What is the Volume of a Region Bounded by Double Integrals with a Max Function?

In summary: Oh, I thought that is what you were hinting at by writing bx>ay and ay>bx...Also, that is a good suggestion, I've found myself getting confused sometimes because I can't remember which limit belongs to which...That's actually a really good point. Thanks for catching that!In summary, the original author is looking for the volume of the region where the given argument of e takes on a maximum value.
  • #1
_N3WTON_
351
3

Homework Statement


Evaluate:
[itex] \int_{0}^{a} \int_{0}^{b} e^{max(b^{2}x^{2}, a^{2}y^{2})} dy \hspace{1 mm} dx [/itex]
Where a and b are positive.

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


I'm having some trouble getting started with this problem, mostly because I am not very familiar with the notation. I am assuming that the "max" portion of the question means "the set of points of the argument for which the function attains its max value"? That is from the wikipedia page for "Arg max". If that is correct then I am looking for the volume of the region where the given argument of e takes on a maximum value, no?
 
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  • #2
Beats me! I would never write anything quite that way, so I have no clue what it means. Best to ask the original author what he had in mind.
 
  • #3
Dr.D said:
Best to ask the original author what he had in mind.
Unfortunately that's not possible. Anyway, thanks for your time :)
 
  • #4
Anyone have any ideas? I know it looks like I haven't really made an effort here, but that's honestly because I don't know where to start :/
 
  • #5
Start with determining the regions where ##b^2x^2>a^2y^2## and ##a^2y^2>b^2x^2##, can you see on what region you are integrating?
 
  • #6
Pranav-Arora said:
Start with determining the regions where ##b^2x^2>a^2y^2## and ##a^2y^2>b^2x^2##, can you see on what region you are integrating?
so I would need to separate double integrals, divided by a line right? I just don't see how to obtain that line. Does that make any sense?
 
  • #7
_N3WTON_ said:

Homework Statement


Evaluate:
[itex] \int_{0}^{a} \int_{0}^{b} e^{max(b^{2}x^{2}, a^{2}y^{2})} dy \hspace{1 mm} dx [/itex]
Where a and b are positive.

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


I'm having some trouble getting started with this problem, mostly because I am not very familiar with the notation. I am assuming that the "max" portion of the question means "the set of points of the argument for which the function attains its max value"? That is from the wikipedia page for "Arg max". If that is correct then I am looking for the volume of the region where the given argument of e takes on a maximum value, no?
I think it's probably simpler than this. Max{b2x2, a2y2} chooses the larger of the two numbers.

The region over which integration takes place is the rectangle whose corners are at (0, 0), (a, 0), (a, b), and (0, b). If b2x2 > a2y2, then bx > ay (since x and y are nonnegative and it's given that a and b are positive). In this case, what does the integrand simplify to? What part of the rectangle does bx > ay represent?

On the other hand, if b2x2 < a2y2, then bx < ay. Same questions as before.
 
  • #8
I would start with a variable substitution, the integral is going to look much more symmetric after that... Then you can split it into two regions which will be equivalent and give the same contribution so you only need to compute one integral.
 
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  • #9
Mark44 said:
I think it's probably simpler than this. Max{b2x2, a2y2} chooses the larger of the two numbers.

The region over which integration takes place is the rectangle whose corners are at (0, 0), (a, 0), (a, b), and (0, b). If b2x2 > a2y2, then bx > ay (since x and y are nonnegative and it's given that a and b are positive).
So could I use bx = ay as a line segment that separates two non-intersecting regions and then set up two separate double integrals? One that looks like:
[itex] \int_{0}^{a} \int_{0}^{\frac{bx}{a}} [/itex]
And another:
[itex] \int_{0}^{b} \int_{0}^{\frac{ay}{b}} [/itex]
 
  • #10
_N3WTON_ said:
So could I use bx = ay as a line segment that separates two non-intersecting regions and then set up two separate double integrals? One that looks like:
[itex] \int_{0}^{a} \int_{0}^{\frac{bx}{a}} [/itex]
And another:
[itex] \int_{0}^{b} \int_{0}^{\frac{ay}{b}} [/itex]

Yes.
 
  • #11
_N3WTON_ said:
So could I use bx = ay as a line segment that separates two non-intersecting regions and then set up two separate double integrals? One that looks like:
[itex] \int_{0}^{a} \int_{0}^{\frac{bx}{a}} [/itex]
And another:
[itex] \int_{0}^{b} \int_{0}^{\frac{ay}{b}} [/itex]
I hadn't thought about it quite like this, but I think that something like this will work, provided you have the right limits of integration.

BTW, I've always found it easier to keep track of things in iterated integrals by writing in the variable in the limits of integration. Like this:
$$ \int_{x = 0}^{a} \int_{y = 0}^{b} \dots dy dx$$
 
  • #12
Mark44 said:
I hadn't thought about it quite like this, but I think that something like this will work, provided you have the right limits of integration.

BTW, I've always found it easier to keep track of things in iterated integrals by writing in the variable in the limits of integration. Like this:
$$ \int_{x = 0}^{a} \int_{y = 0}^{b} \dots dy dx$$
Oh, I thought that is what you were hinting at by writing bx>ay and ay>bx...Also, that is a good suggestion, I've found myself getting confused sometimes because I can't remember which limit belongs to which variable...
 
  • #13
Pranav-Arora said:
Yes.
Thank you!
 
  • #14
Orodruin said:
I would start with a variable substitution, the integral is going to look much more symmetric after that... Then you can split it into two regions which will be equivalent and give the same contribution so you only need to compute one integral.
I'm afraid I'm not entirely sure what you mean...
Edit: you just mean a simple u-sub?
 
  • #15
There is a trivial substitution which will make your integral area as well as the integrand symmetric in the integration variables. If you do it, both of the split integrals will be the same and you can multiply by two instead of doing two (admittedly very similar) integrals.
 
  • #16
Orodruin said:
There is a trivial substitution which will make your integral area as well as the integrand symmetric in the integration variables. If you do it, both of the split integrals will be the same and you can multiply by two instead of doing two (admittedly very similar) integrals.
Awesome, thanks for the help..
 
  • #17
Ok, I ended up solving using the integrals I posted earlier (unfortunately, I couldn't figure out the sub Orodruin referred to, perhaps he'd be so kind as to tell me). Here is my solution:
[itex] \int_{0}^{a} \int_{0}^{\frac{bx}{a}} e^{b^{2}x^{2}} dy \hspace{1 mm} dx + \int_{0}^{b} \int_{0}^{\frac{ay}{b}} e^{a^{2}y^{2}} dx \hspace{1 mm} dy [/itex]
[itex] = \int_{0}^{a} \frac{bx}{a} e^{b^{2}x^{2}} \,dx + \int_{0}^{b} \frac{ay}{b} e^{a^{2}y^{2}}\,dy [/itex]
[itex] = \frac{b}{a} \int_{0}^{a} xe^{b^{2}x^{2}}\,dx + \frac{a}{b} \int_{0}^{b} ye^{a^{2}y^{2}}\,dy [/itex]
Here, I performed a u-sub on each integral, for the first integral I did:
[itex] u = b^{2}x^{2} \hspace{2 mm} du = 2b^{2}x dx [/itex]
For the second integral:
[itex] u = a^{2}y^{2} \hspace{2 mm} du = 2a^{2}y dy [/itex]
So then the integrals become:
[itex] = \frac{b}{2b^{2}a}\int_{0}^{a} 2b^{2}xe^{b^{2}x^{2}}\,dx + \frac{a}{2a^{2}b}\int_{0}^{a} 2a^{2}ye^{a^{2}y^{2}}\,dy [/itex]
[itex] = \frac{b}{2b^{2}a}[e^{b^{2}a^{2}}-1] + \frac{a}{2a^{2}b}[e^{b^{2}a^{2}}-1] [/itex]
And finally, I arrived at my final answer:
[itex] = \frac{(e^{b^{2}a^{2}})-1}{2ab}[/itex]
 
Last edited:
  • #18
_N3WTON_ said:
I couldn't figure out the sub Orodruin referred to, perhaps he'd be so kind as to tell me

Try ##x = at## and ##y = bs##. The integral in the end is the same, but you only need to do it once and have less constants to worry about.
 
  • #19
Orodruin said:
Try ##x = at## and ##y = bs##. The integral in the end is the same, but you only need to do it once and have less constants to worry about.
thanks a lot, I'll try it out
 
  • #20
Also I just realized I made a mistake, the final answer should be:
[itex] \frac{(e^{a^{2}b^{2}}-1)}{ab} [/itex]
 
  • #21
_N3WTON_ said:
Also I just realized I made a mistake, the final answer should be:
[itex] \frac{(e^{a^{2}b^{2}}-1)}{ab} [/itex]

Yes, this is what I get too. I did not mention it since you were essentially there (as you probably realized, the error was in adding 1/2 + 1/2 and ending up with 1/2).
 

1. What is a double integral?

A double integral is a type of integral in calculus that involves integrating a function of two variables over a region in the xy-plane. It is represented by the symbol ∫∫f(x,y) dA, where f(x,y) is the function being integrated and dA represents the area over which the integration is being performed.

2. How is a double integral used to find volume?

A double integral can be used to find the volume of a solid object by integrating the cross-sectional area of the object over the entire region. This is done by setting up the double integral as ∫∫A(x,y) dA, where A(x,y) is the cross-sectional area function and dA represents the area over which the integration is being performed.

3. What is the difference between a single and double integral?

A single integral involves integrating a function of one variable over an interval on the real number line, while a double integral involves integrating a function of two variables over a region in the xy-plane. Single integrals are used to find areas under curves, while double integrals are used to find volumes of solid objects.

4. How do you set up a double integral for a non-rectangular region?

To set up a double integral for a non-rectangular region, the region must first be divided into smaller, simpler shapes such as rectangles or triangles. Then, the double integral can be set up by integrating the function over each of these smaller shapes and summing the individual integrals together.

5. What are some applications of double integrals?

Double integrals have many applications in physics, engineering, and other fields. They can be used to find the volume of irregularly shaped objects, to calculate the mass and center of mass of a two-dimensional object, and to solve problems involving the distribution of electric charge or fluid flow.

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