Volume of Solid Generated by Ellipse Quadrant Revolving About Major/Minor Axis

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the volume of a solid generated by revolving a quadrant of an ellipse about the line joining the extremities of its major and minor axes. Participants explore the implications of the problem's wording and the specific region of the ellipse to be considered for rotation, raising questions about the setup and potential ambiguities in the problem statement.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents the problem of finding the volume of the solid generated by revolving a quadrant of the ellipse, seeking a shorter method to solve it.
  • Another participant questions the clarity of the problem, noting that the region to be rotated may overlap with the axis of rotation, suggesting a focus on the part of the ellipse above the line joining the extremities of the axes.
  • Several participants express uncertainty about whether the entire first quadrant or just the upper part of the ellipse should be considered for the volume calculation.
  • One participant suggests that there are multiple axes of rotation due to the extremities of the ellipse, indicating a need for clarification from the instructor.
  • A later reply proposes considering the revolution of a triangle bounded by the line, implying that this might inherently include the upper curve of the ellipse.
  • Another participant interprets the problem as referring to the extremities of the ellipse as (a,0) and (0,b), leading to a specific axis of rotation, but acknowledges the complexity introduced by the axis intersecting the figure.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the correct interpretation of the problem or the region to be revolved. Multiple competing views remain regarding the setup and the implications of the problem statement.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights potential ambiguities in the problem statement, including the definition of the region to be rotated and the choice of axis of rotation, which may affect the outcome of the volume calculation.

himanshu121
Messages
649
Reaction score
1
The quadrant of the ellipse [tex]\frac{x^2}{a^2}+\frac{y^2}{b^2}[/tex] = 1. lying in the first quadrant, revolves about the line joining the extremities of the major and minor axis. Show that the volume of the solid generated is [tex]\frac{\pi a^2 b^2}{\sqrt{a^2+b^2}}[/tex] ([tex]\frac{5}{3} - \frac{\pi}{2}[/tex]).

I tried the above question and it was a lot of intricated.Pls tell me some shortest route to the problem
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
this problem seems a little messed up, since the region to be rotated is on both sides of the axis of rotations. there will be overlap. maybe we should just choose that part of the ellipse that is in the first quadrant and above the line joining the extremities of the two axes?
 
I wrote the question correctly there might be some problems
But i think question requires the upper part which is above the line
 
Originally posted by himanshu121
I wrote the question correctly there might be some problems
But i think question requires the upper part which is above the line

i think so too, which is why i think there is a problem with what you wrote, which includes not just the part which is above the line, but instead the whole first quadrant of the ellipse.

are you sure that is correct?
 
It came in my exam and it says what i have written
 
Originally posted by himanshu121
It came in my exam and it says what i have written

ok, well i don t know what to do with it then...

sorry.

maybe you can ask your teacher if there is a typo...? or maybe someone else here can help you? the problem seems ambiguous to me.
 
Last edited:
Originally posted by himanshu121
The quadrant of the ellipse [tex]\frac{x^2}{a^2}+\frac{y^2}{b^2}[/tex] = 1. lying in the first quadrant, revolves about the line joining the extremities of the major and minor axis. Show that the volume of the solid generated is [tex]\frac{\pi a^2 b^2}{\sqrt{a^2+b^2}}[/tex] ([tex]\frac{5}{3} - \frac{\pi}{2}[/tex]).

I tried the above question and it was a lot of intricated.Pls tell me some shortest route to the problem

There are two extremes for each axis, so there are four possible axes of rotation. Perhaps you should ask your teacher which one he wanted?
 
What if we consider the revolution of triangle bounded by the line won't we come to conclusion as the upper curve by default would be included
 
NateTG: since the original problem referred to the first quadrant, I would think it reasonable to assume that the "extremities" referred to are (a,0) and (0,b). Then the axis of rotation is bx+ ay= ab.

The difficulty that lethe was referring to is that that axis goes through the figure. I would suspect that the problem was intended to be the figure generated if the boundary of the ellipse (above the axis of rotation) were rotated about that axis.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
5K
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
5
Views
3K
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
15K
Replies
2
Views
3K