a

Calculus
Triple Integrals

Calculation of Volumes Using Triple Integrals

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Problems 1-2 Problems 3-8

Example 3.
Find the volume of the tetrahedron bounded by the plane passing through the points A (1, 0, 0) , B (0, 2, 0) , C (0, 0, 3)
and the coordinate planes Oxy, Oxz, Oyz (Figure 2).

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 Figure 2.

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 Figure 3.

Solution.
The equation of the straight line AB in the xy-plane (Figure 3) is written as y = 2 − 2x. The variable x ranges here in the
interval 0 ≤ x ≤ 1, and the variable y ranges in the interval 0 ≤ y ≤ 2 − 2x.

Write the equation of the plane ABC in segment form. Since the plane ABC cuts the line segments 1, 2, and 3, respectively,
on the x−, y−, and z−axis, then its equation can be written as
2
x y z
+ + = 1.
1 2 3

In general
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 3
6x + 3y + 2z = 6 or z = 3 − 3x − y.
2

3
Hence, the limits of integration over the variable z range in the interval from z = 0 to z = 3 − 3x − y.
2

Now we can calculate the volume of the tetrahedron:

3
3−3x− y
1 2−2x 2 1 2−2x
3
3−3x− y
2
V = ∭ dxdydz = ∫ dx ∫ dy ∫ dz = ∫ dx ∫ dy ⋅ [ z| ]
0

U 0 0 0 0 0

1 2−2x 1
y=2−2x
3 ∣ 3
2
= ∫ dx ∫ (3 − 3x − y) dy = ∫ dx⋅[ (3y − 3xy − y )∣ ]
2 4 ∣
y=0
0 0 0

3 2
= ∫ [3 (2 − 2x) − 3x (2 − 2x) − (2 − 2x) ]dx
4
0

3
2 2
= ∫ [6 − 6x − 6x + 6x − (4 − 8x + 4x )]dx
4
0

1 1

2 2 2
= ∫ (6 − 12x + 6x − 3 + 6x − 3x ) dx = 3 ∫ (1 − 2x + x ) dx

0 0

1 3
3
x ∣ 1
2 2
= 3 [ (x − x + )∣ ] = 3 ⋅ ( 1 − 1 + ) = 1.
3 ∣ 3
0

2
Example 4.
Find the volume of the tetrahedron bounded by the planes x + y + z = 5, x = 0, y = 0, z = 0. (Figure 4).
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 Solution.
The equation of the plane x + y + z = 5 can be rewritten in the form

z = 5 − x − y.

By setting z = 0, we get

5 − x − y = 0 or y = 5 − x.

Hence, the region of integration D in the xy-plane is bounded by the straight line y = 5 − x as shown in Figure 5.

Representing the triple integral as an iterated integral, we can find the volume of the tetrahedron:
5 5−x 5−x−y

V = ∭ dxdydz = ∫ dx ∫ dy ∫ dz

U 0 0 0

5 5−x

5−x−y
= ∫ dx ∫ dy ⋅ [ z| ]
0

0 0

5 5−x 5

= ∫ dx ∫ (5 − x − y) dy = ∫ dx⋅

0 0 0

y=5−x
2
y ∣
[ (5y − xy − )∣ ]
2 ∣
y=0

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 Figure 4.

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 Figure 5.
5
2
(5 − x)
= ∫ [5 (5 − x) − x (5 − x) − ] dx
2
0

5 5
2
25 − 10x + x 1
2 2
= ∫ (25 − 5x − 5x + x − ) dx = ∫ (25 − 10x + x ) dx
2 2
0 0

2 5
3
1 10x x ∣ 1 125 125
= [ (25x − + )∣ ] = (125 − 5 ⋅ 25 + ) = .
2 2 3 ∣ 2 3 6
0

Example 5.
Find the volume of the solid formed by two paraboloids:
2 2 2 2
z1 = x + y and z2 = 1 − x − y .

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 Figure 6.

Figure 7.
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 Solution.
Investigate intersection of the two paraboloids (Figure 6). Since ρ 2
= x
2 2
+ y , the equations of the paraboloids can be
written as

2 2
z1 = ρ and z2 = 1 − ρ .

By setting z 1 = z2 for the intersection curve, we obtain

1
2 2 2 2
ρ = 1 − ρ , ⇒ 2ρ = 1, ⇒ ρ =
2

1 √2
or z = = .
2
√2

For this value of ρ (Figure 7), the coordinate z is

√2 1
z = ( ) = .
2 2

The volume of the solid is expressed in terms of the triple integral as

V = ∭ dxdydz.

This integral in cylindrical coordinates becomes

V = ∭ dxdydz 2
U

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 √2 √2 √2
2
2π 2
1−ρ 2π 2 2π 2

2
1−ρ 2 2
= ∫ dφ ∫ ρdρ ∫ dz = ∫ dφ ∫ ρdρ ⋅ [ z| 2
] = ∫ dφ ∫ ρ (1 − ρ − ρ ) dρ
ρ

0 0 2 0 0 0 0
ρ

√2 2 4
√2 √2 √2
2
2 ⎡ ( ) ( ) ⎤
⎡ ρ
4
∣
2 ⎤
2ρ 2 2
3
= 2π ∫ (ρ − 2ρ ) dρ = 2π ⎢ ( − )∣ ⎥ = 2π ⎢ − ⎥
⎢ ⎥
2 4 ∣ 2 2
⎣ 0 ⎦
0 ⎣ ⎦

1 1 π
= π( − ) = .
2 4 4

Example 6.
Calculate the volume of the ellipsoid
2 2 2
x y z
+ + = 1.
2 2 2
a b c

Solution.
It is easier to calculate the volume of the ellipsoid using generalized spherical coordinates. Let

x = aρ cos φ sin θ, y = bρ sin φ sin θ, z = cρ cos θ.

Since the absolute value of the Jacobian for transformation of Cartesian coordinates into generalized spherical coordinates
is 2
2
|I | = abcρ sin θ,

hence,
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 2
dxdydz = abcρ sin θdρdφdθ.

The volume of the ellipsoid is expressed through the triple integral:

2
V = ∭ dxdydz = ∭ abcρ sin θdρdφdθ.

′
U U

1
By symmetry, we can find the volume of part of the ellipsoid lying in the first octant (x ≥ 0, y ≥ 0, z ≥ 0) and then
8

multiply the result by 8. The generalized spherical coordinates will range within the limits:

π π
0 ≤ ρ ≤ 1, 0 ≤ φ ≤ , 0 ≤ θ ≤ .
2 2

Then the volume of the ellipsoid is

π π π

2 1 2 2 1

2 2 2
V = ∭ abcρ sin θdρdφdθ = 8abc ∫ dφ ∫ ρ dρ ∫ sin θdθ = 8abc ∫ dφ ∫ ρ dρ⋅

′
U 0 0 0 0 0

π π

2 1 2 1
π
π
2 2 2
[ (− cos θ)| ] = 8abc ∫ dφ ∫ ρ dρ⋅(− cos + cos 0) = 8abc ∫ dφ ∫ ρ dρ
0
2
0 0 0 0

π π

2 2
3 1 π
ρ ∣ 8abc 8abc 8abc π 4
2
= 8abc ∫ dφ ⋅ [ ( )∣ ] = ∫ dφ = ⋅ [ φ| ] = ⋅ = πabc.
0
3 ∣ 3 3 3 2 3
0
0 0

2
Example 7.
Find the volume of the solid bounded by the sphere x 2
+ y
2
+ z
2
= 6 and the paraboloid x 2
+ y
2
= z.

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Solution.
We first determine the curve of intersection of these surfaces. Substituting the equation of the paraboloid into the equation
of the sphere, we find:

2 2
z + z = 6, ⇒ z + z − 6 = 0,

−1 ± 5
⇒ z1,2 = = 2; −3.
2

The second root z 2 = −3 corresponds to intersection of the sphere with the lower shell of the paraboloid. So we do not
consider this case. Thus, intersection of the solids happens at z = 2. Obviously, the projection of the region of integration
on the xy-plane is the circle (Figure 8) defined by the equation x 2
+ y
2
= 2.

The region of integration is bounded from above by the spherical surface, and from below by the paraboloid (Figure 9). The
volume of the solid region is expressed by the integral

V = ∭ dxdydz

√2 √2−x2 √6−x2 −y 2

= ∫ dx ∫ dy ∫ dz.

2 2
− √2 0 x +y
 Figure 8.

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Figure 9.
 It is convenient to convert the integral to cylindrical coordinates:

2π √2 √6−ρ2

V = ∫ dφ ∫ ρdρ ∫ dz,

0 0 2
ρ

where ρ 2
= x
2
+ y
2
and the integral includes the Jacobian ρ. As a result, we have:

2π √2 √6−ρ2 2π √2 2π √2

√6−ρ2
2 2
V = ∫ dφ ∫ ρdρ ∫ dz = ∫ dφ ∫ ρdρ ⋅ [ z| 2
] = ∫ dφ ∫ ρ (√ 6 − ρ − ρ ) dρ
ρ

0 0 2 0 0 0 0
ρ

√2 √2

2 2 2 2 2
= 2π ∫ ρ (√ 6 − ρ − ρ ) dρ = π ∫ (√ 6 − ρ − ρ ) dρ .

0 0

We change the variable: ρ 2

= t . Here t = 0 when ρ = 0, and, respectively, t = 2 when ρ = √2.

Now we can calculate the volume of the solid:

3 2
√2 2
⎡⎛ ∣ ⎤
2
2(6 − t) 2
t ⎞
2 2 2 ∣
V = π∫ (√ 6 − ρ − ρ ) dρ = π∫ (√6 − t − t) dt = π ⎢ − − ⎥
∣
3 2 ⎠
⎣⎝ ∣ ⎦
0 0 0

3 3
2 2 16
2 2
= π [− (4 − 6 ) − 2] = π [ (6√6 − 8) − 2] = π (4√6 − − 2)
3 3 3

= 2π (
6√6 − 11
). 2
3

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Example 8.
 Calculate the volume of the solid bounded by the paraboloid z = 2 − x
2
− y
2
and the conic surface z = √x
2 2
+ y .

Figure 10.

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 Figure 11.

Solution.
First we investigate intersection of the two surfaces. By equating the coordinates z, we get the following equation:

2 2 2 2
2 − x − y = √x + y .

Let x 2
+ y
2 2
= t . Then

2 2
2
2 − t = t, ⇒ t + t − 2 = 0,

−1 ± 3
⇒ t1,2 = = −2; 1.
2

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Only the root t = 1 has the sense in the context of the given problem, i.e.
 2 2 2 2
z = √x + y = 1 or x + y = 1.

Thus, both the surfaces intersect at z = 1, and the intersection is a circle (Figure 10).

The region of integration is bounded from above by the paraboloid, and from below by the cone (Figure 11). To calculate the
volume of the solid we use cylindrical coordinates:

2 2 2 2 2
x + y = ρ , √x + y = ρ,

dxdydz = ρdρdφdz.

As a result, we find:
2
2π 1 2−ρ 2π 1

2
V = ∭ ρdρdφdz = ∫ dφ ∫ ρdρ ∫ dz = ∫ dφ ∫ ρdρ ⋅ (2 − ρ − ρ)

U 0 0 0 0 0

2π 1 2π 2π
1
4 3
ρ ρ ∣ 1 1
3 2 2
= ∫ dφ ∫ (2ρ − ρ − ρ ) dρ = ∫ dφ ⋅ [ (ρ − − )∣ ] = ∫ (1 − − ) dφ
4 3 ∣ 4 3
0
0 0 0 0

2π

5 5π
= ∫ dφ = .
12 6
0

2
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Problems 1-2 Problems 3-8

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Related Pages
 • Definition and Properties of Triple Integrals
• Triple Integrals in Cartesian Coordinates
• The Definite Integral and Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
• Geometric Applications of Double Integrals
• Geometric Applications of Line Integrals
• Geometric Applications of Surface Integrals

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