Volume of a Region bounded by two surfaces

In summary: The only difference is that you are asked to "Find the volume of the solid region R bounded above by the paraboloid z=1-x^2-y^2 and below by the plane z=1-y" and I am asked to "integrate the distance between two surfaces". I simply see that distance as the difference between the two surfaces.In summary, we can find the volume of the solid region R bounded above by the paraboloid z=1-x^2-y^2 and below by the plane z=1-y by setting z=0 in both equations to reduce the problem to 2-d, graphing the resulting curves and determining their intersection, and then using double integrals to find the limits of
  • #1
RadiationX
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Find the volume of the solid region R bounded above by the paraboloid

[tex]z=1-x^2-y^2[/tex] and below by the plane [tex]z=1-y[/tex]

The solution to this problem is:

[tex]V=\int_{0}^{1} \int_{-\sqrt{y-y^2}}^{\sqrt{y-y^2}} (1-x^2-y^2)dxdy -\int_{0}^{1} \int_{-\sqrt{y-y^2}}^{\sqrt{y-y^2}}(1-y)dxdy[/tex]

I thought that i understood how to solve these types of problems but I don't understand this solution. This is the procedure that I would use to solve this problem, please correct my mistakes.

1. set z=o in the paraboloid. this reduces the problem from 3-d to 2-d
2. graph the curve of the paraboloid in 2-space (it's a circle)
3. set z=0 in the plane. this reduces the plane to 2-space ( it's a line)
4 what i have now is something like a half circle or hemisphere
5. find the limits of integration in the x and y directions

Here is where my solution fails. If y runs from the lower limit of 1 to the upper limit of [tex]\sqrt{1-x^2}[/tex] (top of paraboloid), how do i find the limits of x?



As another note I thought that I could use one double integral to solve this. What type of volume problem requires two double integrals as opposed to one double integral?
 
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  • #2
One thing you did not do is determne the intersection of the paraboloid and the plane. You need to do that to determine your limits of integration just as you need to find where two 2-d graphs intersect to determine the area between them.

The parabolid is z= 1- x2-y2 and the plane is z= 1-y. Substituting that gives 1- y= 1- x2- y2 or x2+y2+ y= 0. Completing the square, x2+ (y- 1/2)2= 1/4. That is, projecting the solid into the xy-plane, the boundary is a circle with center at (0,1/2) and radius 1/2 (in other words, it is tangent to the x-axis).

Clearly, y ranges from 0 up to 1. For each y, x ranges (solve x2= y2- y for x) [tex]-\sqrt{y-y^2}[/tex] to [tex]\sqrt{y-y^2}[/tex].
Those are the limits of integration.
 
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  • #3
HallsofIvy said:
One thing you did not do is determne the intersection of the paraboloid and the plane. You need to do that to determine your limits of integration just as you need to find where two 2-d graphs intersect to determine the area between them.

The parabolid is z= 1- x2-y2 and the plane is z= 1-y. Substituting that gives 1- y= 1- x2- y2 or x2+y2+ y= 0. Completing the square, x2+ (y- 1/2)2= 1/4. That is, projecting the solid into the xy-plane, the boundary is a circle with center at (0,1/2) and radius 1/2 (in other words, it is tangent to the x-axis).

Clearly, y ranges from 0 up to 1. For each y, x ranges (solve x2= y2- y for x) [tex]-\sqrt{y-y^2}[/tex] to [tex]\sqrt{y-y^2}[/tex].
Those are the limits of integration.

You are correct even the picture in the solution is a circle tangent to the x-axis. But why the need for two double integrals?
 
  • #4
I would have written the integral itself as
[tex]V=\int_{0}^{1} \int_{-\sqrt{y-y^2}}^{\sqrt{y-y^2}} (1-x^2-y^2- (1-y))dxdy =\int_{0}^{1} \int_{-\sqrt{y-y^2}}^{\sqrt{y-y^2}}(y-x^2-y^2)dxdy[/tex],
integrating the distance between the two surfaces. What the formula you have does is find the volume from the paraboloid to the xy-plane, then the volume from the x= 1-y plane to the xy-plane and subtract to find volume between those.

Of course, since [tex]\int fdxdy- \int gdxdy = \int (f-g)dxdy[/tex],
it's exactly the same thing.
 

What is the formula for finding the volume of a region bounded by two surfaces?

The formula for finding the volume of a region bounded by two surfaces is given by the double integral of the function of the two surfaces, where the integration is done with respect to the two variables that define the region.

How do I determine the bounds of integration for finding the volume of a region bounded by two surfaces?

The bounds of integration for finding the volume of a region bounded by two surfaces are determined by the intersection points of the two surfaces. These intersection points serve as the limits for the two variables of the double integral.

Can the volume of a region bounded by two surfaces be negative?

No, the volume of a region bounded by two surfaces cannot be negative. It represents the amount of space enclosed by the two surfaces and therefore must be a positive value.

What is the significance of finding the volume of a region bounded by two surfaces?

The volume of a region bounded by two surfaces is a fundamental concept in calculus and is used in various applications such as physics, engineering, and economics. It allows us to calculate the amount of space occupied by a three-dimensional object or region, which can be useful in solving real-world problems.

Can the volume of a region bounded by two surfaces be calculated for any type of shape or region?

Yes, the volume of a region bounded by two surfaces can be calculated for any type of shape or region as long as the two surfaces that bound the region can be expressed as mathematical functions. This includes both regular and irregular shapes.

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