Section 9.

4 Areas and Lengths in Polar Coordinates 2010 Kiryl Tsishchanka

Areas and Lengths in Polar Coordinates

In this section we develop the formula for the area of a region whose boundary is given by a polar equation.
We need to use the formula for the area of a sector of a circle
1
A = r2 (1)
2

where r is the radius and is the radian measure of the central angle. Formula 1 follows from the fact
that the area of a sector is proportional to its central angle:
1
A= r 2 = r 2
2 2
Let R be the region bounded by the polar curve r = f () and by the rays = a and = b, where f is a
positive continuous function and where 0 < b a 2.

We divide the interval [a, b] into subintervals with endpoints 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . , n and equal width . The
rays = i then divide R into n smaller regions with central angle = i i1 . If we choose i in the
ith subinterval [i1 , i ], then the area Ai of the ith region is approximated by the area of the sector of
a circle with central angle and radius f (i ). Thus from Formula 1 we have
1
Ai [f (i )]2 (2)
2
n
X 1
and so an approximation to the total area A of R is A [f (i )]2 . One can see that the approxima-
i=1
2
1
tion in (2) improves as n . But the sums in (2) are Riemann sums for the function g() = [f ()]2 ,
2
so n
X1 b
1
Z
lim [f (i )]2 = [f ()]2 d
n
i=1
2 a 2

It therefore appears plausible (and can in fact be proved) that the formula for the area A of the polar
region R is
Z b
1
A= [f ()]2 d (3)
a 2
This formula is often written as
b
1 2
Z
A= r d (4)
a 2

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Section 9.4 Areas and Lengths in Polar Coordinates 2010 Kiryl Tsishchanka

EXAMPLE: Find the area of each of the following regions:

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Solution:
(a) We have
3/4 3/4    
1 2 1 1 3 1 2
Z Z
A= 1 d = d = = =
/4 2 2 /4 2 4 4 2 4 4

(b) We have
2+/4 2+/4    
1 2 1 1 3 1 2 3
Z Z
A= 1 d = d = 2 + = 2 = =
3/4 2 2 3/4 2 4 4 2 4 4 4

(c) We have
7/4 7/4    
1 2 1 1 7 5 1 2
Z Z
A= 1 d = d = = =
5/4 2 2 5/4 2 4 4 2 4 4

(d) We have
2+/4 2+/4    
1 2 1 1 7 1 6 3
Z Z
A= 1 d = d = 2 + = 2 = =
7/4 2 2 7/4 2 4 4 2 4 4 4
or
/4 /4
1 2 1 1    1  
Z Z
A= 1 d = d = = + =
/4 2 2 /4 2 4 4 2 4 4 4

EXAMPLE: Find the area of the inner loop of r = 2 + 4 cos .

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Section 9.4 Areas and Lengths in Polar Coordinates 2010 Kiryl Tsishchanka

EXAMPLE: Find the area of the inner loop of r = 2 + 4 cos .

Solution: We first find a and b:

1 2 4
2 + 4 cos = 0 = cos = = = ,
2 3 3
Therefore the area is
4/3 4/3
1 1
Z Z
A = (2 + 4 cos )2 d = (4 + 16 cos + 16 cos2 )d
2/3 2 2/3 2
Z 4/3 Z 4/3
= (2 + 8 cos + 4(1 + cos(2))d = (6 + 8 cos + 4 cos(2))d
2/3 2/3

h i4/3
= 6 + 8 sin + 2 sin(2) = 4 6 3 2.174
2/3

EXAMPLE: Find the area enclosed by one loop of the four-leaved rose r = cos 2.

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Section 9.4 Areas and Lengths in Polar Coordinates 2010 Kiryl Tsishchanka

EXAMPLE: Find the area enclosed by one loop of the four-leaved rose r = cos 2.

Solution: Notice that the region enclosed by the right loop is swept out by a ray that rotates from = /4
to = /4. Therefore, Formula 4 gives
/4 /4 /4
1 2 1
Z Z Z
2
A = r d = cos 2d = cos2 2d
/4 2 2 /4 0

/4  /4
1 1 1
Z
= (1 + cos 4)d = + sin 4 =
0 2 2 4 0 8

Let R be the region bounded by curves with polar equations r = f (), r = g(), = a, and = b, where
f () g() 0 and 0 < b a 2. Then the area A of R is

b
1
Z
[f ()]2 [g()]2 d


A=
a 2

EXAMPLE: Find the area that lies inside r = 3 + 2 sin and outside r = 2.

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Section 9.4 Areas and Lengths in Polar Coordinates 2010 Kiryl Tsishchanka

EXAMPLE: Find the area that lies inside r = 3 + 2 sin and outside r = 2.

Solution: We first find a and b:

 
1 7 11
3 + 2 sin = 2 = sin = = = ,
2 6 6 6

Therefore the area is

7/6 7/6
1 1
Z Z
(3 + 2 sin )2 22 d = (5 + 12 sin + 4 sin2 )d

A =
/6 2 /6 2

7/6
1 1h
Z i7/6
= (7 + 12 sin 2 cos(2))d = 7 12 cos sin(2)
/6 2 2 /6

11 3 14
= + 24.187
2 3

EXAMPLE: Find the area of the region outside r = 3 + 2 sin and inside r = 2.

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Section 9.4 Areas and Lengths in Polar Coordinates 2010 Kiryl Tsishchanka

EXAMPLE: Find the area of the region outside r = 3 + 2 sin and inside r = 2.
Solution: We have
Z 11/6
1 2
2 (3 + 2 sin )2 d

A =
7/6 2

11/6
1
Z
= (5 12 sin 4 sin2 )d
7/6 2

Z 11/6
1 1h i11/6 113 7
= (7 12 sin + 2 cos(2))d = 7 + 12 cos + sin(2) = 2.196
7/6 2 2 7/6 2 3

1
EXAMPLE: Find all points of intersection of the curves r = cos 2 and r = .
2

1 1
Solution: If we solve the equations r = cos 2 and r = , we get cos 2 = and, therefore,
2 2
2 = /3, 5/3, 7/3, 11/3
Thus the values of between 0 and 2 that satisfy both equations are
= /6, 5/6, 7/6, 11/6
We have found four points of intersection:
       
1 1 1 1
, /6 , , 5/6 , , 7/6 , and , 11/6
2 2 2 2
However, you can see from the above figure that the curves have four other points of intersection namely,
       
1 1 1 1
, /3 , , 2/3 , , 4/3 , and , 5/3
2 2 2 2
1
These can be found using symmetry or by noticing that another equation of the circle is r = and then
2
1
solving the equations r = cos 2 and r = .
2

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Section 9.4 Areas and Lengths in Polar Coordinates 2010 Kiryl Tsishchanka

Arc Length
To find the length of a polar curve r = f (), a b, we regard as a parameter and write the
parametric equations of the curve as

x = r cos = f () cos y = r sin = f () sin

Using the Product Rule and differentiating with respect to , we obtain

dx dr dy dr
= cos r sin = sin + r cos
d d d d
So, using cos2 + sin2 = 1, we have
 2  2  2
dx dy dr dr
+ = cos2 2r cos sin + r 2 sin2
d d d d
 2  2
dr dr dr
+ sin + 2r sin cos + r 2 cos2 =
2
+ r2
d d d
Assuming that f is continuous, we can use one of the formulas from Section 9.2 to write the arc length as
s
Z b  2  2
dx dy
L= + d
a d d

Therefore, the length of a curve with polar equation r = f (), a b, is

s 2
b 
dr
Z
L= r2 + d (5)
a d

EXAMPLE: Find the length of the curve r = , 0 1.

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Section 9.4 Areas and Lengths in Polar Coordinates 2010 Kiryl Tsishchanka

EXAMPLE: Find the length of the curve r = , 0 1.

Solution: We have

= tan x = 2 + 1 = tan2 x + 1 = sec2 x = | sec x| = sec x
Z 1
L = 2 + 1d =
d = d tan x


0
d = sec2 xdx

/4
/4
1

1
Z
3
= sec xdx = (sec x tan x + ln | sec x + tan x|) = ( 2 + ln(1 + 2))
0 2 0 2

EXAMPLE: Find the length of the cardioid r = 1 + sin .

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Section 9.4 Areas and Lengths in Polar Coordinates 2010 Kiryl Tsishchanka

EXAMPLE: Find the length of the cardioid r = 1 + sin .

Solution: The full length of the cardioid is given by the parameter interval 0 2, so Formula 5 gives
s  2
Z 2 Z 2 p Z 2 p
dr
L = 2
r + d = 2 2
(1 + sin ) + cos d = 1 + 2 sin + sin2 + cos2 d
0 d 0 0

Z 2
Z 2 Z 2 1 + sin 1 sin
= 2 + 2 sin d = 2 1 + sin d = 2 d
0 0 0 1 sin
Z 2 p
1 sin2 Z 2 cos2 Z 2 | cos |
= 2 d = 2 d = 2 d
0 1 sin 0 1 sin 0 1 sin

Z /2
cos Z /2+ cos Z 2 cos
= 2 d 2 d + 2 d
0 1 sin /2 1 sin /2+ 1 sin
Note that
1 sin = u

d(1 sin ) = du

cos du u1/2+1
Z Z Z
1/2
d = = = u du = +C
1 sin cos d = du


u 1/2 + 1
cos d = du
= 2 u + C

= 2 1 sin + C
Therefore
i/2 i/2+ i2
L = 2 2 1 sin + 2 2 1 sin 2 2 1 sin
0 /2 /2+
p  p p 
= 2 2 1 sin(/2) 1 sin 0 + 2 2 1 sin(/2 + ) 1 sin(/2)
p p 
2 2 1 sin(2) 1 sin(/2 + )



= 2 2 (0 1) + 2 2 2 0 2 2 1 2 = 2 2 + 4 2 2 + 4 = 8

EXAMPLE: Find the length of the cardioid r = 1 cos .

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Section 9.4 Areas and Lengths in Polar Coordinates 2010 Kiryl Tsishchanka

EXAMPLE: Find the length of the cardioid r = 1 cos .

Solution: The full length of the cardioid is given by the parameter interval 0 2, so Formula 5 gives
s  2
Z 2 Z 2 q Z 2 p
dr 2
L= 2
r + d = 2
(1 cos ) + sin d = 1 2 cos + cos2 + sin2 d
0 d 0 0

Z 2 r 2

Z 2 Z 2   Z 2
2  
= 2 2 cos d = 4 sin d = 2 sin  d =
  2 sin d = 4 cos =4+4=8
0 0 2 0 2 0 2 2 0

10