Can anyone explain what a cyclic integral is? My professor used it in his Thermodynamics lecture. One of the equations was
$\oint\:dv=0$
where $v$ is Volume.
Isn't the integral of $dv$ equal to $v$? Can anyone explain in simple terms?
Can anyone explain what a cyclic integral is? My professor used it in his Thermodynamics lecture. One of the equations was
$\oint\:dv=0$
where $v$ is Volume.
Isn't the integral of $dv$ equal to $v$? Can anyone explain in simple terms?
The circle indicates that the (line) integral is taken around a closed curve. The integral of the differential $dv$ (whatever $v$ is) will always just be the net change in $v$. Around a closed curve, there is 0 net change, because you end up where you started. This article seems to explain in greater detail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_integral