Riemann sum 

is a certain kind of approximation of an integral by a finite sum. It is named after nineteenth century
German mathematician Bernhard Riemann. One very common application is approximating the area of functions or
lines on a graph, but also the length of curves and other approximations.

The sum is calculated by partitioning the region into shapes (rectangles, trapezoids, parabolas, or cubics) that
together form a region that is similar to the region being measured, then calculating the area for each of these
shapes, and finally adding all of these small areas together. This approach can be used to find a numerical
approximation for a definite integral even if the fundamental theorem of calculus does not make it easy to find
a closed-form solution.

Because the region filled by the small shapes is usually not exactly the same shape as the region being measured, the
Riemann sum will differ from the area being measured. This error can be reduced by dividing up the region more
finely, using smaller and smaller shapes. As the shapes get smaller and smaller, the sum approaches the Riemann
integral.

Example 1

Estimate the area under f(x)=x2 on the interval [0,10] using the midpoint Riemann Sum for n=5.

Solution

We partition the interval [0,10] into 5 equal subintervals with endpoints

xi={0,2,4,6,8,10}.

The midpoints ξi of the subintervals have the coordinates:

Hence, the midpoint Riemann Sum is given by

where Δx=2 is the width of each subinterval.

Calculating the values of  we find the approximate value of the area:

Example 2

Use the Right Riemann Sum with n=5 to approximate the integral I

Solution.

The partition points are −1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, so the right endpoints of the subintervals are

The Right Riemann Sum is given by

Example 3

Use the Left Riemann Sum with n=5 to approximate the integral 

Solution

The partition points are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Hence, the left endpoints of the subintervals are

The Left Riemann Sum with n=5 is defined as