Section 12.

5 • The Area Problem 205

Name______________________________________________
Section 12.5 The Area Problem

Objective: In this lesson you learned how to find limits of summations

and use them to find areas of regions bounded by graphs of
functions.

I. Limits of Summations (Pages 892−894) What you should learn

How to find limits of
The following summation formulas and properties are used to summations
evaluate finite and infinite summations.

n
1. ∑c = cn , c is a constant.
i =1
n
2. ∑i = n(n + 1)/2
i =1
n
3. ∑i2 = n(n + 1)(2n + 1)/6
i =1
n
4. ∑ i3 = n2(n + 1)2/4
i =1
n n n
5. ∑ (ai ± bi ) = ∑ ai ± ∑ bi
i =1 i =1 i =1
n n
6. ∑ kai = k ∑ ai , k is a constant.
i =1 i =1

To find the limit of a summation, . . . begin by applying

summation formulas and properties to simplify S, that is, convert
it to rational form. Then use the techniques from the previous
section to find the limit as n → ∞.

Example 1: Find the limit of S(n) as n → ∞.

n
i−5
S ( n) = ∑ n3
i =1

Larson/Hostetler Precalculus/Precalculus with Limits Notetaking Guide IAE

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
206 Chapter 12 • Limits and an Introduction to Calculus

II. The Area Problem (Pages 895−897) What you should learn
How to use rectangles to
Describe the area problem. approximate areas of
plane regions and to use
The area problem is to find the area of the region R bounded by limits of summations to
the graph of a nonnegative, continuous function f, the x-axis, and find areas of plane
the vertical lines x = a and x = b. regions

The basic strategy for finding the area of the region R is . . .

to use a collection of rectangles of equal width that approximates
the region R.

The exact area of a plane region R is given by . . . the limit

of the sum of n rectangles as n approaches ∞.

Let f be continuous and nonnegative on the interval [a, b]. The

area A of the region bounded by the graph of f, the x-axis, and
the vertical lines x = a and x = b is given by
n
A = lim Σ f (a + (b − a)i / n)[(b − a)/n]
n → ∞ i=1

Example 2: Find the area of the region bounded by the graph

of f ( x) = ( x − 4) 2 + 5 and the x-axis between
x = 3 and x = 6.

18
y y y

x x x

Homework Assignment

Page(s)

Exercises

Larson/Hostetler Precalculus/Precalculus with Limits Notetaking Guide IAE

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