Find Volume of Right Circular Cone: Setup Integrals

In summary, I am having trouble solving this problem. I think I need to use cylindrical coordinates to parametrize the cone, and figure out the bounds on the integrals. I am also having trouble thinking in 3d.
  • #1
sunglasboy
3
0
I am currently having trouble solving this problem "Find the volume of a right, circular cone of radius r and height h" a) as a single integral. b) as a double integral. c) as a triple integral.

My difficulty lies in setting up the integrals. I usually have trouble with problems that do not give any functions like this one. Once an integral is setup, I am pretty decent at doing the actual integration.
For this problem I am pretty sure all three integrals should yield 1/3pier^2h
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
 
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  • #2
For the first, find the area of a cross-section perpendicular to the cone-axis as a function of height z.

Then [tex]V=\int_0^h A(z)dz[/tex]
 
  • #3
thanks for the suggestion. So basically my single integral would be-
pie[(h-z)r/h]^2 dz evaluated from 0 to h ?
Is this correct?
Still unsure how to proceed with the double and triple integrals.
Thanks
 
  • #4
You got the first integral right.

The triple integral is not hard. I would choose cylindrical coordinates to parametrize the cone. The only hard stuff is figuring out the bounds on the integral.

For the double integral you have to figure out something similar. You could for example do something like rotate the graph of a line around an axis to get your cylinder. Or notice that once you've integrated one iterated integral in the triple integral, you're left with a double integral :rolleyes: and you could use the expression to find a geometrical interpretation.
 
  • #5
hmm its still not very clear to me. I am having lots of trouble thinking in 3d..
 
  • #6
Your integral will just be [itex]\int_{cone} \int \int dV[/itex] right? The only problem will be finding the bounds.
If you take an arbitrary point (r,theta,z) in your cone, by fixing theta and z, how can you vary r? (It will depend on z). If z=0 you can vary r from 0 to R. If z=h/2, r can vary between 0 and R/2 etc. This will tell you the bounds which you'll need if you integrate wrt to r first.

And draw a picture.
 

Related to Find Volume of Right Circular Cone: Setup Integrals

1. How do I set up an integral to find the volume of a right circular cone?

To set up an integral to find the volume of a right circular cone, we need to first determine the height and base radius of the cone. Then, we can use the formula V = 1/3 * π * r^2 * h to find the volume. To set up the integral, we need to integrate this formula from 0 to the height of the cone with respect to the variable of the base radius.

2. Why do we use an integral to find the volume of a right circular cone?

Integrals allow us to find the volume of irregular shapes by breaking them down into infinitesimally small parts and summing them up. In the case of a cone, the infinitesimally small parts would be the infinitesimally thin discs that make up the cone, and integrating the area of these discs would give us the volume of the cone.

3. What is the difference between a definite and indefinite integral in finding the volume of a right circular cone?

A definite integral is used to find the volume of a specific cone with known dimensions, while an indefinite integral is used to find the general formula for the volume of any right circular cone. The definite integral would have specific values for the limits of integration, while the indefinite integral would have variables as the limits of integration.

4. Can we use other methods to find the volume of a right circular cone?

Yes, we can also use the formula V = 1/3 * π * r^2 * h to find the volume of a right circular cone. Another method is to use the cross-sectional area method, where we find the area of the cross-section of the cone at different heights and then integrate them to find the total volume.

5. How can we apply the concept of finding the volume of a right circular cone to real-life situations?

The concept of finding the volume of a right circular cone can be applied in many real-life situations, such as calculating the volume of a cone-shaped container, determining the amount of material needed to make a cone-shaped object, or finding the volume of a cone-shaped body of water. It is also used in engineering and construction to calculate the volume of conical structures like towers or chimneys.

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