Sphere with a hole drilled in center

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves finding the volume of a sphere with radius R that has a cylindrical hole drilled through its center with radius b, where b is less than R. The discussion centers on the appropriate methods for calculating this volume using different coordinate systems.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to set up integrals in spherical coordinates but questions the limits of integration for theta and rho. They also explore the implications of using polar coordinates and the geometry of the drilled hole.
  • Some participants suggest calculating the volume of the hole and subtracting it from the volume of the sphere, while others reflect on the visual representation of the problem and the implications of varying the sphere's radius.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants exploring different approaches and questioning the validity of their setups. There is no explicit consensus, but some guidance has been offered regarding the relationship between the drilled volume and the sphere's overall volume.

Contextual Notes

Participants are considering the geometric implications of the drilled hole and the limits of integration in their calculations. There is a mention of evaluating the volume when b equals 0, which leads to the volume of a complete sphere, indicating the complexity of the problem when introducing the hole.

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Homework Statement



Find volume of a sphere with radius R with a hole drilled through the center of radius b. (b<R)




Homework Equations



cos thera = adj / hyp

The Attempt at a Solution



4\,\int _{0}^{\arccos \left( {\frac {b}{R}} \right) }\!\int _{0}^{\pi <br /> }\!\int _{b}^{R}\!{\rho}^{2}\sin \left( \phi \right) {d\rho}\,{d\phi}<br /> \,{d\theta}<br />


This is what I am getting with spherical coords but I am unsure if theta goes from 0 to arccos(b/R) or if the rho going from b to R takes care of that gap and instead of I should go from 0 to Pi/2 (multipled by 4).

See picture:

2wlsydd.png



Edit:

Upon looking at the picture and how it would spin around with theta, can this even be done spherically? It seems like it would create spherical hole in the sphere and not a cylindrical drill.

With that in mind here are polar:

\int _{0}^{2\,\pi }\!\int _{b}^{R}\!2\,\int _{0}^{ \sqrt{-{r}^{2}+{R}^<br /> {2}}}\!r{dz}{dr}\,{d\theta}<br />


Again the problem arises, should I go from the green line or from the red line?

2kh6wl.png
 
Last edited:
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Work out the volume of the hole, and subtract that from the volume of a sphere of radius R.
 
Nevermind, when evaulating both possible ways using b = 0 (just getting volume of a sphere no drill) I get 4/3 Pi R^2 when z goes from +- sqrt(R^2 - r^2) - which is the volumne of a sphere. So obviously that one is right, it makes sense visually but I know in some cases you must use the intersection as the limits.
 
It is a curious fact that the volume remaining in the sphere can be determined purely from the length of the cylindrical hole. Varying the sphere's radius while keeping that fixed increases the volume drilled out by the same amount as it increases the volume of the whole sphere.
 

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