Professional Documents
Culture Documents
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
Math Insight
Top Examples In threads Notation Links Contact us x
If the cube's density is proportional to the distance from the xy-plane, find its mass. Solution: The density of the cube is f(x, y, z) = kz If W is the cube, the mass is the triple integral for some constant k .
kz dV =
W
0 4
0 4
kz dx dy dz
= =
0 4
0 4
4kz dy dz
=
If distance is in cm and k = 1
z=4
gram per cubic cm per cm, then the mass of the cube is 128 grams.
10
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
1+x+y
f(x, y, z)dz dy dx
1+x+y
dz dy dx
x z=1+x+y (z )dy dx z=0
= =
0 1
0 x
(1 + x + y)dy dx
0 1
y2 y=x = [y + yx + ] dx 2 y=0 0 = (x + x2 +
0 1
x2 )dx 2
= (x +
0
3x2 )dx 2
1 1 x2 x3 1 =[ + ] = + =1 2 2 0 2 2
Note: when we integrate f(x, y, z) = 1 , the integral W dV is the volume of the solid W .
Example 3a
Set up the integral of f(x, y, z)
z = x2 + y2
, pictured below.
10
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
Ice cream cone region. The ice cream cone region is bounded above by the half-sphere
z = 1 x2 y2
Solution: We'll use the shadow method to set up the bounds on the integral. This means we'll write the triple integral as a double integral on the outside and a single integral on the inside of the form
z = 1 x2 y2
shadow
top
f(x, y, z).
is the bottom and the half-sphere
bottom
We'll let the z -axis be the vertical axis so that the cone z = x2 + y2 surfaces:
is the top of the ice cream cone W . Hence, W is the region between these two
x2 + y2 z 1 x2 y2 .
(1)
These inequalities give the range of z as a function of x and y and thus form the bounds of the inner integral, which will be an integral with respect to z of the form
top
bottom
f(x, y, z)dz =
1x2 y 2
f(x, y, z)dz.
x2 +y 2
The whole region W is the set of points satisfying the inequalities (1) while x and y range over the shadow of the ice cream cone that is parallel to the xy -plane, as illustrated by the cyan circle below.
10
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
Ice cream cone region with shadow. The ice cream cone region is bounded above by the half-sphere
z = 1 x2 y2
and z = 1/ 2
Therefore, the shadow of the ice cream cone region parallel to the xy -plane is the disk of radius 1/ 2
The shadow parallel to the xy -plane is the maximal range of x and y over all points inside W . Inside the ice cream cone, the maximal range of x and y occurs where the two surfaces meet, i.e., where the ice cream (the half-sphere) meets the cone. From the figure, you can see that the surfaces meet in a circle, and the range of x and y is the disk that is the interior of that circle. The surfaces meet when x2 + y 2 = 1 x2 y2 or
, which means x2 + y2 = 1 x2 y 2
x2 + y2 =
In other words, for any point (x, y, z)
1 . 2
x2 + y2
1 2
(2)
that lie
is satisfied. This inequality describes the shadow of the ice cream cone, which is the set of points (x, y) in a disk of radius 1/ , as illustrated below. 2
10
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
Now we've reduced the rest of the task of finding bounds for the triple integral to the much simpler task of finding bounds for a double integral over the shadow described by inequality (2) . We'll let y be the inner integral of the double integral, meaning we need to describe the range of y in the shadow as a function of x . To do this, we simply rewrite inequality (2) in terms of y as
x2 + y2 1/2 range of x is
so that x2 1/2
1/2 x 1/2 .
The double integral with respect to x and y becomes
shadow
dy dx =
1/2
1/2
1/2x2
dy dx
1/2x2
We have determined all the limits on the iterated integral. Putting the bottom/top limits together with the shadow limits, the ice cream cone can be described by the inequalities
1/ x 1/
10
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
2 2 1/2 x2 y 1/2 x2 x2 + y2 z 1 x2 y2
and the integral of the function f(x, y, z) over W is
f dV =
W
1/2
1/2
1/2x2
1/2x2
1x2 y 2
(3)
x2 +y 2
Example 3b
Find the volume of the ice cream cone of Example 3a.. Solution: Simply set f(x, y, z) = 1 in equation (3) .
dV =
W
1/2
1/2
1/2x2
1/2x2
1x2 y 2
dz dy dx.
x2 +y 2
We won't attempt to evaluate this integral in rectangular coordinates. Once you've learned how to change variables in triple integrals, you can read how to compute the integral using spherical coordinates.
Example 4
Find volume of the tetrahedron bounded by the coordinate planes and the plane through (2, 0, 0) ,
(0, 3, 0)
, and (0, 0, 1)
A tetrahedron. The tetrahedron is bounded by the coordinate planes (x = 0 plane through the three points (2,0,0), (0,3,0), and (0,0,1).
,y = 0
, and z = 0
) and the
Solution: We know the equation for three of the surfaces of the tetrahedron, as they are the equations for the coordinates planes: x = 0 ,y=0 , and z = 0 . As an initial step, we can find the equation for the angled
10
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
plane. You can follow the procedure in the second forming plane example to calculate that the plane is given by the equation
3x + 2y + 6z = 6.
(4)
To find the limits of the tetrahedron, we'll use the shadow method again, but this time, we'll think of the y -axis as being the vertical axis. You can imagine the sun that is casting the shadow as being at some point far on the positive y -axis. With this orientation, the shadow of the tetrahedron is the maximal range of x and z over the tetrahedron. Since the tetrahedron gets wider in the x and z directions as y decreases, the shadow of the tetrahedron is exactly the base of the tetrahedron in the xz -plane (the plane y = 0 ), which is the triangle pictured below.
We approach the integral over this shadow as a double integral. In this shadow (and consequently in the tetrahedron itself), the total range of z is
0 z 1.
To find the range of x for each value of z , you can calculate from the figure of the shadow that the upper limit of x is the line z = 1 x/2 or x = 2(1 z) . Given that the lower limit on x is zero, the range of x in the shadow for a given z is
0 x 2(1 z).
Alternatively, you could see that the upper limit on x corresponds to the plane given by equation (4) when y = 0 . Plugging y = 0 into equation (4) yields 3x + 6z = 6 or x = 2(1 z) . For each value of x and z in the shadow, we need to integrate y from the bottom to the top (viewing y as the vertical axis). The bottom from this perspective is in the plane y = 0 the range of y is , and the top is the angled plane of . Hence, for a given z and x , equation (4) , which we can solve for y to write as y = 3(1 x/2 z)
0 y 3(1
x z). 2
2(1z)
3(1x/2z)
dy dx dz
10
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
= = = =
0 1
0 2(1z)
3(1
x z)dx dz 2
x=2(1z)
0 1
x2 3[x zx] 4
dz
x=0
0 1
z3 = 3[z z + ] 3
1 1 = 3(1 1 + ) = 3( ) = 1. 3 3
Example 5
Change the order of x and y in the integral we derived above,
2(1z)
3(1x/2z)
dy dx dz,
Solution: One way to change the order of integration is to build up the graph of the tetrahedron from the limits of the integral, and then repeat the procedure of Example 4 but let the shadow be cast from the positive x -axis. Instead, we'll illustrate an alternative procedure of calculating the new limits directly from the inequalities of the old limits. If y will be middle integral, we need limits of y in terms of z (independent of x ). For given z , how large can y range? From the above limits, we know
0 y 3(1
The range is largest when x = 0 , so
x z). 2
0 y 3(1 z)
Then, given z and y , we need to know the range of the x . The following relationship must still be true:
y 3(1
We can rewrite this relationship in terms of x as
x z). 2
3x 3 3z y,
10
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
3x 2
or
x 2(1 z
Since we also know x 0
y ). 3
3(1z)
2(1zy/3)
dx dy dz.
More examples
More examples of calculating triple integrals can be found in the pages describing the shadow method and cross section method of determining integration bounds.
See also
Introduction to triple integrals The shadow method for determining triple integral bounds The cross section method for determining triple integral bounds Double integral examples
Cite this as
Nykamp DQ, Triple integral examples. From Math Insight. http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples Keywords: change integration order, integral, triple integral
Send message
10
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples
Triple integral examples by Duane Q. Nykamp is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNoncommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License. For permissions beyond the scope of this license, please contact us.
10
http://mathinsight.org/triple_integral_examples