1.

MINIMAL SURFACEs
A minimal surface is a surface that locally minimizes its area. Minimal surfaces are defined as
surfaces with zero mean curvature, , where 𝑘1, 𝑘2 are principal curvatures. Or

H=
| g11 g 22
1 −b 11 b22 | −2 g 12 b12

2 g 11 g22 −g122
The term "minimal surface" is used because these surfaces originally arose as surfaces that
minimized total surface area subject to some constraint.
Main properties:
On a minimal surface, the curvature along the principal curvature planes are equal and
opposite at every point. This makes the mean curvature zero.

Minimal surfaces are defined as surfaces with zero mean curvature. A minimal surface

parametrized as 𝑟⃗ = 𝑟⃗(u, v)=(u, v, h

therefore satisfies Lagrange's equation,

Finding a minimal surface of a boundary with specified constraints is a problem in the calculus
of variations and is sometimes known as Plateau's problem. Minimal surfaces may also be
characterized as surfaces of minimal surface area for given boundary conditions.
The plane, the catenoid, the helicoid, and Scherk's doubly periodic surface are examples of
complete embedded minimal surfaces.

Fig.1.3 Scherk’s doubly periodic surface

Figure1.1:Catenoid. Fig.1.2 Helicoid

The special properties of the minimal surfaces were used in various fields from nanotechnology
(the branch of technology that deals with dimensions and tolerances of less than 100 nanometers,
especially the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules.) to architecture, leading to very
interesting applications such as the light roof tensile structures in the case of Frei Otto, for
which he used physical models and soap films as a form-finding tool.

2) Surface of revolution.
A surface of revolution is a surface generated by rotating a two dimensional curve about an
axis. The resulting surface therefore always has azimuthal symmetry. Examples of surface
revolution include:
 Fig.2.1Apple surface Fig.2.3 cylinder
Fig.2.2 cone

Fig.2.4 Hyperboloid of one sheet Fig2.5 Hyperboloid of two sheet

Fig.2.6. Frustrum cone

Fig.2.7 torus Fig.2.8 paraboloid Fig.2.9 spheroid

The area element of the surface of revolution obtained by rotating the curve 𝒚 = 𝒇(𝒙) > 𝟎
From 𝒙 = 𝒂 to 𝒙 = 𝒃 about the x-axis is 𝒅𝑺𝑿 = 𝟐𝝅𝒚𝒅𝒔
,
so the surface area is:

dx

dx
If the curve is instead specified parametrically by (𝒙(𝒕), 𝒚(𝒕)), the surface area obtained by
rotating the curve about the x-axis for if 𝒕 ∈ [𝒂, 𝒃] if 𝒙(𝒕) > 𝟎 in this interval is given by

Similarly, the area of the surface of revolution obtained by rotating the curve 𝒙
= 𝒈(𝒚) > 𝟎 from 𝒚 = 𝒄 to 𝒚 = 𝒅 about the y-axis is given by

If the curve is instead specified parametrically by (𝑥(𝑡), 𝑦(𝑡)), the surface area obtained by
rotating the curve about the y-axis for 𝑡 ∈ [𝑐, 𝑑] if 𝑦(𝑡) > 0 in this interval is given by

The sections of the surface of revolution made by planes through the axis are called meridional
sections. Any meridional section can be considered to be the generatrix in the plane determined
by it and the axis.
The sections of the surface of revolution made by planes that are perpendicular to the axis are
circles. Some special cases of hyperboloids (of either one or two sheets) and elliptic
paraboloids are surfaces of revolution. These may be identified as those quadratic surfaces all
of whose cross sections perpendicular to the axis are circular.
Applications. The use of surfaces of revolution is essential in many fields in physics and
engineering. When certain objects are designed digitally, revolutions like these can be used to
determine surface area without the use of measuring the length and radius of the object being
designed.

Reference
1. Anton, H. Calculus: A New Horizon, 6th ed. New York: Wiley, 1999.
2. Apostol, T. M. Calculus, 2nd ed., Vol. 2: Multi-Variable Calculus and Linear Algebra, with
Applications to Differential Equations and Probability. Waltham, MA: Blaisdell, 1969.
3. Gray, A. "Surfaces of Revolution." Ch. 20 in Modern Differential Geometry of Curves and
Surfaces with Mathematica, 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, pp. 457-480, 1997.
4. Hilbert, D. and Cohn-Vossen, S. "The Cylinder, the Cone, the Conic Sections, and Their
Surfaces of Revolution." §2 in Geometry and the Imagination. New York: Chelsea, pp. 7-
11, 1999.
5. Kaplan, W. Advanced Calculus, 3rd ed. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1992.Kreyszig, E.
Differential Geometry. New York: Dover, p. 131, 1991.