Vector calculus is the foundation stone on which a vast amount of mathematical physics is based (for example, fluid dynamics, solid mechanics and general relativity all involve a description of vector and scalar quantities in three dimensions) so it is important that students have a thorough grasp of it before moving on to more advanced areas of mathematics. Most books are aimed at engineering applications: this book focuses on the underlying mathematical structure of the subject and is aimed at first and second year undergraduate mathematic students.

Paul Matthews is a young writer with an excellent research record and teaching experience at both MIT and Nottingham - Up to date and of relevance to today's students - Full use is made of the elegant and concise suffix notation Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext

Paul C. Matthews was on the faculty of the University of Nottingham for more than two decades. A specialist of dynamical systems and their numerical analysis, he is the author of the bestselling textbook Vector Calculus (Springer, 1998).

Inhalt

1. Vector Algebra.- 1.1 Vectors and scalars.- 1.2 Dot product.- 1.3 Cross product.- 1.4 Scalar triple product.- 1.5 Vector triple product.- 1.6 Scalar fields and vector fields.- 2. Line, Surface and Volume Integrals.- 2.1 Applications and methods of integration.- 2.2 Line integrals.- 2.3 Surface integrals.- 2.4 Volume integrals.- 3. Gradient, Divergence and Curl.- 3.1 Partial differentiation and Taylor series.- 3.2 Gradient of a scalar field.- 3.3 Divergence of a vector field.- 3.4 Curl of a vector field.- 4. Suffix Notation and its Applications.- 4.1 Introduction to suffix notation.- 4.2 The Kronecker delta ?ij.- 4.3 The alternating tensor ?ijk.- 4.4 Relation between ?ijk and ?ij.- 4.5 Grad, div and curl in suffix notation.- 4.6 Combinations of grad, div and curl.- 4.7 Grad, div and curl applied to products of functions.- 5. Integral Theorems.- 5.1 Divergence theorem.- 5.2 Stokes's theorem.- 6. Curvilinear Coordinates.- 6.1 Orthogonal curvilinear coordinates.- 6.2 Grad, div and curl in orthogonal curvilinear coordinate systems.- 6.3 Cylindrical polar coordinates.- 6.4 Spherical polar coordinates.- 7. Cartesian Tensors.- 7.1 Coordinate transformations.- 7.2 Vectors and scalars.- 7.3 Tensors.- 7.4 Physical examples of tensors.- 8. Applications of Vector Calculus.- 8.1 Heat transfer.- 8.2 Electromagnetism.- 8.3 Continuum mechanics and the stress tensor.- 8.4 Solid mechanics.- 8.5 Fluid mechanics.- Solutions.