Cannot determine, what this partw error message is aiming at …

So i am trying to plot the magnetic vector field surrounding a "flat conducting cable" (don't know the proper english expression).

This is the "code" (there are some constants in the analytic formulas, which I have excluded for the sake of clarity):

 VectorPlot[{Piecewise[{{ArcTan[y/(x + 3)] - (Pi - ArcTan[y/(x - 3)]),

Abs[x] < 3}},

ArcTan[y/(x + 3)] - ArcTan[y/(x - 3)]],

Log[Sqrt[(y^2 + (x + 3)^2)]/Sqrt[(y^2 + (x - 3)^2)]]},

{x, -10, 10}, {y, -10, 10}]


The error message I get is the following:

Part::partw: Part 1 of {} does not exist. >>

I am not sure whether Piecewise can be used with VectorPlot at all since I haven't managed to find a syntactic, so that is probably where the problem lies. (I have managed to plot the separate functions, basically I am experiencing problems implementing Piecewise into the code.)

Thank you very much!

A vector plot needs two components:

 VectorPlot[
Piecewise[
{
{{ArcTan[y/(x + 3)] - (Pi - ArcTan[y/(x - 3)]), y},
Abs[x] < 3},
{{ArcTan[y/(x + 3)] - ArcTan[y/(x - 3)], y},
Log[Sqrt[(y^2 + (x + 3)^2)]/Sqrt[(y^2 + (x - 3)^2)]]}
}
],
{x, -10, 10}, {y, -10, 10}
]


Of course, you will need to include the proper formula for the $x$ and the $y$ components of your vector in the ranges you state.

• Thank you for the answer, but it has left me even more confused as I don't see how it fits with the syntax for the Piecewise or VectorPlot functions at all ... First let me ask you why did you put the y at the end of the first two formulas and nothing at the end of the last one? (actually the first two were defining x in ranges bordered by 3 and -3 and the third one was for y, but that doesn't really matter) – HudPesjan Apr 30 '15 at 13:00
• @HudPesjan A VectorPlot is (of course) a plot of vectors, which here must have two components. Your original posting had just a scalar (one component). My answer included two components (placed within {}), and I arbitrarily introduced a second component whose value was $y$. As I stated, you must write both components of your vector in your function. The conditional statement, however, can be one-dimensional, as indeed all of the above are. – David G. Stork Apr 30 '15 at 14:56
• Your answer makes perfect sense, but I am not sure I understand what is going on in the code. My questions would be firstly: Have you included both, the x and y components inside the Piecewise function and wether it is neccesesary to do so? And secondly: If I have understood correctly, what you have written inside the Piecewise function is: { {component (for x?), y}, condition (for x?)}, { {component (for y?), y}, condition (for y?)}, It kinda doesn't look like the suggested Piecewise syntax, so I don't see what you really did there. – HudPesjan May 3 '15 at 9:39
• @HudPesjan It is indeed necessary to include a list of two elements as your function—the $x$ and the $y$ components of your vector field. I just put in a simple $y$... you must determine the formula for the $x$ component and $y$ component of your vector. The condition which determines which vector function to use must evaluate to True or False, and thus can be a function of one variable, two variables, or whatever. – David G. Stork May 3 '15 at 15:01