Rectangular to sphere coordinates

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves converting a triple integral from rectangular coordinates to spherical coordinates. The integral is defined over a region that appears to be bounded by a paraboloid and a plane.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the geometric interpretation of the region of integration, with some suggesting it resembles an elliptic paraboloid. Others express confusion about the transition from the original integral to the spherical coordinate representation.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided insights into the setup of the problem and the nature of the region involved. There is ongoing exploration of how to express certain terms in spherical coordinates, particularly regarding the transformation of the z-coordinate.

Contextual Notes

Participants are questioning the appropriateness of using spherical coordinates versus cylindrical coordinates for this problem, indicating a potential ambiguity in the problem's requirements.

EliasS
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Homework Statement


Hello,
the problem ask you to pass this integral
\displaystyle\int_{-2}^{2}\int_{-\sqrt[ ]{4-x^2}}^{\sqrt[ ]{4-x^2}}\int_{x^2+y^2}^{4} x {dz}{dy}{dx}
to sphere coordinates, but I don't really know how

Homework Equations



Well, I know the basics formulas,

x=rho*sin(phi)*cos(theta)
y=rho*sin(phi)*sin(theta)
z=rho*cos(theta)

rho^2=x^2+y^2+z^2
tan theta=x/y

and all the average problems I know how to do them, but this one I can't see it


The Attempt at a Solution


The solution of the book is this, but I don't know how to get there, any clues?

\displaystyle\int_{0}^{2{\pi}}\int_{0}^{arctan(1/2)}\int_{0}^{4sec\phi} \rho^3 sin^2\phi cos\vartheta {d\rho}{d\phi}{d\vartheta}+\displaystyle\int_{0}^{2{\pi}}\int_{arctan(1/2)}^{\pi/2}\int_{0}^{cot\phi csc\phi} \rho^3sin^2\phi cos\phi{d\rho}{d\phi}{d\vartheta}

Thank you
 
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One of the trickier things for iterated integrals is understanding what the region over which integration takes place looks like. Do you have a good sense of what the region in your problem looks like?
 
Hello, I think it's an elliptic paraboloid
like this
attachment.php?attachmentid=20401&stc=1&d=1252102176.jpg


but from that to the sum of integrals with csc, cot etc it's where I get really confused

any hint will be great, thank you
 

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\displaystyle\int_{-2}^{2}\int_{-\sqrt[ ]{4-x^2}}^{\sqrt[ ]{4-x^2}}\int_{x^2+y^2}^{4} x {dz}{dy}{dx}
Okay, x must vary from -2 to 2 so draw vertical lines on an xy- graph at x= -2, x= 2. Then, for each x, y goes from y= -\sqrt{4- x^2} to y= \sqrt{4- x^2}, two semi-circles. That gives the circle x^2+ y^2= 4. Finally, for each (x,y), z goes from z= x^2+ y^2 to 4. Yes, that is the region inside the paraboloid you show up to z= 4.4

Are you really asked to convert to spherical coordinates? Cylindrical coordinates would be most reasonable. In polar coordinates, the circle is just r varying from 0 to 2, \theta from 0 to 2\pi. The integral in cylindrical coordinates would be
\int_{r= 0}^2\int_{\theta= 0}^{2\pi}\int_{z= 0}^4 r^2 cos(\theta)d\theta dr dz

To change to spherical coordinates, note that the points most distant from the origin are on the circle where z= x^2+ y^2 intersects z= 4 and there distance is \sqrt{2^2+ 4^2}= 2\sqrt{4}. \rho will vary from 0 to 2\sqrt{5}. Of course, because of the circular symmetry, \theta varies from 0 to \2\pi. \phi is the hard one.

Imagine a line from (0,0,0) to (\rho, 0, \rho^2) (because of the symmetry, it enough to look at y= 0). That has slope \rho^2/\rho= \rho. Since \phi is the complement of the angle from the x-axis, \phi= cot^{-1}(\rho). \phi varies from 0 to cot^{-1}(\rho).
 
Thank you HallsofIvy and Mark44, now understand everything except how to get cot\phi csc\phi in <br /> \displaystyle\int_{0}^{2{\pi}}\int_{arctan(1/2)}^{\pi/2}\int_{0}^{cot\phi csc\phi} \rho^3sin^2\phi cos\phi{d\rho}{d\phi}{d\vartheta}<br />

this integral, say in the zy plane, is something like

attachment.php?attachmentid=20432&stc=1&d=1252240003.jpg


what I don't understand is how z=x^2+y^2 becomes cot\phi csc\phi in sphere coordinates

please this is the last thing :smile:
 

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