Converting integration of rectangular integral to spherical.

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around converting integration bounds from rectangular to spherical coordinates in a three-dimensional context. The original poster is attempting to solve an integral involving a function defined in Cartesian coordinates and is struggling with the conversion process and the resulting bounds.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster outlines their attempts to convert the rectangular bounds of integration into spherical coordinates, expressing their confusion regarding the angle definitions and the resulting bounds. Some participants question the assumptions made about the angles and the spherical boundaries.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the original poster's work, providing feedback on specific sections of their calculations. Some suggest that the problem may be more appropriately approached using cylindrical coordinates instead of spherical coordinates, while others express uncertainty about the correct boundaries in spherical coordinates.

Contextual Notes

There is a noted confusion regarding the definitions of the angles used in spherical coordinates, as well as the upper bounds for the integration variables. The original poster and others are exploring the implications of these definitions on the conversion process.

Eclair_de_XII
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Homework Statement
\begin{eqnarray}
0\leq z\leq \sqrt{x^2+y^2}\\
0\leq y\leq x\\
0\leq x\leq 1
\end{eqnarray}

##f(x,y,z)=\frac{(x^2+y^2)^\frac{3}{2}}{x^2+y^2+z^2}##
Relevant Equations
\begin{eqnarray}
x=\rho\cos\theta\cos\phi\\
y=\rho\sin\theta\cos\phi\\
z=\rho\sin\phi
\end{eqnarray}

Answer given in book: ##\frac{\pi}{12}##
Answer derived: ##\frac{3}{16}{\pi}##
I'm going to type out my LaTeX solution later on. But in the meantime, can anyone check my work? I know it's sloppy, disorganized, and skips far more steps than I care to count, but I'd very much appreciate it. I'm not getting the answer as given in the book. I think I failed this time because I assumed that ##\phi## was the angle from the x-axis (or any other axis that can be constructed with a line on the xy-plane) to some arbitrary point on the zx-plane. When I retried it while treating ##\phi## as the angle from the z-axis to some arbitrary point on the zx-plane, I got ##\frac{3}{4}\pi(\frac{\pi}{8}-1)##. Can anyone point out anything I might have done wrong in the photograph I posted while I type out a LaTeX version of my second attempt? Thank you.
 

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1 Convert rectangular bounds of integration into spherical bounds.
2 Convert ##f## to spherical form.
3 Integrate.

===1===

\begin{eqnarray}
x=\rho\cos\theta\sin\phi\\
y=\rho\sin\theta\sin\phi\\
z=\rho\cos\phi
\end{eqnarray}

\begin{eqnarray}
0\leq z\leq \sqrt{x^2+y^2}\\
0\leq y\leq x\\
0\leq x\leq 1
\end{eqnarray}

\begin{eqnarray}
x^2+y^2&=&(\rho\cos\theta\sin\phi)^2+(\rho\sin\theta\sin\phi)^2\\
&=&(\rho^2\cos^2\theta\sin^2\phi+\rho^2\sin^2\theta\sin^2\phi)\\
&=&\rho^2\sin^2\phi(\cos^2\theta+\sin^2\theta)\\
&=&\rho^2\sin^2\phi
\end{eqnarray}

\begin{eqnarray}
z=\sqrt{x^2+y^2}\\
\rho\cos\phi=\rho|\sin\phi|\\
\rho(\cos\phi-|\sin\phi|)=0
\end{eqnarray}

We're investigating a region in the first octant, so ##\sin\phi>0##, and so ##\phi=\frac{\pi}{4}##.

\begin{eqnarray}
z=0\\
\rho\cos\phi=0
\end{eqnarray}

Hence, ##\phi=\frac{\pi}{2}##.

\begin{eqnarray}
y=x\\
\rho\sin\theta\sin\phi=\rho\cos\theta\sin\phi\\
\rho\sin\phi(\sin\theta-\cos\theta)=0
\end{eqnarray}

We are investigating the projection of the curve onto the xy-plane, so ##\phi=\frac{\pi}{2}##, and so, ##\theta=\frac{\pi}{4}##.

\begin{eqnarray}
y=0\\
\rho\sin\theta\sin\phi=0
\end{eqnarray}

Similarly, ##\theta=0##.

It is given that ##x\leq1##, and that ##y\leq1##.
It is given also, that ##z\leq\sqrt{x^2+y^2}\leq\sqrt{1^2+1^2}\leq\sqrt{2}##.

Hence, ##x^2+y^2+z^2\leq1+1+2=4=2^2##, and so ##\rho\leq2##.

Our spherical bounds are therefore:

\begin{eqnarray}
0\leq\rho\leq2\\
\frac{\pi}{4}\leq\phi\leq\frac{\pi}{2}\\
0\leq\theta\leq\frac{\pi}{4}
\end{eqnarray}

===2===

\begin{eqnarray}
f&=&\frac{(x^2+y^2)^{\frac{3}{2}}}{x^2+y^2+z^2}\\
&=&\frac{\rho^3\sin^3\phi}{\rho^2}\\
&=&\rho\sin^3\phi
\end{eqnarray}

===3===

\begin{eqnarray*}
\int_0^{\frac{\pi}{4}}\int_{\frac{\pi}{4}}^{\frac{\pi}{2}}\int_0^2(\rho\sin^3\phi)(\rho^2\sin\phi) d\rho d\phi d\theta&=&\int_0^{\frac{\pi}{4}}\int_{\frac{\pi}{4}}^{\frac{\pi}{2}}\int_0^2\rho^3\sin^4\phi d\rho d\phi d\theta\\
&=&\frac{1}{4}\rho^4|_0^2\cdot\frac{\pi}{4}\cdot\int (1-\cos^2\phi)^2 d\phi\\
&=&\frac{1}{4}2^4\cdot\frac{\pi}{4}\cdot\int(1-2\cos^2\phi+\cos^4\phi) d\phi\\
&=&\frac{1}{4}\cdot16\cdot\frac{\pi}{4}\cdot\left[\phi-\int(1+\cos2\phi) d\phi+\frac{1}{4}\int(1+\cos2\phi)^2 d\phi\right]\\
&=&4\cdot\frac{\pi}{4}\cdot[\phi-\phi-\sin2\phi+\frac{1}{4}\int(1+2\cos2\phi+\cos^2(2\phi))^2 d\phi]\\
&=&\pi\cdot\left[-\sin2\phi+\frac{1}{4}(\phi+\sin2\phi+\frac{1}{2}\phi+\frac{1}{4}\sin4\phi)\right]\\
&=&\pi\cdot\left[-\sin2\phi+\frac{1}{4}(\phi+\sin2\phi+\frac{1}{2}\phi+\frac{1}{4}\sin4\phi)\right]\\
&=&\pi\left[\frac{3}{8}\phi-\frac{3}{4}\sin2\phi+\frac{1}{16}\sin4\phi\right]|_{\frac{\pi}{4}}^{\frac{\pi}{2}}\\
&=&\frac{3}{4}\pi(\frac{\pi}{8}-1)
\end{eqnarray*}
 
Last edited:
One thing that confuses me is that you use ##\theta## for the azimuth angle and ##\phi## for the inclination angle, while I am used the other way around, but ok I ll try to overcome this.
 
Section 2 looks correct
Section 3 doesn't look correct but even after I do the correction (wolfram says that $$\int \sin^4\phi d\phi=\frac{3}{8}\phi-\frac{1}{4}\sin2\phi+\frac{1}{32}\sin4\phi$$
i don't get the book answer.

SO you big mistake must be in correctly determining the spherical boundaries.
 
Okay, gotcha. I'll work on it. I very much suspect it's got something to do with the ##\rho## upper-bound.

It's got to rely on ##\theta## and ##\phi##, I think.
 
Last edited:
Okay, so it turns out that this problem probably wanted me to use cylindrical coordinates, instead.

I cannot fathom how it can be done with spherical coordinates.
 

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Good that you did it in cylindrical coordinates and confirmed the book answer. (Cant check you work though cause no matter how much I tried to magnify it looks faint , I just can't make out all the symbols.)

When you find time post your work with cylindrical coordinates in Latex please.
 
I found the bounds for ##r## by looking at the projection of the surface onto the xy-plane. (See illustration in OP).

===1: Converting to cylindrical coordinates===

\begin{eqnarray}
x=1\\
r\cos\theta=1\\
r=\sec\theta
\end{eqnarray}

\begin{eqnarray}
0\leq r\leq \sec\theta\\
0\leq\theta\leq\frac{\pi}{4}\\
0\leq z\leq r
\end{eqnarray}

\begin{eqnarray}
f&=&\frac{(x^2+y^2)^\frac{3}{2}}{x^2+y^2+z^2}\\
&=&\frac{r^3}{r^2+z^2}
\end{eqnarray}

===2: Solving the integral===

\begin{eqnarray}
z=r\tan s\\
dz=r\sec^2 s\,ds\\
z^2+r^2=r^2\sec^2s\\
s&:&r\mapsto\frac{\pi}{4}\\
&:&0\mapsto0\\
\end{eqnarray}

\begin{eqnarray}
\int_0^\frac{\pi}{4}\int_0^{\sec\theta}\int_0^\frac{\pi}{4}\left(\frac{r^3}{r^2\sec^2s}\right)r(r\sec^2s\,ds)\,dr\,d\theta&=&\int_0^\frac{\pi}{4}\int_0^{\sec\theta}\int_0^\frac{\pi}{4}r^3\,ds\,dr\,d\theta\\
&=&s|_0^\frac{\pi}{4}\cdot\int_0^\frac{\pi}{4}\int_0^{\sec\theta}r^3\,dr\,d\theta\\
&=&\frac{\pi}{4}\cdot\frac{1}{4}\int_0^\frac{\pi}{4}\sec^4\theta\,d\theta\\
&=&\frac{\pi}{16}\cdot\int_0^\frac{\pi}{4}(1+\tan^2\theta)\sec^2\theta\,d\theta\\
&=&\frac{\pi}{16}\cdot\left(\tan\theta+\frac{1}{3}\tan^3\theta\right)|_0^\frac{\pi}{4}\\
&=&\frac{\pi}{16}\cdot\left(1+\frac{1}{3}\right)\\
&=&\frac{\pi}{16}\cdot\left(\frac{4}{3}\right)\\
&=&\frac{\pi}{12}
\end{eqnarray}

And I think it could be possible to solve this in spherical coordinates, if you set the upper bound of ##\rho=\sec\theta\csc\phi##.
 
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Yes well this seems correct, initially I had my doubts about the boundaries for ##\theta## but after looking through some inequalities at wolfram (namely ##0<\sin\theta<\cos\theta##) I think they are right.

I am not sure at all about the boundaries in spherical coordinates, to tell you the truth I am not so good in converting 3D domains between cartesian/spherical/cylindrical coordinates systems , that's why in my first post I checked first section 2 and 3 of yours.
 

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