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Double integrals in Polar Coordinates

It ain’t about how hard you can hit. Its about how hard you can get hit, and how much you can take, and keep moving forward, Rocky Balboa

Recall

Geometrically, the partial derivative $\frac{\partial f}{\partial x}(x_0, y_0)$ at a point (x0, y0) can be interpreted as the slope of the tangent line to the curve formed by the intersection of the surface defined by f(x,y) and the plane y = y0. Similarly, $\frac{\partial f}{\partial y}(x_0, y_0)$ represents the slope of the tangent line to the curve formed by the intersection of the surface defined by f(x,y) and the plane x = x0

$\frac{dw}{ds}\bigg|_{\vec{u}} = ∇w·\vec{u} = |∇w|·|\vec{u}|cos(θ) = |∇w|·cos(θ)$ where θ is the angle between the gradient and the given unit vector.

The gradient is the direction in which the function increases fastest (the direction of the steepest ascent) at a given point, and |∇w| = $\frac{dw}{ds}\bigg|_{\vec{u}=dir(∇w)}$.

The directional derivative is minimized when cos(θ) = -1 ↭ θ = 180 ↭ $\vec{u}$ is in the opposite direction of the gradient ∇w. Futhermore, $\frac{dw}{ds}\bigg|_{\vec{u}} = 0$ ↭ cos(θ) = 0 ↭ θ = 90° ↭ $\vec{u}$ ⊥ ∇w.

The gradient vector is a vector that points in the direction of the steepest increase of the function at a given point. It is perpendicular (orthogonal) to the level surfaces of the function. This means that the gradient points in the direction of the steepest ascent or increase, and there is no change in the function’s value along the level surface, making the gradient perpendicular to it.

Applications of Double Integrals

Double integrals are crucial in various applications, such as:

Double integrals are powerful mathematical tools that allow us to calculate a variety of important quantities, such as areas of regions, volumes under surfaces, average values of functions over regions, and physical quantities like mass, center of mass, and moment of inertia.

Double integrals in polar coordinates

Double integrals are a powerful tool in calculus for finding areas, volumes, and other quantities over a two-dimensional region. Sometimes, evaluating these integrals in Cartesian coordinates (using x and y) can be complex or cumbersome. In such cases, converting to polar coordinates can simplify the problem.

Polar coordinates are particularly useful when dealing with regions that have circular symmetry, such as disks, annuli, or sectors Instead of describing a point in the plane using Cartesian coordinates (x,y), polar coordinates describe a point using:

Basically, in polar coordinates, we replace x and y with $r\cos \theta$ and $r \sin \theta$, respectively, and adjust the limits of integration accordingly.

Consider the integral $\int \int_{x^2+y^2≤1, x, y≥0} (1-x^2-y^2)dx$ over the region, x2+y2 ≤ 1, x, y ≥ 0. Here, R is the region in the first quadrant bounded by the unit circle.

Image

Conversion to Polar Coordinates

To convert from Cartesian coordinates (x, y) to polar coordinates (r, θ), use the following relationships: x = rcosθ, y = rsinθ.

We fix θ, r varies from 0 to 1. Then, θ ranges from 0 to π2. Recall that the sine function (sin(Δθ)) relates the angle (Δθ) to the ratio of the length of the side opposite the angle to the length of the hypotenuse in a right triangle, and when $Δ\theta$ is very close to 0, we can make an approximation: $\sin(Δ\theta) \approx Δ\theta$, hence $ΔA \approx Δr·r\sin(Δ\theta) \approx Δr·rΔ\theta$ ⇒[In the infinitesimal scale] dA = dr·rdθ, $\int \int fdA = \int (\int f·rdr)dθ$.

In our example, the integral becomes, $\iint_R (1-x^2-y^2) dxdy = \iint_R (1-r^2)rdrdθ$

Limits of Integration

For the given region R (first quadrant of the unit disk. It is defined by the inequalities x2 +y2 ≤ 1, x ≥0, and y ≥ 0), the limits for r range from 0 to 1, and for θ range from 0 to π2.

Set Up the Integral

$\int \int_{x^2+y^2≤1, x, y≥0} (1-x^2-y^2)dx$ =[x = rcosθ, y = rsin(θ), f = 1 -x2-y2 = 1 -r2] $\int_{0}^{\frac{π}{2}} (\int_{0}^{1} (1-r^2)rdr)dθ =$ [🚀]

Compute the Inner Integral

We first evaluate the integral with respect to r, keeping θ fixed:

$\int_{0}^{1} (1-r^2)rdr = \frac{r^2}{2}-\frac{r^4}{4}\bigg|_{0}^{1} = \frac{1}{2}-\frac{1}{4} = \frac{1}{4}$

Compute the Outer Integral

Next, we integrate with respect to θ:

= [🚀] $\int_{0}^{\frac{π}{2}} \frac{1}{4}dθ = \frac{1}{4}θ\bigg|_{0}^{\frac{π}{2}} = \frac{1}{4}·\frac{π}{2} = \frac{π}{8}$.

The volume under the surface z = 1 −x2 -y2 over the region in the first quadrant bounded by the unit circle is: π8.

Here’s a step-by-step approach for converting and evaluating integrals in polar coordinates:

  1. Identify the region of integration and describe or express it in polar coordinates.
  2. Set up the integral.
  3. Set the appropriate limits for r and θ.
  4. Perform the integration first with respect to r, then with respect to θ.

Solved examples

Identify the region of integration

The surface -x2 -y2 + z2 = 1 can be rewritten as z2 = 1 + x2 +y2 ⇒ $z = \sqrt{1+x^2+y^2}$. We want to find the volume of the solid enclosed between the surface defined by the equation $z = \sqrt{1+x^2+y^2}$ (it represents a paraboloid that opens upwards, centered on the z-axis) and the plane z = 2.

To find the region where the two surfaces intersect, set z = 2 in the first equation: 3 = x2 + y2. So, the region of integration in the xy-plane is the disk with a radius of $\sqrt{3}$ centered at the origin.

Set up the double integral

Using polar coordinates where x = rcos(θ) and y = rsin(θ), the equation x2+y2 = 3, becomes 3 = r2 ↭ r = $±\sqrt{3}$ ↭ so r ranges from 0 to $\sqrt{3}$.

In polar coordinates, the equation $z = sqrt{1+x^2+y^2}$ becomes $z = \sqrt{1+r^2}$. The volume we seek is the region between $z = \sqrt{1+r^2}$ amd z = 2. Therefore, the volume V is given by the double integral: $V = \int_{0}^{2π} \int_{0}^{\sqrt{3}} (2-\sqrt{1+r^2})rdrdθ$ where R is the disk, θ ranges from 0 to 2π and 0 ≤ r ≤ $\sqrt{3}$.

Evaluate the radial integral

We first integrate with respect to r:

$\int_{0}^{\sqrt{3}} (2-\sqrt{1+r^2})rdr = \int_{0}^{\sqrt{3}} (2r-r\sqrt{1+r^2})dr=$[Substitution u = 1 + r2, du = 2rdr] $\int_{0}^{\sqrt{3}} 2rdr -\int_{0}^{\sqrt{3}}r\sqrt{u}\frac{du}{2r} = \int_{0}^{\sqrt{3}} 2rdr -\int_{0}^{\sqrt{3}}u^{\frac{1}{2}}\frac{du}{2} = r^2-\frac{1}{3}u^{\frac{3}{2}} = r^2-\frac{1}{3}(1+r^2) ^{\frac{3}{2}}\bigg|_{0}^{\sqrt{3}} = 3-\frac{1}{3}4^{\frac{3}{2}}+\frac{1}{3} = 3-\frac{1}{3}\sqrt{4}^{3}+\frac{1}{3} = 3-\frac{8}{3}+\frac{1}{3} = 3-\frac{7}{3} = \frac{9}{3}-\frac{7}{3} = \frac{2}{3}$

Evaluate the angular integral

V = $\int_{0}^{2π} \frac{2}{3}dθ = \frac{2}{3}θ\bigg|_{0}^{2π} = \frac{4π}{3}.$

Identify the Region of Integration

The region R is defined by the inequalities 1 ≤ x2 + y2 ≤ 4 and x ≤ 0.

Set up the double integral

Using polar coordinates, x = rcos(θ), y=rsin(θ), and dA=rdrdθ, The region in polar coordinates is defined by R = {(r, θ): 1 ≤ r ≤ 2, $\frac{π}{2} ≤ θ ≤ \frac{3π}{2}$} (Refer to Figure A for a visual representation and aid in understanding it).

Double Integral in Polar Coordinates

The bounds for r are from 1 to 2, and the bounds for θ are from $\frac{π}{2}$ to $\frac{3π}{2}$, covering the left half of the plane. Hence, The double integral in polar coordinates becomes:

$\iint_R (x + y) dA = \int_{\frac{3π}{2}}^{\frac{π}{2}} (\int_{1}^{2} (rcos(θ)+rsin(θ))rdr)dθ$

Evaluate the radial integral

$\int_{1}^{2} (rcos(θ)+rsin(θ))rdr = (cos(θ)+sin(θ))\int_{1}^{2} r^2dr = (cos(θ)+sin(θ))·\frac{r^3}{3}\bigg|_{1}^{2} = (cos(θ)+sin(θ))·(\frac{8}{3}-\frac{1}{3}) = (cos(θ)+sin(θ))·\frac{7}{3}$

Evaluate the angular integral

$\iint_R (x + y) dA = \frac{7}{3}\int_{\frac{3π}{2}}^{\frac{π}{2}} (cos(θ)+sin(θ))·dθ = \frac{7}{3} (sin(θ)-cos(θ))\bigg|_{\frac{π}{2}}^{\frac{3π}{2}} = \frac{7}{3} (sin(\frac{3π}{2})-cos(\frac{3π}{2})-(sin(\frac{π}{2})-cos(\frac{π}{2}))) = \frac{7}{3}(-1-0-(1-0)) = \frac{-14}{3}$

This negative result simply reflects that the function x+y is predominantly negative over the region R.

Note: The paraboloid is opening downwards because -3x2-3y2, that is, both variables are negative, and then it has shifted up 10 units in the z direction, and it is cut up by the plane z = 4.

Determine the Region of intersection

First, we find the intersection of the paraboloid z = 10 -3x2-3y2 and the plane z = 4: 10 -3x2-3y2 = 4 ↭ 3x2 + 3y2 = 6 ↭ x2 + y2 = 2, so this describes a circle with radius r = $\sqrt{2}$ centered at the origin in the xy-plane (Figure B).

Double Integral in Polar Coordinates

Convert to Polar Coordinates

In polar coordinates, x = rcos(θ) and y = rsin(θ). The region of integration becomes: $0 ≤ r ≤\sqrt{2}, 0 ≤ θ ≤ 2π.$

Express the height function

The height of the solid above the xy-plane (z = 4) at any point (r, θ) is given by the difference between the paraboloid and the plane: 10 -3x2-3y2 -4 = 6 -3(x2 + y2) = 6 -3r2.

Set Up the Double Integral

$V = \int_{0}^{2π}(\int_{0}^{\sqrt{2}} (6-3r^2)rdr)dθ$

Evaluate the Radial Integral

$\int_{0}^{\sqrt{2}} (6-3r^2)rdr = \int_{0}^{\sqrt{2}} (6r-3r^3)dr = 3r^2-\frac{3}{4}r^4\bigg|_{0}^{\sqrt{2}} = 3·2-\frac{3}{4}·4 = 6 - 3 = 3.$

Evaluate the Angular Integral

$V = \int_{0}^{2π}(\int_{0}^{\sqrt{2}} (6-3r^2)rdr)dθ = \int_{0}^{2π} 3dθ = 3θ\bigg|_{0}^{2π} = 6π.$

Conclusion: The volume of the solid bounded by the paraboloid z = 10 -3x2-3y2 and the plane z = 4 is 6π.

Determine the Region of intersection

The curves intersect where: 3x2 + 3y2 = 4 -x2-y2 ↭[Combine like terms] 4x2 + 4y2 = 4 ↭ x2 + y2 = 1. This represents a circle of radius r = 1 centered at the origin in the xy-plane. The z-value in this region is z = 3x2+3y2 = 3(x2 + y2) = 3·1 = 3 (Figure C).

Double Integral in Polar Coordinates

Convert to Polar Coordinates

In polar coordinates, x = rcos(θ), y = rsin(θ), and x2 + y2 = 1. The region of integration in polar coordinates becomes: $0 ≤ r ≤ 1, 0 ≤ θ ≤ 2π.$

Express the height function

The height of the volume at any point (r,θ) is given by the difference between the upper surface z = 4 -x2 -y2 and the lower surface z = 3x2 +3y2.

Height = $4 -x^2-y^2 -(3x^2+3y^2) = 4 -4x^2-4y^2 = 4 -4(x^2+y^2) = 4- 4r^2 = 4(1-r^2)$

Set Up the Double Integral

The volume V of the solid can be found by integrating the height over the region:

$V = \int_{0}^{2π}(\int_{0}^{1} 4(1-r^2)rdr)dθ$

Evaluate the Radial Integral

$\int_{0}^{1} 4(1-r^2)rdr = 4\int_{0}^{1} (r-r^3)rdr = 4(\frac{r^2}{2}-\frac{r^4}{4})\bigg|_{0}^{1} = 4·(\frac{1}{2}-\frac{1}{4}) = 2 - 1 = 1$

Evaluate the Angular Integral

$V = \int_{0}^{2π}(\int_{0}^{1} 4(1-r^2)rdr)dθ = \int_{0}^{2π} dθ = 2π.$

Understand the Geometric Boundaries

The three surfaces intersect as follows:

  1. Sphere: x2 +y2 +z2 = 9. It is a sphere with a radius of 3 centered at the origin.
  2. Cylinder: x2 + y2 = 5 is a cylinder with a radius of $\sqrt{5}$, centered along the z-axis.
  3. Plane: z = 0 is the xy-plane.

The region of intersection is where these three shapes overlap. Since we only want the portion of the sphere that actually lies inside the cylinder given by x2+y2=5, this is also the region that we are looking for. The region D is the disk x2 + y2 ≤ 5 in the xy-plane.

Futhermore, the region that we want the volume for is really a cylinder with a cap that comes from the sphere: x2 + y2 + z2 = 9, x2 + y2 = 5 ⇒ 5 + z2 = 9 ⇒ z2 = 4 ⇒ z = 2 (Figure D).

Double Integral in Polar Coordinates

Convert to Polar Coordinates

In polar coordinates, x = rcos(θ) and y = rsin(θ). The region of integration becomes: $0 ≤ r ≤ \sqrt{5}$, 0 ≤ θ ≤ 2π.$

Express the height function

The height z is bounded below by the plane z = 0 and above by the sphere. From the sphere’s equation: $z = \sqrt{9-x^2-y^2}= \sqrt{9-r^2}$

Set Up the Double Integral

The volume V of the solid can be found by integrating the height over the region D: $V =\int \int_{D} \sqrt{9-x^2-y^2}dA = \int_{0}^{2π} (\int_{0}^{\sqrt{5}} \sqrt{9-r^2}rdr)dθ$

Evaluate the Radial Integral

$\int_{0}^{\sqrt{5}} \sqrt{9-r^2}rdr = \int_{0}^{\sqrt{5}}r(9-r^2)^{\frac{1}{2}}dr =[u = 9-r^2⇒ du = -2rdr, r =0 ⇒ u = 9, r = \sqrt{5} ⇒ u = 9 -5 = 4] \int_{9}^{4} -\frac{1}{2}\sqrt{u}du = -\int_{9}^{4} \frac{1}{2}\sqrt{u}du = -\frac{1}{2}\frac{2}{3}u^{\frac{3}{2}}\bigg|_{9}^{4}=-\frac{1}{3}(4^{\frac{3}{2}}-9^{\frac{3}{2}}) = -\frac{1}{3}((2^2)^{\frac{3}{2}}-(3^2)^{\frac{3}{2}}) = -\frac{1}{3}(2^3-3^3) = -\frac{1}{3}(8-27)=\frac{19}{3}$

Evaluate the Angular Integral

$V =\int \int_{D} \sqrt{9-x^2-y^2}dA= \int_{0}^{2π} (\int_{0}^{\sqrt{5}} \sqrt{9-r^2}rdr)dθ = \int_{0}^{2π} \frac{19}{3}dθ = \frac{19}{3}θ \bigg|_{0}^{2π} = \frac{38π}{3}$

The curve r = cos(4θ) is a polar equation that represents a type of graph known as a polar rose. These are curves that have petal-like structures. The number of petals is determined by the coefficient of θ inside the cosine function. In this case, r = cos(4θ) results in a rose with 2 x 4 = 8 petals because the coefficient 4 is even (Refer to Figure 1 for a visual representation and aid in understanding it).

Double Integrals in Polar Coordinates

The petals are symmetrically distributed around the origin. Since the cosine function is periodic with period 2π, it repeats its values. For cos(4θ), the period is $\frac{π}{2}$ ($4·\frac{π}{2}=2π.$)

As with rectangular coordinates, we can also use polar coordinates to find areas of certain regions using a double integral. Generally, the area formula will look like $Area = \int_{α}^{β} \int_{h_1(θ)}^{h_2(θ)}1rdrdθ$

To find the area bounded by the entire curve, it’s crucial to understand that the curve is symmetric. This means the area of all petals is the same. Therefore, instead of calculating the area of the entire curve directly, we can calculate the area of one petal and then multiply by the number of petals (which is 8 in this case) to get the total area, and one of the petals is formed when θ ranges from $-\frac{π}{8}$ to $\frac{π}{8}$.

Therefore, the area is: $Area = \int_{α}^{β} \int_{h_1(θ)}^{h_2(θ)}1rdrdθ = 8\int_{-\frac{π}{8}}^{-\frac{π}{8}} \int_{0}^{cos(4θ)}1rdrdθ$

Evaluate the inner interval: $\int_{0}^{cos(4θ)}1rdr = \frac{r^2}{2}\bigg|_{0}^{cos(4θ)} = \frac{cos^2(4θ)}{2}$

Evaluate the outer integral: $Area = \int_{α}^{β} \int_{h_1(θ)}^{h_2(θ)}1rdrdθ = 8\int_{-\frac{π}{8}}^{-\frac{π}{8}} \frac{cos^2(4θ)}{2}dθ$

Use the trigonometric identity: $cos^2(x)=\frac{1+cos(2x)}{2}⇒cos^2(4θ) = \frac{1+cos(8θ)}{4}$

Total Area = $8\int_{-\frac{π}{8}}^{-\frac{π}{8}} \frac{1+cos(8θ)}{4}dθ = 8[\frac{1}{4}θ +\frac{1}{32}sin(8θ)]\bigg|_{-\frac{π}{8}}^{\frac{π}{8}} = 8[\frac{1}{4}\frac{π}{8}+\frac{1}{32}sin(π)-(-\frac{1}{4}\frac{π}{8}+\frac{1}{32}sin(-π))] = 8[\frac{1}{4}\frac{π}{8}+\frac{1}{4}\frac{π}{8}] = 8·\frac{1}{2}·\frac{π}{8} = \frac{π}{2}units^2$.

The equation r = 1−sin(θ) describes a cardioid (Refer to Figure 2 for a visual representation and aid in understanding it), which is a heart-shaped curve. This cardioid is symmetric about the vertical axis (the line θ = π/2).

Double Integrals in Polar Coordinates

Since we are working in polar coordinates, the volume element dV at a point (r, θ) in this solid is f(r, θ) × Area_element. In polar coordinates, the area element is rdrdθ. Thus, the volume is given by the double integral:

$V = \int_{R} f(r, θ)·rdrdθ = \int_{0}^{2π} \int_{0}^{1-sin(θ)} r·rdrdθ$

Inner Integral: $\int_{0}^{1-sin(θ)} r·rdr = \frac{r^3}{3}\bigg|_{0}^{1-sin(θ)} = \frac{(1-sin(θ))^3}{3}$

Outer Integral: $V = \int_{0}^{2π} \int_{0}^{1-sin(θ)} r·rdrdθ = \int_{0}^{2π} \frac{(1-sin(θ))^3}{3}dθ = \frac{1}{3} \int_{0}^{2π}(1 -3sin(θ)+3sin^2(θ)-sin^3(θ))dθ$

We can split this into four separate integrals:

  1. $\int_{0}^{2π} 1dθ = 2π$
  2. -3$\int_{0}^{2π} sin(θ)dθ = 0$ (since the integral of sine over a full period is zero).
  3. $3\int_{0}^{2π} sin^2(θ)dθ$ = [Using the identity sin2(θ) = $\frac{1-cos(2θ)}{2}$] $3\int_{0}^{2π} \frac{1-cos(2θ)}{2}dθ =[\text{Since the integral of cosine over a full period is zero}] 3\int_{0}^{2π} \frac{1}{2}dθ = 3\frac{1}{2}2π = 3π$
  4. $\int_{0}^{2π} -sin^3(θ)dθ = 0$ (since the integral of odd powers of sine over a full period is zero).

The integrals of functions like sine and cosine over a full period, as well as odd powers of sine and cosine, are indeed zero. This happens because these functions are odd functions (they have symmetry about the origin).

Now, substitute these into the expression for V: V = $\frac{1}{3}[2π-0+3π-0] = \frac{1}{3}5π = \frac{5π}{3}$.

Bibliography

This content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License and is based on MIT OpenCourseWare [18.01 Single Variable Calculus, Fall 2007].
  1. NPTEL-NOC IITM, Introduction to Galois Theory.
  2. Algebra, Second Edition, by Michael Artin.
  3. LibreTexts, Calculus and Calculus 3e (Apex). Abstract and Geometric Algebra, Abstract Algebra: Theory and Applications (Judson).
  4. Field and Galois Theory, by Patrick Morandi. Springer.
  5. Michael Penn, and MathMajor.
  6. Contemporary Abstract Algebra, Joseph, A. Gallian.
  7. YouTube’s Andrew Misseldine: Calculus. College Algebra and Abstract Algebra.
  8. MIT OpenCourseWare 18.01 Single Variable Calculus, Fall 2007 and 18.02 Multivariable Calculus, Fall 2007.
  9. Calculus Early Transcendentals: Differential & Multi-Variable Calculus for Social Sciences.
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