Greens Theorem.

Greens theorem and examples.

Greens theorem relates double integrals with line integrals in the plane. If R
is a closed bounded region then we can compute double integrals of scalar elds
over R, and if R denotes the boundary of R (observe it is a close curve), we can
compute line integrals of vector elds along R.
Theorem 1 Greens Theorem: Let R be a closed bounded region in the xy-
plane whose boundary consists of nitely many smooth curves. Let P(x, y) and
Q(x, y) be functions that are continuous with partial derivatives
P
y
and
Q
x
continuous. Then:

R
(
Q
x

P
y
)dxdy =

R
Pdx + Qdy,
1
where R represents the boundary of R.
You do not need to worry that the hypotheses of the theorem are veried in the
following examples or the exams. Everything will work out very well for you :o)
(Notice that
Q
x

P
y
is a scalar eld and the vector eld in the line integral
is

F = (P, Q))
Example 1 Verify Greens theorem for P(x, y) = y
2
7y and Q(x, y) = 2xy+2x,
R = {(x, y) R
2
: x
2
+ y
2
1} and R = {(x, y) R
2
: x
2
+ y
2
= 1}.
We compute the rst the double integral:

R
(
Q
x

P
y
)dxdy =

R
(2y + 2 (2y 7))dxdy = 9

R
dxdy
Using polar coordinates x = r cos and y = r sin we get:
9

R
dxdy = 9

2
0

1
0
rdrd =

2
0

r
2
2

1
0
d =

9
2

2
0
= 9
2
On another hand, choosing the parameterization of the circle of radius 1 r(t) =
(cos t, sin t), t [0, 2] we get:

R
Pdx + Qdy =

R
(P, Q)dr =

2
0
(P(r(t), Q(r)(t))

sin t
cos t

dt
Now, P(r(t)) = sin
2
t 7 sin y and Q(r(t)) = 2 cos t sin t + 2 cos x, and then:

2
0

2
0
(P(r(t), Q(r)(t))

sin t
cos t

dt =

2
0
(sin
2
t 7 sin y, 2 cos t sin t + 2 cos x)

sin t
cos t

dt
=

2
0
sin
3
tdt +

2
0
7 sin
2
tdt + 2

2
0
cos
2
t sin tdt
+2

2
0
cos
2
tdt ()
We compute each integral individually:

2
0
sin
3
tdt =

2
0
sin t(1 cos
2
t)dt
=

2
0
sin tdt

2
0
sin t cos
2
tdt
= cos t]
2
0

cos
3
t
3

2
0
= 0

2
0
sin
2
tdt =

2
0
(
1 cos 2t
2
)dt
=

1
2
t

2
0

1
4
sin 2t

2
0
=

2
0
sin t cos
2
tdt =

cos
3
t
3

2
0
= 0

2
0
cos
2
tdt = (
1 + cos 2t
2
)dt
=

1
2
t

2
0
+

1
4
sin 2t

2
0
=
Substituting in () we get that the line integral is 9 as we expected.
Example 2 Evaluate the following line integral
I =

C
(y
2
sin e
x
+ xy)dx (x
2
+ sech
4
y 2xy)dy
where C is the parameter of the square with vertices (0, 0), (0, 1), (1, 1) and (1, 0).
3
We use Greens Theorem with P(x, y) = y
2
sin e
x
+ xy and Q(x, y) =
x
2
sech
4
y + 2xy and R is the square with vertices (0, 0), (0, 1), (1, 1) and
(1, 0). Then:
P
y
= 2y + x and
Q
x
= 2x + 2y,
Therefore:

C
(y
2
sin e
x
+ xy)dx (x
2
+ sech
4
y 2xy)dy =

R
(2x + 2y 2y x)dxdy
=

1
0

1
0
3xdxdy
=
3
2

[x
2
]
1
0
dy =
3
2

1
0
dy =
3
2
Example 3 Use Greens Theorem to evaluate the line integral of

F = (x cosh y, x
2
sinh y)
along the path shown in the gure next page:
In this case
Q
x
= 2x sinh y and
P
y
= x sinh y,
4

F =

R
2x sinh y x sinh ydxdy
=

1
0

x
x
2
x sinh ydydx =

1
0
[x cosh y]
y=x
y=x
2
dx
=

1
0
(x cosh x x cosh x
2
)dx =

1
0
x cosh xdx

1
0
x cosh x
2
dx
= [x sinh x]
1
0

1
0
sinh xdx [
1
2
sinh x
2
]
1
0
= sinh 1 cosh 1 + cosh 0
1
2
sinh 1 =
1
2
sinh 1 + 1 cosh 1
where in the rst integral we used integration by parts u = x, dv = cosh xdx and
since sinh 0 = 0 and cosh 0 = 1.
Application to Area
We know from calculus of several variables that the area of a region R can be
computed by calculating the double integral
Area(R) =

R
dxdy
5
If nd P(x, y) and Q(x, y) such that
Q
x

P
y
= 1,
we could compute the area of the region R using a line integral.
There are many Ps and Qs verifying such thing, but for example
P(x, y) =
1
2
y and Q(x, y) =
1
2
x
would do, so by Greens theorem:
Area(R) =

R
dxdy =
1
2

R
xdy ydx
Example 4 The area of the ellipse
x
2
a
2
+
y
2
b
2
= 1.
To compute the line integral
Area =
1
2

R
xdy ydx
we need a parameterization, A possible one is
r(t) = (a cos t, b sin t),
with t [0, 2]. And then
dr(t)
dt
= (a sin t, b cos t),
Observing the line integral we conclude that the vector eld to integrate is

F(x, y) = (y, x). Then the line integral becomes:

1
2

R
xdy ydx =
1
2

F(r(t))dr
=
1
2

2
0
(b sin t, a cos t)

a sin t
b cos t

dt
=
1
2

2
0
ab sin
2
t + ab cos
2
tdt
=
1
2

2
0
ab(sin
2
t + cos
2
t)dt = ab
6
Example 5 Compute the work done by the force eld

F(x, y) = (y +3x, 2y x)
by a moving particle around the ellipse x
2
+
y
2
4
= 1.
We could compute the answer to this exercise in two dierent ways, using
the denition of line integral and choosing a parameterization of the ellipse, for
example r(t) = (cos t, 2 sin t), t [0, 2] or using Greens theorem. Let us try
Greens theorem. In this case P(x, y) = y + 3x and Q(x, y) = 2y x. And
P
y
= 1 and
Q
x
= 1
Therefore:

R
(y + 3x)dx + (2y x)dy =

R
(
Q
x

P
y
)dxdy
=

R
2dxdy = 2Area of the ellipse = 4,
using previous example.
Example 6 Let

F(x, y) = (x
2
+y
2
, x
2
y
2
) = (P, Q) in the region shown in next
page Verify Greens theorem
1 y 2 x
2
In this case:
P
y
= 2y and
Q
x
= 2x
Then:

R
2x 2ydxdy =

1
1

2x
2
1
(2x 2y)dydx
=

1
1
[2xy y
2
]
2x
2
1
dx
=

1
1
(2x(2 x
2
) (2 x
2
)
2
2x + 1)dx
=

1
1
(4x 2x
3
4 + 4x
2
x
4
2x + 1)dx
=

1
1
(x
4
2x
3
+ 4x
2
+ 2x 3)dx
=

x
5
5

x
4
2
+
4x
3
3
+ x
2
3x

1
1
=
2
5
+
8
3
6 =
56
15
7
Notice that R can be thought as the union of two paths C
1
and C
2
, where C
1
is
the the piece of the parabola y = 2 x
2
with 1 x 1 and C
2
is the segment
joining (1, 1) with (1, 1). A parameterization for C
1
could be:
r
1
(t) = (t, 2 t
2
), 1 t 1
dr
1
dt
= (1, 2t)
and a parameterization for C
2
could be:
r
2
(t) = (1 t)(1, 1) + t(1, 1) = (2t 1, 1) 0 t 1
dr
2
dt
= (2, 0)

C
1
(x
2
+ y
2
)dx + (x
2
y
2
)dy =

1
1
(t
2
+ (2 t
2
)
2
)dt +

1
1
2(t
2
(2 t
2
)
2
)tdt
=

1
1
(2t
5
+ t
4
10t
3
3t
2
+ 8t + 4)dt
=

t
6
3
+
t
5
5

5t
4
2
t
3
+ 4t
2
+ 4t

1
1
=
2
5
2 + 8 =
32
5

C
2
(x
2
+ y
2
)dx + (x
2
y
2
)dy =

1
0
2((2t 1)
2
+ 1)dt =

8t
3
3
4t
2
+ 4t

1
0
=
8
3
4 + 4 =
8
3
8
From the orientation of the boundary R, we combine these two results to
get
32
5
+
8
3
=
56
15
.
9