Topic 17
Mass, Center of Mass & Surface Area
A double integral adds up a quantity over a flat region. With a it gives the mass, and with and it gives the . Divided by the area, it gives an average. Surface area uses the same idea with as the .
5 kinds of question. Open the one you are stuck on.
1Find the mass of a thin plate with variable density
e.g. “Find the mass of the region … if the density is ”
Find the mass of a thin plate with variable density
e.g. “Find the mass of the region … if the density is ”- 1Sketch the region and choose Cartesian or polar
Circles, or in : polar, with . Straight edges: Cartesian.
- 2Write with limits
Inner limits from the curves, outer limits as numbers.
- 3Integrate the inner integral, then the outer
Remember: Mass is the density, added up.
See it in a problem3 worked examples
Find the mass of the plate bounded by and , with density .
- 1Sketch the region and choose Cartesian or polar
The curves meet at and , with between. No circles: Cartesian.
- 2Write with limits
.
- 3Integrate the inner integral, then the outer
Inner: . Outer: .
Find the mass of the region , , , with density .
- 1Sketch the region and choose Cartesian or polar
A quarter of a ring, and : polar, with , .
- 2Write with limits
.
- 3Integrate the inner integral, then the outer
Inner: . Outer: .
Find the mass of the disk with density .
- 1Sketch the region and choose Cartesian or polar
Expand: , so and . Polar: , .
- 2Write with limits
.
- 3Integrate the inner integral, then the outer
Inner: . Outer: .
Common mistakes3
- Forgetting the in .
- A circle through the origin, like , is with , not .
- Doing a long integral when the density is a constant . The mass is just times the area.
2Find the center of mass of a plate using double integrals
e.g. “Find the center of mass of the region … with density …”
Find the center of mass of a plate using double integrals
e.g. “Find the center of mass of the region … with density …”- 1Use symmetry to get any coordinate for free
If the region and the density are symmetric about the -axis, . About the -axis, .
- 2Find the mass
Constant density cancels. Use the area for , and in the moments.
- 3Find the moments and
Same limits as the mass; only the integrand changes.
- 4Divide each moment by
Remember: Mass, moments, divide.
See it in a problem3 worked examples
A thin plate of uniform density occupies the region between and the -axis. Find its center of mass.
- 1Use symmetry to get any coordinate for free
The region is symmetric about the -axis and is constant, so .
- 2Find the mass
Uniform, so use the area: .
- 3Find the moments and
.
- 4Divide each moment by
.
Find the center of mass of the triangle with vertices , , and density .
- 1Use symmetry to get any coordinate for free
The density breaks the symmetry, so compute both. The triangle is , .
- 2Find the mass
.
- 3Find the moments and
and .
- 4Divide each moment by
and .
A plate occupies the half disk , , with density . Find its center of mass.
- 1Use symmetry to get any coordinate for free
Region and density are symmetric about the -axis: . Polar: , , .
- 2Find the mass
.
- 3Find the moments and
.
- 4Divide each moment by
.
Common mistakes3
- Swapping the moments: uses , uses .
- Stopping at a moment. A moment is not a coordinate until you divide by .
- Using symmetry when only the region is symmetric. The density must be symmetric too.
3Evaluate a double integral without iterating, using symmetry and area
e.g. “Evaluate the double integral without using iteration”
Evaluate a double integral without iterating, using symmetry and area
e.g. “Evaluate the double integral without using iteration”- 1Split the integrand into a sum of simple pieces
- 2Drop each piece that is odd over a symmetric region
If is symmetric about the -axis and , then . Same idea in .
- 3Replace each constant piece by times the area of
- 4Read what is left as the volume of a known solid
over the disk of radius is a half ball: .
Remember: Odd pieces vanish; constants are areas.
See it in a problem3 worked examples
Without iterating, evaluate , where is the disk .
- 1Split the integrand into a sum of simple pieces
.
- 2Drop each piece that is odd over a symmetric region
is symmetric about the -axis and is odd in : .
- 3Replace each constant piece by times the area of
.
- 4Read what is left as the volume of a known solid
Nothing is left.
Without iterating, evaluate , where is the disk .
- 1Split the integrand into a sum of simple pieces
.
- 2Drop each piece that is odd over a symmetric region
is symmetric about the -axis and is odd in : that piece is .
- 3Replace each constant piece by times the area of
No constant piece.
- 4Read what is left as the volume of a known solid
over is the top half of a ball of radius : volume .
Without iterating, evaluate , where is the triangle with vertices , , .
- 1Split the integrand into a sum of simple pieces
.
- 2Drop each piece that is odd over a symmetric region
is symmetric about the -axis and is odd: .
- 3Replace each constant piece by times the area of
The area of is , so .
- 4Read what is left as the volume of a known solid
Nothing is left.
Common mistakes3
- Calling a piece odd when the region is not symmetric in that variable.
- Using the full disk's area for a half disk. A half disk of radius has area .
- Mixing up (an area) with a volume.
4Find the average value of a function over a region
e.g. “Find the average value of over ”
Find the average value of a function over a region
e.g. “Find the average value of over ”- 1Find the area
Use geometry when you can; otherwise .
- 2Integrate over
Polar for disks and for distances to the origin, .
- 3Divide the integral by the area
Remember: Total over area.
See it in a problem3 worked examples
Find the average value of over the rectangle , .
- 1Find the area
.
- 2Integrate over
.
- 3Divide the integral by the area
.
Find the average value of over the disk .
- 1Find the area
.
- 2Integrate over
Polar: .
- 3Divide the integral by the area
.
Find the average value of over the triangle , , .
- 1Find the area
.
- 2Integrate over
.
- 3Divide the integral by the area
.
Common mistakes3
- Forgetting to divide by the area.
- Distance to the origin is , not , and still brings its own .
- Not checking the answer: the average must lie between the smallest and largest values of on .
5Find the surface area of z = f(x, y) over a region
e.g. “Find the area of the part of the surface that lies above …”
Find the surface area of z = f(x, y) over a region
e.g. “Find the area of the part of the surface that lies above …”- 1Write the surface as
If it is easier as , swap roles and use its shadow in the -plane.
- 2Compute and simplify
- 3Find the shadow in the -plane
A cylinder gives a disk. "Above the -plane" means .
- 4Integrate over , in polar if is round
Pick the order that lets you integrate the root.
Remember: Root of one plus the squares.
See it in a problem3 worked examples
Find the area of the part of the plane that lies inside the cylinder .
- 1Write the surface as
.
- 2Compute and simplify
, : .
- 3Find the shadow in the -plane
is the disk , with area .
- 4Integrate over , in polar if is round
The integrand is constant: .
Find the area of the part of the surface that lies inside the cylinder .
- 1Write the surface as
Already .
- 2Compute and simplify
, : .
- 3Find the shadow in the -plane
: , .
- 4Integrate over , in polar if is round
.
Find the area of the part of the surface that lies above the triangle with vertices , , .
- 1Write the surface as
.
- 2Compute and simplify
, : .
- 3Find the shadow in the -plane
: , . Integrating first puts a beside the root.
- 4Integrate over , in polar if is round
.
Common mistakes3
- Forgetting the under the root.
- Integrating over the surface's -range instead of its shadow .
- Dropping the in polar: the in is what makes the substitution work.
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