Section 3.4 Finding the scalar potential function for a conservative vector field
The fundamental theorem of line integrals told us that if we knew a vector field was conservative, and thus able to be written as the gradient of a scalar potential function, we could evaluate any line integral almost trivially by just evaluating that potential function at the endpoints. But how do we FIND the scalar potential function? This video introduces that method.
Learning Objectives:
- Test to see if a vector field is conservative
- Given a conservative vector field, find the scalar potential function
- Compute line integrals using the fundamental theorem of line integrals and the computed scalar potential function
