2),D(0,2)$ (assuming there was a typo on the second one. Then, we have a path with counterclockwise orientation.

If you are going by the second method,

Most of your parametrization looked ok but you do not necessarily have to choose increasing values for $t$. These are all individual line segments.

For $AB,$ we have $(0,0) + (2-0, 0-0)t = (2t,0) \,$ for $0 \leq t \leq 1$

For $BC,$ we have $(2,0) + (2-2, 2-0)t = (2,2t) \,$ for $0 \leq t \leq 1$

Similarly for $CD,$ we have $(2-2t,2) \,$ for $0 \leq t \leq 1$

For $DA,$ we have $(0,2-2t) \,$ for $0 \leq t \leq 1$

Now I will take one of these line integrals as an example and you can do the rest and add,

Over path $BC (2, 2t)$,

$\frac{dx}{dt} = 0, \frac{dy}{dt} = 2$

Line integral $I_{BC} = \displaystyle \int_0^1 ((2t)^4 \frac{dx}{dt} + 5(2)^2 \frac{dy}{dt}) dt = \int_0^1 40 \, dt = 40$

Now the line integral for $AB$ and $DA$ will be zero the way vector field is set up (you should check that). So the only other one you will have to find is along $CD$.

The other way is to apply Green's theorem which should make the job easier -

As it is a smooth simple closed curve, we can directly apply Green's theorem according to which, for a counterclockwise oriented curve,

$\int_C P \, dx + Q \, dy = \iint_D (\frac{\partial Q}{\partial x} - \frac{\partial P}{\partial y}) dA$

Where $A$ is the area of the region. As our region is a square with $0 \leq x \leq 2, 0 \leq y \leq 2, \,$ and

$P = y^4, Q = 5x^2$

Our line integral is converted to

$\displaystyle \int_0^2 \int_0^2 (10x - 4y^3) \, dx \, dy$

which is easy to calculate.