Line Integrals

We want to look at line integrals with respect to x and/or y in two-dimensional curve C with
parameterization,
x  x t  , y  y t  , a  t  b
Line segment from  x0 , y0 , z0  to  x1 , y1 , z1  is given by

r  t   1  t  x0 , y0 , z0   t  x1 , y1 , z1  0  t 1

Or
x  1  t  x0  t x1
y  1  t  y0  t y1
z  1  t  z0  t z1

The line integral of f with respect to x is,

  x, y  dx  b f  x t  , y t  x t  dt
a

The line integral of f with respect to y is,

  x, y  dy  b f  x t  , y t  y t  dt
a

These two integral often appear together and so we have the following shorthand notation for
these cases.

 P dx  Q dy   P  x, y  dx   Q  x, y  dy
C C C

Example 1
Evaluate  sin  y  dy  yx 2 dx where C is the line segment from  0, 2  to 1, 4 
C

Solution
Parameterization of the curve

r  t   1  t   2 j   t  i  4 j   ti   2  2t  j 0  t 1

The line integral is,

 sin  y  dy  yx dx   sin  y  dy   yx 2 dx
2

C C C

  sin   2  2t    2  dt    2  2t  t  1 dt
2

C C
1 1
1  2 1 
  cos  2  2 t    t 3  t 4 
 0  3 2 0
7

6

NB: changing the direction of the curve for a line integral with respect to arc length doesn’t
change the value of the integral. But for this case it affects the answer

Example 2
Evaluate  sin  y  dy  yx 2 dx where C is the line segment from 1, 4  to  0, 2 
C

Solution
Parameterization of the curve

r  t   1  t   i  4 j   t  2 j   1  t  i   4  2t  i 0  t 1

The line integral is,

 sin  y  dy  yx dx   sin  y  dy   yx 2 dx
2

C C C

  sin   4  2t    2  dt    4  2t 1  t   1 dt

2

C C
1 1
1   1 8 
  cos  4  2 t      t 4  t 3  5t 2  4t 
 0  2 3 0
7

6

The integrals in 3-dimensions

  x, y, z  dx   f  x t  , y t  , z t  x t  dt
a

b
C

  x, y, z  dy   f  x t  , y t  , z t  y t  dt
a

b
C

  x, y, z  dz  b f  x t  , y t  , z t  z t  dt
a

Where the curve is parameterized by

x  x t  , y  y t  , z  z t  , a  t  b

In short form we use

These two integral often appear together and so we have the following shorthand notation for
these cases.

 P dx  Q dy  R dz   P  x, y, z  dx   Q  x, y, z  dy   R  x, y, z  dz
C C C C

Example 3
 
Evaluate  x 2  y dy  y 2  x dx   where C is the line segment from  0,1 to 1, 2 
C

Solution
Parameterization of the curve

r  t   1  t   j   t  i  2 j   t i  1  t  j 0  t 1

The line integral is,

x    
 y dy  y 2  x dx   x 2  y dy   y 2  x dx   
2

C C C

 
1 1

 
  t 2  1  t  1 dt   1  t   t 1 dt
2

0 0
1


  t 2  1  t  1  2t  t 2  t dt 
0
1


  2t 2  2t dt 
0
1
2 
  t3  t2 
3 0
5

3

Example 4
 
Evaluate  x 2  y dy  y 2  x dx   where C is the line segment from  0,1 to 1,1
C
Solution
Parameterization of the curve

r  t   1  t   j   t  i  j   t i  j 0  t 1

The line integral is,

x    
 y dy  y 2  x dx   x 2  y dy   y 2  x dx   
2

C C C
1 1

 
  t  1 1 dt    1  t    0  dt
2

0 0
1


  t 2  1 dt 
0
1
1 
  t3  t 
3 0
2

3

Example 5
 
Evaluate  x 2  y dy  y 2  x dx   where C is the line segment from 1,1 to 1, 2 
C

Solution
Parameterization of the curve

r  t   1  t   i  j   t  i  2 j   i  1  t  j 0  t 1

The line integral is,

x    
 y dy  y 2  x dx   x 2  y dy   y 2  x dx   
2

C C C

 
1 1
  1  1  t    0  dt   1  t   1 1 dt
2

0 0
1


  t 2  2t  2 dt 
0
1
1  10
  t 3  t 2  2t  
3 0 3
Example 6
Evaluate  y dx  x dy  z dz . Where C is given as x  cos t , y  sin t , z  t 2 0  t  2
C

Solution
So, we simply changed the direction of the curve. Here is the new parameterization.

 y dx  x dy  z dz   y dx   x dy   z dz
C C c c
2 2 2
  sin t   sin t  dt   cos t  cos t  dt   t  2t  dt
2

0 0 0
2 2 2
   sin 2 t dt   cos
2
t dt   2t dt
3

0 0 0
2 2 2

 1  cos  2t   dt   1  cos  2t   dt 
1 1
  2t dt
3

2 0
2 0 0
2
 1 1 1 
    t  sin 2t    t  sin 2t   t 4 
 2 2 2 0
 8 4

Example 7
   
Evaluate  x 2  y dy  y 2  x dx . Where C is given as x  t , y  t 2  1 0  t 1
C
[2 ]

Line integral of vector field

Consider the vector field


F  x, y, z   P  x, y, z  i  Q  x, y, z  j  R  x, y, z  k

and the three-dimensional, smooth curve given by


r  t   x  t  i  y  t  j  z t  k at b


The line integral of F along C is
 b
  

C
F  dr   F  r t   r t  dt
a
Example 1
 
Evaluate  F  dr where F  x, y, z   8x 2 yz i  5z j  4 xy k and C is the curve given by
C

r  t   t i  t 2 j  t 3k 0  t 1

Solution
We first need the vector field evaluated along the curve.
 
F  r  t    8t 2  t 2  t 3 i  5t 3 j  4t t 2  k  8t 7 i  5t 3 j  4t 3 k

Next we need the derivative of the parameterization.


r   t   i  2t j  3t 2 k

 
 
F  r   t   8t 7 i  5t 3 j  4t 3 k i  2t j  3t 2 k 
 8t 7  10t 4  12t 5

The line integral is then,

 1

 F  dr  7

 8t  10t  12t dt
4 5

C 0
1
 t 8  2t 5  2t 6 
0

1

Example 2
 
Evaluate  F  dr where F  x, y, z   xz i  y z k and C is the line segment from  1, 2, 0 to
C

 3, 0,1
Solution
Parameterization of the line segment


 
r  t   1  t   i  2 j   t 3i  k   4t  1 i   2  2t  j  t k 0  t 1

So, let’s get the vector field evaluated along the curve.
 
F  r  t     4t  1 t  i   2  2t  t  k

  
 4t 2  t i  2t  2t 2 k 
Now we need the derivative of the parameterization.

r   t   4 i  2 j  k

The dot product is then

  
  
F  r  t    r  t   4 4t 2  t i  2t  2t 2 k 
 18t 2  6t

The line integral becomes,

  1

  dr   18t  6t dt
F 2

C 0
1
 6t 3  3t 2 
0

3

Example 3
 
Evaluate  F  dr where F    
 x, y, z   3x2  6 yz i   2 y  3xz   1  4xyz 2 k from  0, 0, 0 to
C

1,1,1 along the path C x  t , y  t 2 , z  t 3

Solution

    
F  3t 2  6t 5 i  2t 3  3t 4  1  4t 9 k 

r  t   x i  y j  z k  t i  t 2 j  t 3 k


dr  i  2t j  3t 2 k

  
1

 F  dr  2 5 2 4
  9
 
 3t  6t i  2t  3t j  1  4t k  i  2t j  3t k
2

C 0

 
1

 
  3t 2  6t 5  2t 2t 2  3t 4  3t 2 1  4t 9 dt 
0
 1

 
  3t 2  6t 5  4t 3  6t 5  3t 2  12t11 dt
0
1
 t 3  t 4  t 3  t12 
0

2

Exercise
 
1) Evaluate  F  dr where F  x, y, z   xi  j  z k along the path C
C

x  t , y  t , z  t3 0  t 1

2) Evaluate  x z dz
2
where C is the line segment from from  0,1,1 to 1, 2, 1
C
 
3) Evaluate  F  dr where F  x, y, z   cos xi  yj  xz k from  0, 0, 0 to 1,1,1 along the
C

path C r  t   t i  t 2 j  k 0t 3