Gua de problemas de la secci

on 2.5 del libro Mathematical

Methods for Physicists, sixth edition, de George Arfken

Universidad de El Salvador, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matem

atica

Asignatura: Fsica Matematica I

Profesor del curso: DOCTOR. Jose Francisco Melgar Brizuela

Alumno: Sergio Ernesto Aguilar Gutierrez AG13001

Fecha de entrega: Martes de 11 de Noviembre de 2014

2.5 Spherical Polar Coordinates

dont depend on the variable r, the partial derivatives of the unit vectors
2. (a) Since r, ,
with respect with r will vanish, but for the others:

r
=
(
x sin cos + y sin sin + z cos )

=x
cos cos + y cos sin z sin
=

=
(
x cos cos + y cos sin z sin )

=x
sin cos y sin sin z cos
= r

=
(
x sin + y cos )

=0
r

=
(
x sin cos + y sin sin + z cos )

=
x sin sin + y sin cos
sin
=

=
(
x cos cos + y cos sin z sin )

=
x cos sin + y cos cos
cos
=

=
(
x sin + y cos )

=
x cos y sin
=
r sin cos

(b)

1
1
1 ) (
1 )
+
+
r
+
+
r
r
r sin
r
r
r sin
1
1
1 ) + 1 (
1 )
= r (
r
+
+
r
+
+
r r
r
r sin
r r
r
r sin
1

+
(
r
+
+
)
r sin r
r
r sin
2
1
( 1 ))
= r (
r 2 + (
)+
r
r r
r r sin
1
1 1
1 ( 1 ) + 1 r 1 )
+ (
r
( ) +
(
)+
r r
r r
r r sin
r r
r2

2 = (
r

( 1 ) +
sin +
cos 1
(
r ( ) + (
)+
r sin
r
r
r sin
r
r
1

(
r sin + cos )
)
r sin
1 2
1
2
2 2
cos
+
+
=
+
+
r2
r r
r2 2
r2 sin
r2 sin 2 2
1
2
1
2
1
2

(sin 2 + cos ) + 2
= 2 (r2 2 + 2r ) + 2
r
r
r
r sin

r sin 2 2

1 2
1
(sin (r2 ) + (sin ) +
= 2
)
r sin
r
r

sin 2

In the last step the clue was to think on which partial derivative produces the product of
quantities that were in the expression. So the derivation for the Laplacian in this exercise
agrees with Eq.(2.48) of the textbook.
3. (a) Based on exercise 2.5.5 we can write z = r cos sin .
v = r
= z (
r r)
=(
r cos sin ) (
r r)

=r sin

(b)



 r r r sin


1 


V = 2


r sin  r
0 0 r2 sin 2 
1

= 2
(
r (r2 sin 2 ) r (r2 sin 2 ))
r sin
r
1

= 2
(2r2 cos sin
r 2r2 sin 2 )
r sin
=2(
r cos sin )
=2

5. To solve for x
we first cancel z in the system:
r sin cos = x
sin 2 cos 2 + y sin 2 sin cos + z cos sin cos
cos cos = x
cos 2 cos 2 + y cos 2 sin cos z sin cos cos
r sin cos + cos cos = x
cos 2 + y sin cos

 doesnt have an z component:

To eliminate y in the system we use the fact that
sin = x
r sin cos + cos cos
cos 2 + y sin cos + x
sin 2 y sin cos
=x

In a similar way the others are:

r sin sin = x
sin 2 sin cos + y sin 2 sin 2 + z cos sin sin
cos sin = x
cos 2 sin cos + y cos 2 sin 2 z cos sin sin
r sin sin + cos sin = x
sin cos + y sin 2

cos = x
r sin sin + cos sin +
sin cos + y sin 2 x
sin cos + y cos 2 = y
To get z is easy to see that r and must be used and that:

r cos sin = x
cos sin cos + y sin cos sin + z cos 2 x
cos cos sin y cos sin sin +
= z
10. Using the chain rule and the results of the exercise 2.5.2:
d
r
d(
r r)
= r
r + r
v=
dt
dt
r

r
)
= r
r + r( + r +

= r
r + r( + sin )

= r
r + r + r sin
The components of velocity are the same as those presented on the textbook. For the acceleration this becomes more complex:
d

a = (r
r + r + r sin )
dt

d
r
+ r d + (r sin + r sin + r cos )
+ r sin d
= rr + r
+ (r + r)
dt
dt
dt
But since:
d
r

= + sin
dt
d

=
+
r +

dt

=
r + cos


d

=
+
r +

dt

sin
= r
4

This implies:
+ r(
r + cos )
+ (r + r)

a = rr + r(
+ sin )
+ r 2 sin r sin
+ (r sin + r sin + r cos )

After carrying out the factorization we finally get:

ar = r r2 r sin 2 2
a = r + 2 r sin cos 2
cos
a = r sin + 2r sin + 2 r

11. We can write

f (r)
m
r r = 0 = r r + r r
d
(r r)
=0
dt
r r = c
r = r

Where c is a constant vector. The cross product can be interpreted as the area vector for a
parallelogram, but for a curve like that of the trajectory of the planets we need to take an
infinitesimal change of time dt, in this time the r changes a dr, from the geometry considered,
a differential area would be formed that is approximately a triangle which has half the area
of a parallelogram for the vectors:

1
dA = r dr
2
dA
1
dr
c
= r
=
dt
2
dt
2

As we got the cross product of the position and velocity vectors of planets generates a constant
vector, so if we consider the area sweep out (as a magnitude since we arent interested in its
direction) after a change in time t we can take the following limits:

t+t

dA =
0

c 0
dt
2

c
A = t
2

This says that an imaginary line joining a planet and the sun sweeps out an equal area of
space in equal amounts of time.
12. Since the gradient must be the same operator no matters in what coordinate system, then I
equate the expression for the gradient in Cartesian and Spherical Polar Coordinates:

+ y + z
= r +
+
x
y
z
r
r
r sin

+
r

+ (
x sin + y cos )
(
x cos cos + y cos sin z sin )
r
r sin
= (
x sin cos + y sin sin + z cos )

This is a vector equation involving operators but its still a vector equation so the components
at both sides must agree, after carrying out the factorization we get:

sin

= sin cos + cos cos

x
r
r r sin

cos
= sin sin + cos sin
+
y
r
r r sin

= cos sin
z
r
r
13.
i(x

cos
y ) = i(r sin cos (sin sin + cos sin
+
)
y
x
r
r r sin

sin
r sin sin (sin cos + cos cos

)
r
r r sin

= i(r cos sin 2 sin r sin sin 2 cos + cos sin cos sin
r
r

sin sin cos cos

+ cos 2
+ sin 2 )

= i(cos 2
+ sin 2 )

= i

By using the trigonometric formula and noticing that the other terms cancel out we got the
result.
14. Here were going to use Eulers formula eix = cos x + i sin x and the cyclic properties of the
orbital angular momentum operator to calculate the Li components:
(a)

z ) + (z
x )
z
y
x
z

= i(r sin sin (cos sin

)
r
r

cos

+
))
r cos (sin sin + cos sin
r
r r sin

sin
+ r cos (sin cos + cos cos

)
r
r r sin

sin

)
r sin cos (sin cos + cos cos
r
r r sin

= i(sin + cos cot ) + cos sin cot

= (cos + i sin ) + i(cos + i sin ) cot

= ei ( + i cot )

Lx + iLy = i(y

(b)

+ cos cot ) cos + sin cot

= ( cos + i sin ) + i(cos i sin ) cot

= ei ( + i cot )

Lx iLy = i(sin

18. If we expand (a):

1 d 2 d
2r d d2
(r
)
=
+ 2
r2 dr
dr
r2 dr
dr
= (c)
1 d2 d
d
rd
(b)
(r ) =
( + r
)
2
r dr
dr
rdr
dr
2r d d2
= 2
+ 2
r dr
dr
= (c)

(a)

Then (a)=(c)=(b), all the expressions are equivalent.

7

19. Since k = T 5/2 where is a constant, in the formula:

(T 5/2 T ) = 0
(T 5/2 T ) = 0

The equality holds regardless of the constant of proportionality of the thermal conductivity,
and T = crn where n is any real number and c a constant, so the relation:
T = To (

ro 2/7
)
r

can be proven to be a solution by substituting it into the equation:

ro
ro 2/7 5/2
) ) To ( )2/7 )
r
r
7/2 ro
2/7
= (To 5/7 r
)
r

(T 5/2 T ) = ((To (

To make a long proof short, we use Eq.(2.53) for the gradient and then Eq.(2.54) for the
divergence:
2
ro
(T 5/2 T ) = ( To7/2 2 r)
7
r
2ro 7/2
r
=
To 2
7
r
2ro 7/2
=
T (2 + 2)r3
7 o
=0
For r 6= 0. As we saw, T = To ( rro )2/7 is a solution for the heat flow equation.