Volume w/ Double Integrals: What Am I Doing Wrong?

In summary, to find the volume of a region bounded by two functions, you need to take the integral of the difference between the two functions over the region. In this specific example, the region was a circle with a radius of $\displaystyle \begin{align*} \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} \end{align*}$ and the volume was calculated to be $\displaystyle \begin{align*} \frac{5\pi}{12} \end{align*}$. The mistake made in the original problem was adding the two functions in the integrand instead of subtracting them.
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Pull and Twist
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I'm not getting the right answer... why?

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  • #2
PullandTwist said:
I'm not getting the right answer... why?

To find the volume of a region D bounded above by $\displaystyle \begin{align*} z = f_1 \left( x, y \right) \end{align*}$ and below by $\displaystyle \begin{align*} z = f_2 \left( x, y \right) \end{align*}$, you need to do

$\displaystyle \begin{align*} V = \int{\int_D{\left[ f_1 \left( x, y \right) - f_2 \left( x, y \right) \right]\,\mathrm{d}V}} \end{align*}$

Here $\displaystyle \begin{align*} f_1 \left( x, y \right) = \sqrt{1 - x^2 - y^2} \end{align*}$ and $\displaystyle \begin{align*} f_2 \left( x, y \right) = 1 - \sqrt{1 - x^2 - y^2} \end{align*}$. You have correctly established that the intersection of the two spheres is the circle at $\displaystyle \begin{align*}z = \frac{1}{2} \end{align*}$ of radius $\displaystyle \begin{align*} \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} \end{align*}$ centred at $\displaystyle \begin{align*} (x,y) = (0,0) \end{align*}$, and since each cross section is a full circle, that means $\displaystyle \begin{align*} 0 \leq r \leq \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} \end{align*}$ and $\displaystyle \begin{align*} 0 \leq \theta \leq 2\pi \end{align*}$. So your volume is calculated by

$\displaystyle \begin{align*} \int{\int_D{ \left[ \sqrt{1 - x^2 - y^2} - \left( 1 - \sqrt{1 - x^2 - y^2} \right) \right]\,\mathrm{d}V }} &= \int_0^{2\pi}{\int_0^{\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}}{ \left[ \sqrt{1 - r^2} - \left( 1 - \sqrt{1 - r^2} \right) \right] \, r\, \mathrm{d}r }\,\mathrm{d}\theta} \\ &= \int_0^{2\pi}{\int_0^{\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}}{\left( 2\,\sqrt{1 - r^2} - 1 \right) \, r \, \mathrm{d}r }\,\mathrm{d}\theta} \\ &= \int_0^{2\pi}{ -\frac{1}{2} \int_0^{\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}}{ \left( 2\,\sqrt{1 - r^2} - 1 \right) \left( -2r \right) \,\mathrm{d}r } \,\mathrm{d}\theta } \end{align*}$

Now let $\displaystyle \begin{align*} u = 1 - r^2 \implies \mathrm{d}u = -2r \,\mathrm{d}r \end{align*}$ and note that $\displaystyle \begin{align*} u(0) = 1 \end{align*}$ and $\displaystyle \begin{align*} u \left( \frac{\sqrt{3}}{2} \right) = \frac{1}{4} \end{align*}$, the integral becomes

$\displaystyle \begin{align*} \int_0^{2\pi}{-\frac{1}{2} \int_0^{\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}}{ \left( 2\,\sqrt{1 - r^2} - 1 \right) \left( -2r \right) \,\mathrm{d}r }\,\mathrm{d}\theta} &= \int_0^{2\pi}{-\frac{1}{2}\int_1^{\frac{1}{4}}{ \left( 2\,\sqrt{u} - 1 \right) \, \mathrm{d}u }\,\mathrm{d}\theta} \\ &= \int_0^{2\pi}{ \frac{1}{2} \int_{\frac{1}{4}}^1{ \left( 2u^{\frac{1}{2}} - 1 \right) \,\mathrm{d}u } \,\mathrm{d}\theta } \\ &= \int_0^{2\pi}{\int_{\frac{1}{4}}^1{ \left( u^{\frac{1}{2}} - \frac{1}{2} \right) \,\mathrm{d}u }\,\mathrm{d}\theta} \\ &= \int_0^{2\pi}{\left[ \frac{2}{3}u^{\frac{3}{2}} - \frac{1}{2}u \right] _{\frac{1}{4}}^1\,\mathrm{d}\theta} \\ &= \int_0^{2\pi}{\left[ \frac{2}{3} \left( 1 \right) ^{\frac{3}{2}} - \frac{1}{2} \left( 1 \right) \right] - \left[ \frac{2}{3} \left( \frac{1}{4} \right) ^{\frac{3}{2}} - \frac{1}{2} \left( \frac{1}{4} \right) \right] \,\mathrm{d}\theta} \\ &= \int_0^{2\pi}{\left( \frac{2}{3} - \frac{1}{2} \right) - \left( \frac{1}{12} - \frac{1}{8} \right) \,\mathrm{d}\theta} \\ &= \int_0^{2\pi}{ \frac{1}{6} - \left( -\frac{1}{24} \right) \,\mathrm{d}\theta } \\ &= \int_0^{2\pi}{ \frac{5}{24} \,\mathrm{d}\theta } \\ &= \frac{5}{24} \left[ \theta \right]_0^{2\pi} \\ &= \frac{5}{24} \left( 2\pi - 0 \right) \\ &= \frac{5\pi}{12} \end{align*}$

It appears your problem was that you ADDED the two functions in the integrand, when you should have SUBTRACTED.
 

FAQ: Volume w/ Double Integrals: What Am I Doing Wrong?

1. What is a double integral and how is it used to calculate volume?

A double integral is a mathematical concept used to calculate the volume of a three-dimensional shape. It involves integrating a function over a region in two-dimensional space, which represents a cross-section of the shape. By integrating multiple cross-sections, the volume of the shape can be determined.

2. Why am I getting a negative value when calculating volume with double integrals?

A negative value when calculating volume with double integrals means that the function being integrated is negative in some regions of the shape. This can happen if the shape is below the x-y plane or if the function being integrated is negative in certain areas. To avoid this, make sure to properly define the limits of integration and the function being integrated.

3. What is the difference between a single and double integral when calculating volume?

A single integral calculates the area under a curve in one dimension, while a double integral calculates the volume under a surface in two dimensions. In other words, a single integral integrates a function over a line, while a double integral integrates a function over a region in a plane.

4. Why is it important to understand double integrals when working with 3D shapes?

Double integrals are essential for calculating the volume of 3D shapes, which is important in many scientific fields such as physics, engineering, and materials science. Understanding double integrals also allows for the calculation of other properties of 3D shapes, such as center of mass and moment of inertia.

5. How can I check if my calculation of volume with double integrals is correct?

One way to check the accuracy of your calculation is to use a different method, such as using the formula for volume of a specific shape or using computer software. Another way is to double check your limits of integration and the function being integrated, as a small error in these can greatly affect the final result. Additionally, it can be helpful to break the shape into simpler components and calculate their volumes separately, then add them together to get the total volume.

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