Surface integrals/Surface areas of arbitrary domain regions

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around evaluating a surface integral over an arbitrary domain region, specifically focusing on the challenges posed by non-square parameter domains. Participants explore different approaches to parametrization and the computation of surface differentials.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty in evaluating a surface integral due to the complexity introduced by a non-square parameter domain, suggesting a change of variables to polar coordinates but finding it tedious.
  • Another participant outlines a method for handling surface integrals using parametric equations and the Jacobian, emphasizing the importance of understanding differential forms.
  • A third participant provides a specific formulation of the surface integral in LaTeX, detailing the surface and the expression for the differential area element.
  • A later reply indicates that the original poster solved the problem shortly after posting, but does not provide details on the solution.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best approach to the problem, as different methods are proposed and one participant later claims to have solved the issue independently.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes various assumptions about parametrization and the computation of surface differentials, but these assumptions are not fully resolved or agreed upon by participants.

PhysicsKid0123
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I'm having trouble evaluating this surface integral. This would be very simple to solve if the parameter domain of the variables u and u was a square region. However, that isn't the case here. I've tried using a change of variables and saying that u = r cos x, and v = r sin x. Where 0 < x < 2pi, and 0 < r < 2 for the limits of integration. However, computing the surface differential (absolute value of the cross product of the partial derivatives) using the new variables has become way to complicating and tedious. I end up with about 6 or 7 terms of sines and cosines under a square root that cannot be simplified. Was this the way to approach this problem? I also thought about parametrizing the region R, but I'm not sure how that would work.Also, since I'm already here, how would I be able to do this for some general region R in the u-v plane? This is what lead me to think of a parametrization of a region R. So basically a parametrization within a parametrization. Mhmm, sounds interesting. Is that possible?

Thank you.

P.S. Tried looking around and haven't been able to find something that could answer my question.
 

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Given parametric equations for a surface, x= f(u, v), y= g(u, v), there are two ways of handling surface integrals. One is just to use the formula dxdy= \frac{\partial x, y}{\partial u,v} dudv where \frac{\partial x,y}{\partial u, v} is the Jacobian,
\left|\begin{array}{cc}\frac{\partial x}{\partial u} &amp; \frac{\partial y}{\partial u} \\ \frac{\partial x}{\partial v} &amp; \frac{\partial y}{\partial v}\end{array}\right|.

More fundamentally, you need the "algebra of differential forms" which is anti-symmetric (to really understand why requires a course in "differential geometry" and "differential forms").

If x= f(u,v) then dx= f_u du+ f_v dv. If y= g(u. v) then dy= g_u du+ g_v dv.
Multiplying, dxdy= (f_u)(g_u)(du)(du)+ (f_u)(g_v)(du)(dv)+ (f_v)(g_u)(dv)(du)+ (f_v)(g_v)(dv)(dv). Since multiplication of differential forms is anti-symmetric, (du)(du)= (dv)(dv)= 0 and (dv)(du)= -(du)(dv) so that reduces to dxd7= (f_ug_v- g_vf_u)dudv as given by the Jacobian.
 
Here's the problem in a latex form:

$$I = \frac{1}{4} \iint_S dS$$

You are given the surface ##\vec \phi(u,v) = <u+v, u^2 + v^2, u-v>## with ##u^2 + v^2 \leq 4##.

For the surface integral of a scalar function, ##dS = ||\vec \phi_u \times \vec \phi_v|| \space dA## or ##dS = \sqrt{z_u^2 + z_v^2 + 1} \space dA##.

The first form of ##dS## seems more appropriate as you are given ##\vec \phi##. So:

$$I = \frac{1}{4} \iint_S dS = \frac{1}{4} \iint_D ||\vec \phi_u \times \vec \phi_v|| \space dA$$

Simply switching to polar co-ordinates from here gives your limits for ##r## and ##\theta##. Then:

$$I = \frac{1}{4} \iint_S dS = \frac{1}{4} \iint_D ||\vec \phi_u \times \vec \phi_v|| \space dA = \frac{1}{4} \iint_{D'} ||\vec \phi_{u=rcos(\theta)} \times \vec \phi_{v=rsin(\theta)}|| \space rdrd\theta$$
 
Hk, I solved it not to long after posting it. Sorry. Hopefully someone finds this useful though
 

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