VECTOR CALCULUS

16.7
Surface Integrals

In this section, we will learn about:

Integration of different types of surfaces.
PARAMETRIC SURFACES

Suppose a surface S has a vector equation

r(u, v) = x(u, v) i + y(u, v) j + z(u, v) k

(u, v) D
PARAMETRIC SURFACES
•We first assume that the parameter
domain D is a rectangle and we divide
it into subrectangles Rij with dimensions
∆u and ∆v.
•Then, the surface S is divided into
corresponding patches Sij.
•We evaluate f at a point Pij* in each
patch, multiply by the area ∆Sij of the
patch, and form the Riemann sum

m n

 f ( P ) S
i 1 j 1
*
ij ij
SURFACE INTEGRAL Equation 1

Then, we take the limit as the number

of patches increases and define the surface
integral of f over the surface S as:
m n

 f ( x, y, z ) dS  lim
m , n 
 f ( P ) S
i 1 j 1
*
ij ij
S
 Analogues to: The definition of a line integral
(Definition 2 in Section 16.2);The definition of a double
integral (Definition 5 in Section 15.1)
 To evaluate the surface integral in Equation 1, we
approximate the patch area ∆Sij by the area of an
approximating parallelogram in the tangent plane.
SURFACE INTEGRALS

In our discussion of surface area in

Section 16.6, we made the approximation

∆Sij ≈ |ru x rv| ∆u ∆v

where:
x y z x y z
ru  i  j k rv  i  j  k
u u u v v v
are the tangent vectors at a corner of Sij.
SURFACE INTEGRALS Formula 2

If the components are continuous and ru and

rv are nonzero and nonparallel in the interior
of D, it can be shown from Definition 1—even
when D is not a rectangle—that:

 f ( x, y, z) dS   f (r(u, v)) | r  r | dA
S D
u v
SURFACE INTEGRALS

This should be compared with the formula

for a line integral:
b
C
f ( x, y, z ) ds   f (r(t )) | r '(t ) | dt
a

Observe also that:


S
1 dS   |
D
ru  rv | dA  A( S )
SURFACE INTEGRALS Example 1


2
Compute the surface integral x dS ,
where S is the unit sphere S

x2 + y2 + z2 = 1.
SURFACE INTEGRALS Example 1

As in Example 4 in Section 16.6,

we use the parametric representation

x = sin Φ cos θ, y = sin Φ sin θ, z = cos Φ

0 ≤ Φ ≤ π, 0 ≤ θ ≤ 2π
 That is,
r(Φ, θ) = sin Φ cos θ i + sin Φ sin θ j + cos Φ k
 we can compute: |rΦ x rθ| = sin Φ
SURFACE INTEGRALS Example 1

Therefore, by Formula 2,
 dS
2
x
S

  (sin  cos  ) 2 | r  r | dA
D
2 
  (sin 2  cos 2  sin  d d
0 0

2 
  cos  d  sin 3  d
2
0 0
2 
 1
2 (1  cos 2 ) d  (sin   sin  cos 2  ) d
0 0

  sin 2 0   cos   cos  
2
 1
2
1
2
1
3
3
0

4

3
APPLICATIONS

For example, suppose a thin sheet

(say, of aluminum foil) has:

 The shape of a surface S.

 The density (mass per unit area)

at the point (x, y, z) as ρ(x, y, z).
CENTER OF MASS

Then, the total mass of the sheet

is: m    ( x, y, z ) dS

 x, y , z 
S

The center of mass is:

1
x   x  ( x, y, z ) dS
m S
where y  1 y  ( x, y, z ) dS
m 
S

1
z   z  ( x, y, z ) dS
m S
GRAPHS

Any surface S with equation z = g(x, y)

can be regarded as a parametric surface
with parametric equations
x=x y=y z = g(x, y)

 So, we have:

 g   g 
rx  i    k ry  j    k
 x   y 
GRAPHS Equation 3
•Thus, r  r   g i  g j  k
x x
x y

2
 z   z 
2

and | rx  ry |       1
 x   y 

•Formula 2 becomes:
 f ( x, y, z ) dS
S

2
 z   z 
2

  f ( x, y, g ( x, y ))       1 dA
D  x   y 
GRAPHS Example 2

Evaluate  y dS where S is the surface

S
z = x + y2, 0 ≤ x ≤ 1, 0 ≤ y ≤ 2

z
 1
x
and
z
 2y
y
GRAPHS Example 2

So, Formula 4 gives:

2
 z   z 
2

S y dS  D y 1   x    y  dA
1 2
  y 1  1  4 y 2 dy dx
0 0
1 2
  dx 2  y 1  2 y dy 2
0 0

13 2
 2 
2
1 2
(1  2 y )2 3/ 2
 
4 3 0 3
GRAPHS

If S is a piecewise-smooth surface—a finite

union of smooth surfaces S1, S2, . . . , Sn that
intersect only along their boundaries—then
the surface integral of f over S is defined by:

 f ( x, y, z) dS
S

  f ( x, y, z ) dS     f ( x, y, z ) dS
S1 Sn
GRAPHS Example 3

Evaluate  , where S is
S
z dS
the surface whose:

 Sides S1 are given by the cylinder x2 + y2 = 1.

 Bottom S2 is the disk x2 + y2 ≤ 1 in the plane z = 0.

 Top S3 is the part of the plane z = 1 + x that

lies above S2.
GRAPHS Example 3

For S1, we use θ and z as parameters

(Example 5 in Section 16.6) and write its
parametric equations as:
x = cos θ
y = sin θ
z=z
where:
 0 ≤ θ ≤ 2π
 0 ≤ z ≤ 1 + x = 1 + cos θ
GRAPHS Example 3

Therefore,
i j k
r  rz   sin  cos  0  cos  i  sin  j
0 0 1

and
| r  rz | cos   sin   1
2 2
GRAPHS Example 3

Thus, the surface integral over S1 is:

 z dS   z | r  r
S1 D
z | dA

2 1 cos
  z dz d
0 0
2
 1
2 (1  cos  ) d 2
0
2
 1
2 0
1  2 cos   2 (1  cos 2 )  d
1

3
    2sin   sin 2  
1
2
3
2
1
4
2
0
2
GRAPHS Example 3

Since S2 lies in the plane z = 0,

we have:


S2
z dS

  0 dS
S2

0
GRAPHS Example 3

S3 lies above the unit disk D and is

part of the plane z = 1 + x.

 So, taking
g(x, y) = 1 + x
in Formula 4
and converting to
polar coordinates,
we have the following
result.
GRAPHS Example 3
2
 z   z 
2

S z dS D (1  x) 1   x    y  dA
3

2 1
  (1  r cos ) 1  1  0 r dr d
0 0
2 1
 2   (r  r cos  ) dr d
2
0 0

2    cos   d
2
 1
2
1
3
0
2
 sin  
 2    2
2 3 0
GRAPHS Example 3

Therefore,

 z dS   z dS   z dS   z dS
S S1 S2 S3

3
 0 2
2
  3
2 
 2 
SURFACE INTEGRALS OF VECTOR FIELDS

Suppose that S is an oriented surface with

unit normal vector n.
Then, imagine a fluid with density ρ(x, y, z)
and velocity field v(x, y, z) flowing through S.

 Think of S as an imaginary surface that doesn’t

impede the fluid flow—like a fishing net across
a stream.

Then, the rate of flow (mass per unit time) per

unit area is ρv.
SURFACE INTEGRALS OF VECTOR FIELDS

If we divide S into small patches Sij ,

then Sij is nearly planar.
SURFACE INTEGRALS OF VECTOR FIELDS

So, we can approximate the mass of fluid

crossing Sij in the direction of the normal n
per unit time by the quantity
(ρv · n)A(Sij)
where ρ, v, and n are
evaluated at some point on Sij.
 Recall that the component of the vector ρv
in the direction of the unit vector n is ρv · n.
VECTOR FIELDS Equation 7

Summing these quantities and taking the limit,

we get, according to Definition 1, the surface
integral of the function ρv · n over S:

  v  n dS
S

   ( x, y, z ) v( x, y, z )  n( x, y, z ) dS
S

 This is interpreted physically as the rate of flow

through S.
VECTOR FIELDS

If we write F = ρv, then F is also a vector

field on R3. Then, the integral in Equation 7
becomes:

S
F  n dS

A surface integral of this form occurs

frequently in physics—even when F is not ρv.
It is called the surface integral (or flux integral)
of F over S.
FLUX INTEGRAL Definition 8

If F is a continuous vector field defined

on an oriented surface S with unit normal
vector n, then the surface integral of F over S
is:

S
F  dS   F
S
 n dS

 This integral is also called

the flux of F across S.
FLUX INTEGRAL

If S is given by a vector function r(u, v),

then n is given by Equation 6.
 Then, from Definition 8 and Equation 2,
we have (D is the parameters’ domain):
ru  rv
S F  dS  S F  ru  rv dS
 ru  rv 
  F(r (u, v))   ru  rv dA
D 
ru  rv 

 So,

S
F  dS   F  (ru 
D
rv ) dA
FLUX INTEGRALS Example 4

•Find the flux of the vector field

F(x, y, z) = z i + y j + x k
across the unit sphere :x2 + y2 + z2 = 1
•Using the parametric representation:
r(Φ, θ) = sin Φ cos θ i + sin Φ sin θ j + cos Φ k

0≤Φ≤π 0 ≤ θ ≤ 2π
F(r(Φ, θ)) = cos Φ i + sin Φ sin θ j + sin Φ cos θ k
FLUX INTEGRALS Example 4
From Example 10 in Section 16.6,
rΦ x rθ = sin2 Φ cos θ i + sin2 Φ sin θ j + sin Φ cos Φ k

Therefore, F(r(Φ, θ)) · (rΦ x rθ) = cos Φ sin2 Φ

cos θ + sin3 Φ sin2 θ + sin2 Φ cos Φ cos θ
Then, by Formula 9, the flux is:
 F  dS
S

  F  (r  r ) dA
D
2 
  (2sin 2  cos  cos   sin 3  sin 2  ) d d
0 0
FLUX INTEGRALS Example 4
 2
 2 sin  cos  d  cos  d
2
0 0
 2
  sin  d  sin  d
3 2
0 0
 2
 0   sin  d  sin  d
3 2
0 0

4

3
 This is by the same calculation as in Example 1.
FLUX INTEGRALS

The figure shows the vector field F in

Example 4 at points on the unit sphere.
VECTOR FIELDS

If, for instance, the vector field in Example 4

is a velocity field describing the flow of a fluid
with density 1, then the answer, 4π/3,
represents:

 The rate of flow through the unit sphere

in units of mass per unit time.
VECTOR FIELDS

In the case of a surface S given by a graph

z = g(x, y), we can think of x and y as
parameters and use Equation 3 to write:

 g g 
F  (rx  ry )  ( P i  Q j  R k )    i  j k 
 x y 
VECTOR FIELDS Formula 10

Thus, Formula 9 becomes:

 g g 
S F  dS  D   P x  Q y  R  dA

 This formula assumes the upward orientation of S.

 For a downward orientation, we multiply by –1.
VECTOR FIELDS Example 5

Evaluate

S
F  dS
where:

 F(x, y, z) = y i + x j + z k
 S is the boundary of the solid region E
enclosed by the paraboloid z = 1 – x2 – y2
and the plane z = 0.
VECTOR FIELDS Example 5

S consists of:
 A parabolic top surface S1.
 A circular bottom surface S2.
VECTOR FIELDS Example 5

Since S is a closed surface, we use the

convention of positive (outward) orientation.

 This means that S1 is oriented upward.

 So, we can use Equation 10 with D being

the projection of S1 on the xy-plane, namely,
the disk x2 + y2 ≤ 1.
VECTOR FIELDS Example 5

On S1,
P(x, y, z) = y
Q(x, y, z) = x
R(x, y, z) = z = 1 – x2 – y2
Also,
g g
  2x  2 y
x y
VECTOR FIELDS Example 5

So, we have:

 F  dS
S1

 g g 
    P  Q  R  dA
D 
x y 
  [ y (2 x)  x(2 y )  1  x 2  y 2 ] dA
D

  (1  4 xy  x 2  y 2 ) dA
D
VECTOR FIELDS Example 5
2 1
  (1  4r
2
cos  sin   r ) r dr d
2
0 0
2 1
  (r  r
3
 4r cos  sin  ) dr d
3
0 0
2
  ( cos  sin  ) d
1
4
0

 14 (2 )  0


2
VECTOR FIELDS Example 5

The disk S2 is oriented downward.

So, its unit normal vector is n = –k
and we have:

 F  dS   F  (k ) dS   ( z) dA
S2 S2 D

  0 dA  0
D

since z = 0 on S2.
VECTOR FIELDS Example 5

Finally, we compute, by definition,

 F  dS
as the sum of the surface integrals S
of F over the pieces S1 and S2:

 F  dS   F  dS   F  dS
S S1 S2

 
 0
2 2
APPLICATIONS

Although we motivated the surface integral

of a vector field using the example of fluid
flow, this concept also arises in other physical
situations.
ELECTRIC FLUX

For instance, if E is an electric field

(Example 5 in Section 16.1), the surface
integral

S
E  dS

is called the electric flux of E through

the surface S.
GAUSS’S LAW Equation 11

One of the important laws of electrostatics is

Gauss’s Law, which says that the net charge
enclosed by a closed surface S is:

Q   0  E  dS
S

where ε0 is a constant (called the permittivity

of free space) that depends on the units used.
 In the SI system, ε0 ≈ 8.8542 x 10–12 C2/N · m2
GAUSS’S LAW

Thus, if the vector field F in Example 4

represents an electric field, we can conclude
that the charge enclosed by S is:

Q = 4πε0/3
HEAT FLOW

Another application occurs in

the study of heat flow.

 Suppose the temperature at a point (x, y, z)

in a body is u(x, y, z).
HEAT FLOW

•Then, the heat flow is defined as

the vector field F = –K ∇u
where K is an experimentally determined
constant called the conductivity of the
substance.
•Then, the rate of heat flow across
the surface S in the body is given by
the surface integral  F  dS   K  u  dS
S S