Week 13: Applications of Definite Integrals

Dr. Dongxu JI (Lec 01)

Prof. Pooi-Yuen KAM (Lec 02)
Dr. Bojun LU (Lec 03 & 06)
Prof. Xian ZHOU (Lec 04)
Dr. Mario HUANG (Lec 05)

School of Science and Engineering

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen

Week 13 1
Outline

Volumes Using Cross-Sections

Volumes Using Cylindrical Shells

Arc Length

Areas of Surfaces of Revolution

Moments and Centers of Mass

Week 13 2
Volumes Using Cross-Sections
Let S be a solid in the three dimensional Euclidean space (the
xyz-space), lying between the planes x = a and x = b. How do we
compute the volume of the solid?

For c ∈ [a, b], let A(c) be the area of the cross-section obtained by
intersecting S with the plane x = c.

Week 13 3
 I Consider a partition P := {x0 , x1 , . . . , xn } of [a, b].
I When ∆xk is small, the volume of the solid lying between
x = xk−1 and x = xk is approximately A(xk )∆xk .
I When kPk is small, the volume of S is approximately
n
X
A(xk )∆xk .
k=1

Week 13 4
 Definition
Let S be a solid that lies between the planes x = a and x = b.
The volume V of S is defined by
Z b
V := A(x) dx,
a

provided that the cross-section area function A(x) is integrable.

Week 13 5
 Example
Find the volume of the pyramid whose height is h and whose base
is a square with side length b.

Solution
1 2
The volume is hb .
3

Week 13 6
Solid of Revolution
If the solid S is generated by rotating the region

{(x, y ) : 0 ≤ y ≤ R(x), a ≤ x ≤ b}

around the x-axis, then the cross-sections of S are discs with radii
R(x). Consequently, A(x) = πR(x)2 , and
Z b
V = πR(x)2 dx.
a

Week 13 7
 If the solid S is generated by rotating the region

{(x, y ) : 0 ≤ r (x) ≤ y ≤ R(x), a ≤ x ≤ b}

around the x-axis, then similarly,

Z b  
V = π R(x)2 − r (x)2 dx.
a

Week 13 8
 Example (10.9 in Textbook)
A solid is generated by revolving the region bounded by y = x 2 + 1
and y = 3 − x about the x-axis. Find the volume of the solid.

Solution
117π
The volume is .
5

Week 13 9
 Example (10.10 in Textbook)
The region bounded by y = x 2 and y = 2x in the first quadrant is
revolved about the y -axis to generate a solid. Find the volume of
the solid.

Solution
8π
The volume is .
3

Week 13 10
 Example
The region bounded by y = cos x, y = sin x and the y -axis is
revolved about the y -axis to generate a solid. Find the volume of
the solid.

Solution
1√ 2
The volume is 2π − 2π.
2

Week 13 11
Volumes Using Cylindrical Shells
Another way to compute the volume of a solid generated by
rotations around a coordinate axis is to use cylindrical shells.

Consider revolving the following region in blue about the y -axis to

generate a solid. Its volume can be computed by adding the
volumes of all the “cylindrical shells”, one of which is displayed in
orange in the figure.

Week 13 12
Volumes Using Cylindrical Shells: A Formula
In general, given the solid S generated by revolving the region

{(x, y ) : g (x) ≤ y ≤ f (x), a ≤ x ≤ b}

about the y -axis, let h(x) := f (x) − g (x) be the height of the
region at x. Then the volume V of S can be computed by

Z b
V = 2πxh(x) dx.
a

Week 13 13
 Example
The region bounded by y = cos x, y = sin x and the y -axis is
revolved about the y -axis to generate a solid. Find the volume of
the solid using cylindrical shells.

Solution
This is the example on Page 11. The volume is once again
1√ 2
2π − 2π. Note that the computation using cylindrical shells is
2
simpler than that using cross-sections.

Week 13 14
 Exercise
Use two methods to find the volume of the solid generated by
√
rotating around the x-axis the region between the curve y = x
and the x-axis, from 0 to 1.

Solution
The volume is π/2.

Week 13 15
Arc Length
Consider a curve given by a continuous function y = f (x) defined
on the interval [a, b], and let P be a partition of [a, b].

If yk := f (xk ) and ∆yk = yk − yk−1 , then the length of the curve

between the points (xk−1 , yk−1 ) and (xk , yk ) is approximately
s
∆yk 2
q  
2 2
Lk = (∆xk ) + (∆yk ) = 1 + ∆xk
∆xk

when ∆xk is small.

Pn The definition of arc length is obtained by
taking limit of k=1 Lk as kPk → 0.

Week 13 16
 Definition
Let f be a function such that f 0 is continuous on [a, b]. The length
(or arc length) L of the curve y = f (x) between the points
(a, f (a)) and (b, f (b)) is defined by
s  2
Z b Z bq
dy
2
L := 1+ dx = 1 + f 0 (x) dx.
a dx a

Example
Compute the length of the curve given by y = x 3/2 , 0 ≤ x ≤ 3.

Solution  
8 31 3/2


The length is 27 4 −1 .

Week 13 17
 Remark
If the curve is given by x = g (y ), c ≤ y ≤ d, and g 0 is continuous,
then the arc length can be computed by
s  2
Z d Z dq
dx
2
L= 1+ dy = 1 + g 0 (y ) dy .
c dy c

Example
Compute the length of the curve given by y = (x/2)2/3 , 0 ≤ x ≤ 2.

Solution
2
103/2 − 1 .


The length is 27

Week 13 18
Areas of Surfaces of Revolution
Consider a surface generated by revolving about the x-axis a curve
y = f (x), where f is positive, for x ∈ [a, b].

After partitioning [a, b], when ∆xk is small, the area Ak of the
surface generated by revolving the curve for x ∈ [xk−1 , xk ] satisfies
s
∆yk 2
 
Ak ≈ 2πf (xk )Lk ≈ 2πf (xk ) 1 + ∆xk .
∆xk

Week 13 19
 Definition
Let f be a positive function such that f 0 is continuous on [a, b].
The area S of the surface generated by revolving about the x-axis
the curve y = f (x), a ≤ x ≤ b, is defined by
s  2
Z b Z b
dy
q
S := 2πf (x) 1 + dx = 2πf (x) 1 + (f 0 (x))2 dx.
a dx a

Remark
One may write a similar formula for the area of the surface
generated by revolving about the y -axis the curve x = g (y ),
c ≤ y ≤ d.

Week 13 20
 Example
Consider a cone whose height is h and whose base radius is r . Find
its surface area (excluding the base) using surfaces of revolution.

Solution √
The surface area is πr r 2 + h2 .

Week 13 21
Moments and Centers of Mass: Motivation

Consider the following system, in which two masses m1 and m2 are

attached to the opposite ends of a rod with a negligible mass.

The Law of the Lever states that the system will balance if

m1 d1 = m2 d2 .

Week 13 22
 Consider a rod lying on the x-axis, with m1 at x1 and m2 at x2 , as
shown in the following figure.

Let x be the position of the fulcrum. Then the rod will balance if
and only if
m1 (x − x1 ) = m2 (x2 − x),
whence
m1 x1 + m2 x2
x= .
m1 + m2

The numbers m1 x1 and m2 x2 are called the moments of the

masses m1 and m2 (with respect to the origin). Note that in the
example above, x is obtained by dividing the sum of all the
moments by the total mass.

Week 13 23
 In general, given a system of n particles with masses m1 , . . . , mn
located at the points x1 , . . . , xn on the x-axis, the moment of the
system about the origin is the number
n
X
mk xk ,
k=1

and the system’s center of mass is the point

Pn
mk xk
x = Pk=1 n .
k=1 mk

Week 13 24
Moments and Centers of Mass: Point Masses on Planes
Now consider a system of n particles with masses m1 , . . . , mn
located at the points (x1 , y1 ), . . . , (xn , yn ) in the xy -plane.
Analogous to the 1-dimensional case, we define:
n
X
Moment of the system about the x-axis: Mx := mk yk ,
k=1
Xn
Moment of the system about the y -axis: My := mk xk .
k=1

Then the system’s center of mass is (x, y ), where

My Mx
x= and y = ,
M M
P
with M being the total mass k mk of the system.

Week 13 25
The Center of Mass

My Mx
x= and y = ,
M M

Week 13 26
Moments and Centers of Mass: Uniform Density
Consider a flat plate whose shape is given by 0 ≤ y ≤ f (x),
a ≤ x ≤ b, where f is continuous.
Suppose that the plate has uniform density ρ. Divide the region
into n smaller subregions, each of which is approximately an
rectangle, as shown in the figure.

Since the density is uniform, the center of mass for the k-th
rectangle Rk is its center, which is the point (x k , 21 f (x k )), where
x k = (xk−1 + xk )/2. This is approximately the center of mass for
the k-th subregion when ∆x is small.
Week 13 27
 The mass of Rk is ρf (x k )∆x, so the moment of Rk about the
y -axis is


My (Rk ) = ρf (x k )∆x x k = ρx k f (x k )∆x.

Adding all these moments gives an approximation of the moment

of the plate about the y -axis. By taking limit of the sum as
n → ∞, we define the moment of the plate about the y -axis by
Z b
My := ρ xf (x) dx.
a

With a similar reasoning, we define the moment of the plate about

the x-axis by
Z b
1
2
Mx := ρ f (x) dx.
a 2

Week 13 28
 Since the plate has uniform density ρ, its mass M is given by
Z b
M = ρA = ρ f (x) dx.
a

The center of mass of the plate is (x, y ), where

My Mx
x= and y = .
M M
Note that the density constant ρ appears in the expressions for Mx ,
My and M, so it is cancelled in the expression for x and y .
Therefore, the center of mass of a plate with uniform density does
not depend on its density constant ρ. It is purely a geometrical
concept that is also called the centroid of the plate.

Week 13 29
 After the cancellation of ρ, the center of mass, (x, y ), of a plate
with uniform density, can be expressed by

Z b Z b
1 1 1
2
x= xf (x) dx, y= f (x) dx,
A a A a 2

where A is the area of the plate.

Example
√
Find the centroid of the region given by 0 ≤ y ≤ x, 0 ≤ x ≤ 1.

Solution
The centroid of the region is (3/5, 3/8).

Week 13 30
Plates Bounded by Two Curves

If a plate with uniform density has its shape given by

g (x) ≤ y ≤ f (x), a ≤ x ≤ b,

then by a reasoning similar to that in the previous case, the plate’s

center of mass (or centroid), which is (x, y ), is given by

1 b
Z


x= x f (x) − g (x) dx,
A a
1 b 1
Z

2
2 
y= f (x) − g (x) dx,
A a 2

where A is the area of the plate.

Week 13 31
 Example
√
Find the centroid of the region given by x 2 ≤ y ≤ x, 0 ≤ x ≤ 1.

Solution
The centroid of the region is (9/20, 9/20).

Week 13 32