Click to download: Maple 6-8 or Maple 9

 

The Fundamental Theorem

for

Line Integrals      

 

The fundamental theorem of calculus is a mathematical triumph, but the power of the fundamental theorem is somewhat muted when only functions of a single variable are considered.  In this section, we see the first multi-variable version of the fundamental theorem, one that applies to line integrals over curves in conservative fields.  Let's explore this idea, after we first load some packages.

>    restart:with(plots):with(plottools):with(VectorCalculus):

>   

Potentials of Conservative Fields

The Fundamental Theorem and Path Independence

Using the Fundamental Theorem to find Potentials

Exercises