Calculating mass by double integral

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
1 reply · 4K views
Sami Lakka
Messages
10
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


The distribution of mass on the hemispherical shell z=(R2 - x2 -y2)1/2 is given by
[tex]\sigma[/tex]= ([tex]\sigma[/tex]0/R2)*(x2+y2)
where [tex]\sigma[/tex]0 is constant. Find an expression in terms of [tex]\sigma[/tex]0 and R for the total mass of the shell


Homework Equations


The mass is given by double integral over hemispherical shell


The Attempt at a Solution



[tex]\int\int[/tex][tex]\sigma[/tex]0/R2(x2+y2)dS
Switch to polar coordinates: x2+y2=r2

[tex]\int\int[/tex][tex]\sigma[/tex]0/R2*r2*r*dr*d0

After the iterated integral over region 0->2[tex]\Pi[/tex] and 0->R I get answer:
Mass = ([tex]\Pi[/tex]*R2*[tex]\sigma[/tex]0)/2

However the book that I'm studying (Div,Grad,Curl and all that, problem II-6) says that right answer is: (4*[tex]\Pi[/tex]*R2*[tex]\sigma[/tex]0)/3

What goes wrong?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
In spherical coordinates, with [itex]\rho= R[/itex] [itex]x= R cos(\theta)sin(\phi)[/itex] and [itex]y= R sin(\theta)sin(\phi)[/itex] so [itex]x^2+ y^2= R^2 sin^2(\phi)[/math] and your density function is given by <br /> [tex]\frac{\sigma_0}{R}\R^2 sin^2(\phi)[/tex]<br /> <br /> Since the integration is over the upper half spherical shell, the integration is for [itex]\theta[/itex] from 0 to [itex]2\pi[/itex] and for [itex]\phi[/itex] from 0 to [math]\pi/2[/math]. <br /> <br /> Finally, the "differential of surface area" for a sphere, of radius R, is [math]R^2 sin(\phi) d\theta d\phi[/math]. <br /> <br /> So the mass of the shell is given by <br /> [tex]\frac{\sigma_0}{R}\R^2 \int_{\theta= 0}^{2\pi}\int_{\phi= 0}^{\pi/2} sin^2(\phi)(R^2 sin^2(\phi) d\theta d\phi[/tex]<br /> [tex]= \sigma_0\int_{\theta= 0}^{2\pi}\int_{\phi= 0}^{\pi/2} sin^4(\phi)d\theta d\phi[/tex]<br /> since the "R<sup>2</sup>" terms cancel out.[/itex]