Line integral to determine area of sphere?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the surface area of a sphere with a radius of 2, specifically the portion above the horizontal plane z = 1. The equation of the sphere is x² + y² + z² = 4, leading to the base defined by x² + y² = 3. To find the surface area, the parametric equations for the sphere in spherical coordinates are utilized, with the surface area element derived from the cross product of tangent vectors. The integration is performed over the specified limits for θ (0 to 2π) and φ (0 to π/3).

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of spherical coordinates and parametric equations
  • Familiarity with vector calculus, specifically cross products
  • Knowledge of surface area elements in multivariable calculus
  • Ability to perform double integrals
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation of the surface area element dS in spherical coordinates
  • Learn about the application of line integrals in surface area calculations
  • Explore vector calculus concepts, particularly tangent vectors and their applications
  • Practice solving double integrals over various coordinate systems
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Mathematicians, physics students, and engineers interested in surface area calculations and applications of vector calculus in three-dimensional geometry.

cyt91
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Find the area of the surface consisting of the part of the sphere of radius 2 centered at
origin that lies above the horizontal plane z = 1. (Equation of this sphere is given by
x^2 + y^2 + z^2 = 2^2 .)

x^2+y^2+1=4
x^2+y^2=3

This is the base of the solid. But how do we find the required surface area of the sphere?
How do we use line integral to determine this area? It's not an area that is parallel to the z-axis.
 
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Doesn't your text have a formula for the surface area element dS for z = f(x,y)?
dS=\sqrt{1 + f_x^2+f_y^2}\ dxdy
or parametric versions for cylindrical and spherical coordinates?
 
I don't understand your remark about the base not being parallel to the z- axis. Of course, it isn't- it lies in the plane z= 1 and so is perpendicular to the z-axis.

I would do this by writing parametric equations for the sphere using spherical coordinates. The surface can be written as x= 2cos(\theta)sin(\phi), y= 2sin(\theta)sin(\phi), z= 2cos(\phi). z= 2cos(\phi)= 1 gives cos(\phi)= 1/2 so \phi= \pi/3.

The vector equation for that sphere would be \vec{r}(\theta, \phi)= 2cos(\theta)sin(\phi)\vec{i}+ 2sin(\theta)sin(\phi)\vec{j}+ 2cos(\phi)\vec{k}. The derivative of that with respect to the two parameters gives two tangent vectors to the sphere. The cross product of those two vectors is then perpendicular to the sphere and its length, with d\theta d\phi is the "differential of surface area". Integrate that with \theta from 0 to 2\pi and \phi from 0 to \pi/3.
 

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