Change of Variables to find the volume of a part of a sphere in CYLINDRICAL coords

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around finding the volume of a portion of a sphere using cylindrical coordinates. The original poster attempts to set up an iterated integral with appropriate bounds but struggles with the correct representation of the volume, particularly in accounting for the spherical caps above and below the cylindrical section.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the bounds for the integral, with initial confusion about how to incorporate the spherical caps into the cylindrical volume. There is an exploration of whether to split the integral into separate parts for the cylinder and the caps.

Discussion Status

Some participants suggest that the bounds for z can be expressed as -sqrt(4-r^2) < z < sqrt(4-r^2), which simplifies the problem. There is acknowledgment of the initial complexity and a realization that the setup may be more straightforward than initially thought. The conversation includes sharing LaTeX formatting for clarity.

Contextual Notes

The original poster notes that the problem involves a sphere of radius 4 and a cylinder of radius 1, leading to confusion about how to represent the volume accurately. There is a mention of homework constraints regarding the change of variables and the need to express bounds correctly.

jmm5872
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Make the indicated change of variables (do not evaluate) (Not sure how to write an iterated integral with bounds so I will try and explain by just writing the bounds)
(I also tried using the symbols provided, but everything I tried just put a theta in here so I gave up)

\int\int\intxyz dzdxdy

-1 < z < 1
-sqrt(1-y^2) < x < sqrt(1-y^2) ... circle with radius 1
-sqrt(4-x^2-y^2) < y < sqrt(4-x^2-y^2) ... sphere with radius 4


Relevant equations:
x = rcos\theta
y = rsin\theta
z = z

Attempt:
I understand the bounds, it is a sphere with a radius of 4, however, the bounds constrain this to a cylinder with a radius of 1 along the z-axis. This makes it a cylinder with a rounded top and bottom (the only part of the sphere left).

My initial change of the bounds was this:
-4 < z < 4
0 < r < 1
0 < theta < 2pi

However I know this is wrong because these bounds only make a cylinder with radius 1 and length 8, they do not account for the rounded "caps."

My only idea was that I would have to split into two separate integrals, one for the cylinder and one for the top cap (double that one due to symmetry). But it seems like there should be a better way to account for the endcaps.

Thanks
 
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Okay I think I figured it out.

The bound of z would simply be this:

-sqrt(4-r^2) < z < sqrt(4-r^2)

and r and theta:

0 < r < 1
0 < theta < 2pi

A lot easier than I was making it, I guess that's why no one answered me.
 


jmm5872 said:
Okay I think I figured it out.

The bound of z would simply be this:

-sqrt(4-r^2) < z < sqrt(4-r^2)

and r and theta:

0 < r < 1
0 < theta < 2pi

A lot easier than I was making it, I guess that's why no one answered me.
For future reference, here's the LaTeX for your iterated integral, showing the limits of integration. To see what I did, click the integral expression.
\int_{\theta=0}^{2\pi} \int_{r=0}^1 \int_{z=-\sqrt{4 - r^2}}^\sqrt{4 - r^2}}{r^2cos(\theta)sin(\theta) z~ r~dz~dr~d\theta
 


Thanks, good to see the LaTex. It will help in the future.
 

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