Find flux using usual method and divergence theorem (results don't match)

518 Views Asked by At

I'm trying to calculate complete flux through a pyramid formed by a plane and the axis planes. I can't to come to the same answer using usual method and the divergence theorem.

The plane is

$2x+y+z-2=0$

The vector field is

$\vec F=(-x+7z)\vec k$

Using the divergence theorem:

$div\vec F = \frac{d}{dz}(-x+7z) = 7 $

$Ф=\int_{0}^{1}\int_{0}^{2-2x}\int_{0}^{2-2x-y}div\vec F*dzdydx = 7\int_{0}^{1}\int_{0}^{2-2x}\int_{0}^{2-2x-y}dzdydx = -\frac{70}{3}$

Using the usual method: since the field has only k-component, full flux will be a sum of fluxes through the $2x+y+z-2=0$ plane and through the xy-plane (flux through zy and zx will be zero).

Flux through $2x+y+z-2=0$:

$\int_{0}^{1}\int_{0}^{2-2x}(-x+7z)\vec k\cdot (\frac{2\vec i + \vec j + \vec k}{\sqrt 6})\sqrt 6dydx = \frac{13}{3}$,

where $(\frac{2\vec i + \vec j + \vec k}{\sqrt 6})$ is a normal unit vector and $(-x+7z)\vec k\cdot (\frac{2\vec i + \vec j + \vec k}{\sqrt 6})$ is a dot product.

Flux through the xy plane: The unit vector will be -1. Since we are in the xy plane, the vector field will be $-x+7*0 = -x$. The integral is then:

$\int_{0}^{1}(-x\vec k\cdot -\vec k)(2-2x)dx = \frac{1}{3}$

The total flux: $\frac{13}{3} + \frac{1}{3} = \frac{14}{3}$

$\frac{14}{3} \neq -\frac{70}{3}$

What did I do wrong?

1

There are 1 best solutions below

1
On BEST ANSWER

Since the divergence of the given vector field is constant, we can just multiply the volume of the pyramid with the divergence. The pyramid has ground surface (in the $xy$-plane) $1$, because it is a right triangle with base $1$ and height $2$. The height of the pyramid is $2$, so the pyramid volume is $\frac{1}{3}\cdot 1 \cdot 2=\frac{2}{3}$. Multiplying with the divergence $7$ gives an answer $\frac{14}{3}$.

Let's check this by doing the integral in your question: \begin{align} \Phi&=\int_{0}^{1}\int_{0}^{2-2x}\int_{0}^{2-2x-y}dzdydx\\ &=\int_{0}^{1}\int_{0}^{2-2x}\left[\int_{0}^{2-2x-y}dz\right]dydx\\ &=\int_{0}^{1}\left[\int_{0}^{2-2x}(2-2x-y)dy\right]dx\\ &=\int_{0}^{1}\left[2y-2xy-\frac{1}{2}y^2\right]_0^{2-2x}dx\\ &=2\int_{0}^{1}(x-1)^2dx\\ &=\frac{2}{3}\left[(x-1)^3\right]_0^1\\ &=\frac{2}{3} \end{align}