MS 205: Vector Calculus. Problem Sheet 1.

Here vectors will be denoted by the notation ~v .

1. For all vectors ~a, ~b 6= ~0 prove that
~a ~b = ~0 iff ~a = ~b, ; R
~a ~b = 0 iff ~a is perpendicular to ~b.
2. Prove that that for all vectors ~a, ~b, ~c
~a (~b + ~c) = ~a ~b + ~a ~c
~a ~b = ~b ~a
k~a ~bk2 = k~ak2 k~bk2 (~a ~b)2
3. Show that for ~u = (u1 , 0, 0), ~v = (v1 , v2 , 0), w
~ = (w1 , w2 , w3 ), we have that
~u (~v w)
~ = (~u w)~
~ v (~u ~v )w.
~
4. Which of the following lines are parallel ?
L1 : ~i + 2~k + t1 (~i 2~j + 3~k)
L2 : ~i + 2~k + t2 (1, 2, 3)
L3 : (6, 1, 0) t3 (2, 4, 6)
L4 : (0.5 + 0.5t4 , t4 , 1 + 1.5t4 )
5. Find the angle between the two planes
5(x 1) 3(y + 2) + 2z = 0
x + 3(y 1) + 2(z + 4) = 0.
6. Show that the vectors
~er = (cos , sin , 0), ~e = ( sin , cos , 0), ~ez = (0, 0, 1)
form an orthornormal basis for R3 . Verify that
~er ~e = ~ez ,

~er (~e ~ez ) = 1.

MS 205: Vector Calculus. Problem Sheet 2.

Here vectors will be denoted by the notation v.
1. The position vector of a particle at time t is given by
r(t) = (cos t, sin t).
Determine its velocity, speed and acceleration.
2. The position vector of a particle at time t is given by
r(t) = (cos3 t, sin3 t), 0 t

.
2

Determine its velocity, speed and acceleration.

3. If the path c : R R3 is defined by
c(t) = (cos 4t, sin 4t, 2t2 ),
Show that c0 (t) 6= 0, t and find the equation of the tangent line at t = 2.
4. The position vector r(t) of a particle at time t moving in a plane can be expressed
as
r(t) = (r(t) cos (t), r(t) sin (t)).
Define
er () = (cos , sin ),

e () = ( sin , cos )

Show that
der
de
= e ,
= er
d
d

r = re
r + re
.
r = (
r r2 )er + (r + 2r )e
5. Let u, v be paths in R3 . Show that
d
d
d
(u v) = (u) v + u (v).
dt
dt
dt
6. The position vector r(t) in R3 of a particle at time t satisfies r(t) = F (t)r(t).
Prove that r(t) r(t) = 0 and that there exists a constant c such that r (t)
r(t) = c. Conclude that r(t) c = 0.

MS 205: Vector Calculus. Problem Sheet 3.

1. Show that the following limit does not exist
(x 2y)2
(x,y)(0,0) x2 + y 2
lim

2. Prove that the following limit does exist

y3
(x,y)(0,0) x2 + y 2
lim

3. Does the following limit exist

x2 y 2
lim f (x, y) = xy 2
?
(x,y)(0,0)
x + y2
If f (0, 0) = 1, is this function continuous ?
4. Prove that the following limit does not exist
x4
(x,y)(0,0) x4 + y 4
lim

and, hence, prove that the following limit also does not exist
cos x 1 0.5x2
(x,y)(0,0)
x4 + y 4
lim

5. Let

xy
, (x, y) 6= (0, 0), f (0, 0) = 0.
+ y2
Prove that fx (0, 0) and fy (0, 0) both exist but that f is discontinuous at (0, 0).
f (x, y) =

x2

6. Let f : Rn R. Suppose that f (x) l1 as x a and f (x) l2 as x a.

Prove that the limit is unique (l1 = l2 ).
7. Let c R3 . Prove that the function f : R3 R defined by f (x) = c x, is
continuous.
8. Calculate the first order partial derivatives of the following functions
(a) f (x, y) = x3 + 4xy 3y 4
(b) f (x, y) = (x2 + y 4 )1 ,

(x, y) 6= (0, 0)

(c) f (x, y) = xy 2 cosh(xy)

(d) f (x, y, z) = 2x3 + 3y 4 2z 3 20xyz
(e) f (x1 , x2 , x3 ) = (1 + x1 )2 ex2 x3
9. Let f (x, y, z) = x2 xy+yz 3 6z. Find all points (x, y, z) such that f (x, y, z) =
(0, 0, 0).
3

MS 205: Vector Calculus. Problem Sheet 4.

1. Find the tangent plane at (1, 1, 1) to the level surface
(x + y z)exyz1 = 1.
2. Find the tangent plane at (2, 3, 78) to the graph of the function
f (x, y) = 6x2 2y 3
3. Find the equation of the tangent plane to
(1, 4, 1).

x+

y+

z = 4 at the point

4. Find all points on the surface z = x2 2xy 2 + 8x at which the tangent plane is
horizontal.
5. Find the points on the hyperboloid x2 2y 2 4z 2 = 16 at which the tangent
plane is parallel to the plane 4x 2y + 4z = 5.
6. If x = cos , y = sin , show that
V 2 V 2 V 2
1 V 2
+
=
+ 2
x
y

7. Calculate all the second order partial derivatives of the following functions
(a) f (x, y) = x3 y + exy

(b) f (x, y) = (x2 + y 2 )1 ,

(x, y) 6= (0, 0)

(c) f (x, y) = xy 2 cos(xy)

(d) f (x, y, z) = 2x3 + 3y 4 2z 3 20xyz
8. Prove that Y = f (x + at) + g(x at) satisfies Ytt = a2 Yxx .
9. Show that the potential V defined by
c

V (x, y, z) = p

x2 + y 2 + z 2

(x, y, z) 6= (0, 0, 0)

is a solution of Vxx + Vyy + Vzz = 0.

10. If
F (x, y) =

2x + y
, x = 2u 3v, y = u + 2v,
y 2x

find Fu , Fv , Fuu , Fvv , Fuv .

11. Let f (x, y, z) = xyz and F (s, t) = f (s+t, st, st). Find Fs (2, 1) and Ft (2, 1).

MS 205: Vector Calculus. Problem Sheet 5.

1. Find the second degree Taylor approximation in (h, k) suitable for approximating f (2 + h, 1 + k) near (2, 1) where f : U R2 R is defined by
f (x, y) = ln(1 + x + 2y),

U = {(x, y) : 1 + x + 2y > 0}.

2. Find the second degree Taylor approximation in (h, k) suitable for approximating f (h, + k) near (0, ) where f : R2 R is defined by
f (x, y) = ex sin y.
3. Find and classify the critical points of the following functions
(a) x2 + xy y 2 + 2x + y
(b) x3 + 3xy 2 6xy
(c) x3 + y 3 3xy
2 y 2 z 2

(d) xyzex

(e) x2 y 2 z 2 + 2x 4y + z
(f)

(x + y + 1)2
x2 + y 2 + 1

p
4. The temperature on the surface of the hemisphere z = 1 x2 y 2 is given
by T (x, y, z) = 400xyz 2 . Find the hottest and the coldest temperatures on the
hemisphere and the points where these extremes occur.
5. The line y = mx + b best fits the data points (x1 , y1 ), (x2 , y2 ), . . . (xn , yn ) when
the constants m and b are chosen to minimize
n
X
(yk mxk b)2 .
k=1

Determine an expression for m and b.

6. A company produces two types of computers. The daily cost C and revenue
R of producing and selling x of type A computer and y of type B computer is
given by
C(x, y) = x2 + xy + y 2 + 20x 20y,

R(x, y) = 100x + 80y.

Determine the number of machines to produce and sell each day to maximize
daily profit.

MS 205: Vector Calculus. Problem Sheet 6.

1. Minimize x2 + y 2 on the hyperbola xy = 1. Solve using Lagrange multipliers
and directly using substitution.
2. Find the point on the plane 3x + 2y z = 4 closest to the origin.
3. Find the absolute maximum and minimum of the function x2 + 4y 2 x + 2y
within the region bounded by the ellipse x2 + 4y 2 = 1.
4. The Cobb-Douglas production function is defined to be
f (x, y) = kxa y b ,

a, b > 0 such that a + b = 1

where k is a constant, x is the number of units of capital, y the number of units

of labour and f (x, y) is the units of the commodity. Each x costs C euro and
each y costs L euro. Maximize f subject to Cx + Ly = M .
5. Let A be a symmetric non-zero 3 3 matrix and define f : R3 R by
f (x) = xT Ax.
The restriction f |S to the unit sphere S = {x : kxk = 1} has an extremum point.
Show that there is a point x S and a number 6= 0 such that Ax = x.
6. Show that there is no function f (x, y) such that f = (y, x).
7. Show that of all the triangles with a given perimeter, the equilateral triangle
has the largest area.
8. Write out sufficient conditions for a local maximum or minimum for a function
f (x, y, z) of three independent variables. Examine the function
f (x, y, z) = x2 + y 2 + z 2 6xy + 8xz 10yz
for maxima and minima.

MS 205: Vector Calculus. Problem Sheet 7.

1. Let F = (2xz 2 , 1, y 3 zx) and f = x2 y. Compute (a) f (b) F (c) F f
(d) F f .
2. A sphere of mass m, radius a and uniform density has potential u and gravitational force F , at a distance r from the centre (0, 0, 0), given by
u=

3m mr2
m
3 , F = 3 r (r a);
2a
2a
a
m
m
u = , F = 3 r (r > a).
r
r

Here r = krk, r = (x, y, z).

(a) Verify that F = u both inside and outside of the sphere.
(b) Show that 2 u = C, r a, where C is a constant.
(c) Show that 2 u = 0, r > a.
3. The function F defined by F (u, v) = f (x(u, v), y(u, v)) where f C 1 and
x(u, v) = cosh u cos v,

y(u, v) = sinh u sin v.

Find expressions for Fu and Fv in terms of fx and fy .

4. Let f be a function on R2 and let F be defined by F (u, v) = f (x(u, v), y(u, v)),
where u(x, y) = xy and v(x, y) = x + y. Show that
Fxx = y 2 fuu + 2yfuv + fvv ,
and find similar expressions for Fxy , Fyy .
5. Let f : R2 R be C 1 . Use the Chain Rule to show that
Z
Z b
d b(t)
db
da
f
f (t, s)ds = f (t, b) f (t, a) +
(t, s)ds.
dt a(t)
dt
dt
t
a
Rv
Hint. Define h(t) = g(a(t), b(t), t) and g(u, v, w) = u f (w, x) dx.
6. Two functions are defined on [0, ) by
Z
Z
2
t x2
e d x , g(t) =
f (t) =
0
0

1
0

(a) Show that f (t) + g (t) = 0.

(b) Prove that g(t) 0 as t be establishing that
2

2)

et (1+x
1 + x2
(c) Deduce that

et ,

0 x 1.

ex d x =

et (1+x )
d x.
1 + x2

MS 205: Vector Calculus. Problem Sheet 8.

1. Evaluate

sin(x + y) dx dy.
y=0

x=0

2. In each of the following integrals, sketch the region of integration and evaluate
each integral using both possible orders of integration:
Z

2 2

/2

cos

x y dx dy,
x=0

cos dr d.

y=x

=0

3. Evaluate

r=0

Z Z
xy dx dy,
D

where D is the triangular region {(x, y) : x + y 3, x 0, y 0}.

4. Show that, for a > 0,
Z

ax

f (x, y) dx dy =
x=y 2 /a

y=0

f (x, y) dx dy.
x=0

y=x

5. Determine the integrals

Z

4x2

x dx dy,

4x2

6. Evaluate the integral

4
0

/2

/2
x

ex dx dy.

y/2

sin y
dy dx.
y

7. Sketch the region D = {(x, y, z) : x 0, y 0, z 0, x+y+z 1, x2 +y 2 +z 2

1} R3 and determine its volume using triple integration.
8. Evaluate the triple integral
Z Z Z
xyz dx dy dz,
D

over the region D R3 defined by the inequalities

1

x2 y 2 z 2
+ 2 + 2 4.
a2
b
c

MS 205: Vector Calculus. Problem Sheet 9.

1. Consider the integral Ia =

Ra
0

ex dx.

(a) Explain why

Z Z
Ia2

2 y 2

ex

dxdy,

Ra = [0, a] [0, a].

Ra

(b) Evaluate the double integral

Z Z
2 y 2

ex

Jb =

dxdy,

Db

where Db = {(x, y) : x 0, y 0, x2 + y 2 b2 }.
(c) Show that

Z Z
ex

Ja
Ra

2 y 2

dxdy J2a

and hence determine lima Ia .

2. The mapping T (u, v) = (u2 v 2 , 2uv) transforms the rectangle [0, 1] [0, 1] of
the uv-plane into a region D of the xy-plane. Show that T is one-to-one and
find the area of D.
RR 2
3. By making a suitable change of variables, evaluate
x dxdy where D is
D
2
2
determined by the two conditions 0 x y and x + y 1.
4. Which of the following vector fields are conservative
(a) F = (y sin z, x sin z, xy cos z)
(b) F = (y + z, z, x + y)
(c) F = (ex cos y, ex cos y, z)
R
5. Evaluate C xydx + (x + y)dy along the curve y = x2 from (1, 1) to (2, 4).
6. Find the work done by the force F = (xy, y x) over the straight line from
(1, 1) to (2, 3).
p
7. Integrate x2 over the surface of the cone z = x2 + y 2 , 0 z 1.
8. Evaluate the integral
Z
(x2 2xy)dx + (x2 y + 3)dy
D

around the boundary of the region D enclosed by y 2 = 8x and x = 2.