Cylindrical and spherical coordinates

In summary, the first problem involves finding the bounds for the volume of a solid bounded by a sphere and a paraboloid in cylindrical coordinates. The second problem involves finding the bounds for the mass of a solid inside and outside of two concentric spheres in spherical coordinates. The equations provided are already in the respective coordinate systems, and the range of integration for each variable is determined through projection and symmetry. The second problem also involves finding the bounds for the distance between two spheres.
  • #1
hytuoc
26
0
How do I get the bounds for a function w/out drawing a graph??
Like, Volume of the solid bounded above by the sphere r^2+z^2=5 and below by the paraboloid r^2=4z. How would I get the bounds for these in cylindrical coordinate (r dz dr dtheta)?

***Mass of the solid inside the sphere p=b and outside the sphere p =a (a<b) if the density is proportional to the distance from the origin. How do I get the bounds for this problem in spherical coordinates (p^2 sin(phi) dp dphi dtheta)??
Pls show me how to get the bounds step by step...i really want to learn how to do this. Tahnks so much
 
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  • #2
The first problem is should be simple because the equations you have are already in cylindrical coordinates. The first thing you have to do, in any coordinates, if you want to integrate with respect to x and y after z, is project down to the xy-plane.
The parabola r2= 4z intersects the sphere r2+ z2= 5 where r2+ (r2/4)2= 5 or r4/16+ r2- 5= 0. That's the same as u2+ 16u- 80= (u- 4)(u+ 20)= 0. If u= 4, then r= 2 (Since u= r2, we can't use the u= -20 solution.)
Because of the symmetry, θ (which doesn't appear in the formulas) ranges from 0 to 2π while r ranges from 0 (the middle) to 2. In the interior integral, z ranges from the paraboloid: z= r2/4 up to the sphere [itex]z= \sqrt{5-r^2}[/itex].

In the second problem, you have two concentric spheres with centers at the origin (I assume- you only mention ρ). φ and θ have no restrictions on them: their integrals will range from 0 to π (for φ) and from 0 to 2π (for θ). Of course, ρ will range from a to b.
 
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  • #3
Thanks much
 

FAQ: Cylindrical and spherical coordinates

1. What are cylindrical coordinates and how are they different from spherical coordinates?

Cylindrical coordinates are a type of coordinate system used to describe the position of a point in three-dimensional space. They consist of a distance from the origin, an angle from a reference direction, and a height from a reference plane. Spherical coordinates, on the other hand, use a radial distance, an azimuth angle, and an elevation angle to describe a point in space. The main difference between the two is that cylindrical coordinates are best suited for describing points on a cylinder or circular objects, while spherical coordinates are better for describing points on a sphere or objects with a spherical shape.

2. How do you convert between cylindrical and spherical coordinates?

To convert from cylindrical coordinates to spherical coordinates, you can use the following formulas:

Radius (r) = √(ρ² + z²)

Azimuth (θ) = tan⁻¹ (y / x)

Elevation (φ) = tan⁻¹ (√(x² + y²) / z)

To convert from spherical coordinates to cylindrical coordinates, you can use the following formulas:

ρ = r * sin(φ)

z = r * cos(φ)

x = ρ * cos(θ)

y = ρ * sin(θ)

3. What are some real-world applications of cylindrical and spherical coordinates?

Cylindrical coordinates are commonly used in engineering and construction, such as in the design of cylindrical buildings or structures. They are also used in navigation and mapping, as well as in physics and astronomy to describe the positions of objects in space.

Spherical coordinates are often used in geography and cartography to map the Earth's surface. They are also used in global positioning systems (GPS) and in astronomy to locate and track celestial objects.

4. Can you use cylindrical and spherical coordinates interchangeably?

In some cases, yes, you can use cylindrical and spherical coordinates interchangeably. However, this depends on the specific problem or application. As mentioned before, cylindrical coordinates are best suited for describing points on cylindrical objects, while spherical coordinates are better for describing points on spherical objects. Therefore, it is important to understand the differences between the two coordinate systems and use the one that is most appropriate for the situation.

5. How do you graph points in cylindrical and spherical coordinates?

In cylindrical coordinates, points are graphed on a three-dimensional Cartesian plane, with the x-axis representing the angle, the y-axis representing the height, and the z-axis representing the distance from the origin. In spherical coordinates, points are graphed on a three-dimensional polar coordinate system, with the radial distance as the radius, the azimuth angle as the angle from the reference direction, and the elevation angle as the angle from the reference plane. Both coordinate systems use trigonometric functions to determine the position of a point on the graph.

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