Chapter : Applications of

Definite Integrals
Section : Volumes by Slicing
and Rotation About an Axis
Create a model of a 3-
dimensional solid illustrating
slices of cross section
accumulating to form volume
Warm up: write the formula
for a circle with center (0,0)
and radius 3.

1
 What you’ll learn about
• Volumes As an Integral
• Volume by Method of Slicing

…and why
The techniques of this section allow us to compute
volumes of certain solids in three dimensions.

2
Volume of the bread:

V   A( x )  x
k k

3
 Volume of a Solid

The definition of a solid of known integrable cross section

area A( x ) from x  a to x  b is the integral of A( x )dx from a to b,
V   A( x )dx.
b

4
 Volumes
To find the volume of a solid S:
• Divide S into n “slabs” of equal width Δx (think of slicing a loaf of bread)
• Approximate the ith slab by a cylinder with base area A(xi) and “height” Δx. The
volume of the cylinder is A(xi)Δx
• the sum of the cylinder areas is a good approximation for the volume of the solid
• the approximation is getting better as n→∞.

Let S be a solid that lies between x=a and x=b. If the cross-sectional area of S in
the plane Px , perpendicular to the x-axis, is A(x), where A is an integrable
n
function, then the volume of S is b
lim  A( x )x  
*
V i i A( x)dx
a 5
max xi 0 i 1
A 45o wedge is cut from a cylinder of radius 3 as shown.
Find the volume of the wedge.

You could slice this

y wedge shape several
x ways, but the simplest
cross section is a
rectangle.

If we let h equal the height of the slice then the volume of

the slice is:

V  x   2 y  h  dx
6

 y V  x   2 y  h  dx
x

We want to write V(x) in terms of x.

Write h in terms of x:
h
Since the wedge is cut at a 45o angle: 45o hx
x
Write y in terms of x:
2
Since
2 2
x  y 9 y  9 x

7

 Dimensions of the
x y  9 x 2
rectangle
h 2y
0.5 2.958 0.5 5.916
1.0 2.828 1.0 5.657
1.5 2.598 1.5 5.196
2.0 2.236 2.0 4.472
2.5 1.658 2.5 3.317
2.9 0.768 2.9 1.536

8
Now compute the volume of the wedge:

9
 Even though we
y started with a
x cylinder,  does not
enter the
calculation!

V  x   2 9  x 2  x  dx
3 V  x   2 y  h udx 9  x 2 u 0   9
V  2 x 9  x 2 dx du  2 x dx u 3  0 h  x
0

1 3 9
0 2 2
V    u du 2  u 2  x 2  18
y  9 27
9 3 0
3 10

 Method of Slicing:

1 Sketch the solid and a typical cross section.

2 Find a formula for V(x).

(Note that I used V(x) instead of A(x).)

3 Find the limits of integration.

4 Integrate V(x) to find volume.

11

 Example Other Cross
Sections
A solid is made so that its base is the shape of the region between
the x-axis and one arch of the curve y  2sin x. Each cross section
cut perpendicular to the x-axis is a semicircle whose diameter
runs from the x-axis to the curve. Find the volume of the solid.

12
Volume of a slice:
dx
1 2
V ( x )   r dx r
2
Write r in terms of x:

1 1
r  d   2sin x   sin x
2 2
Substitute into volume equation:
1
V ( x )   sin xdx
2

2
Integrate to find the volume:
13
Integrate to find the volume:
1  2 The Pythagorean identity will
V    sin xdx not be helpful here, so let’s
2 0
use: cos 2 x  1  2sin 2 x
 1  cos 2 x
 1  cos 2 x 2
sin x 
V  dx 2
20 2
 
   Let u = 2x
V    dx   cos 2 xdx 
40 0  then du = 2dx
1
and du  dx
  2
  1 
V    dx   cos u  du 
40 0
2 
14
>
  
 1 
V    dx   cos u  du 
40 0
2 
0 0
   1   

1 
V   x 0   sin 2 x   
    sin 2  sin 0 
4  2 0  4 2 


V  
4

2 3
V in
4
15
Chapter 6: Applications of
Definite Integrals
Section 6.1: Volumes by
Slicing and Rotation About an
Axis
Calculate the volume of a solid
of variable cross-sectional area
(disk method).

Warm up: Give a formula for

the area of the plane region in
terms of x:
1. a square with side length x.
2. a semicircle of radius x.
3. a semicircle of diameter x.
16
4. an equilateral triangle with sides of length x.
y x Suppose I start with this curve.

My boss at the ACME Rocket

Company has assigned me to
build a nose cone in this shape.

So I put a piece of wood in a

lathe and turn it to a shape to
match the curve.

17

 How could we find the volume
y x of the cone?
One way would be to cut it into a
series of thin slices (flat cylinders)
and add their volumes.
The volume of each flat
cylinder (disk) is:
 r 2  the thickness

 x
2
 dx
In this case:
r= the y value of the function
thickness = a small change
in x = dx 18

 The volume of each flat
y x cylinder (disk) is:
 r 2  the thickness

 x
2
 dx

If we add the volumes, we get:

   x
4 2
dx
0

4
   x dx
0

4
 2
 x  8
2 0
19

 1
The region between the curve x  y , 1  y  4 and the

y-axis is revolved about the y-axis. Find the volume.

We use a horizontal disk.

y x
The thickness is dy.
1 1
1 The radius is the x value of the
2 2
 .707 dy
function 
1
.
1 y
3 3
 .577
2
 1 
4 4 1
1
V   dy   dy
4 2 1  y  1 y
 
volume of disk
0
  ln y 1    ln 4  ln1   ln 2  2 ln 220
4 2


 y The natural draft cooling tower shown at
left is about 500 feet high and its shape
500 ft can be approximated by the graph of this
equation revolved about the y-axis:

x  .000574 y 2  .439 y  185

x

The volume can be calculated using the disk method with a horizontal disk.

.000574 y  .439 y  185  dy  24, 700, 000 ft 3

500 2
 2
0 21

 This application of the method of slicing is called the
disk method. The shape of the slice is a disk, so we
use the formula for the area of a circle to find the
volume of the disk.

If the shape is rotated about a horizontal axis, then the formula is:
b
b
V   A( x )dx   r ( x ) dx
2
a
a

A shape rotated about a vertical axis would be:

b
b
V   A( y )dy   r ( y ) 2 dy
a
a
22

Chapter 6: Applications of
Definite Integrals
Section 6.1: Volumes by
Slicing and Rotation About an
Axis
Calculate the volume of a solid
of revolution that has a hole in
it. (washer method)

Warm up:
Give a formula for the area of the
plane region in terms of x.
1. a "washer" that has an outer radius of 3x and
23
an inner radius of x.
 This application of the method of slicing is called the
washer method. The shape of the slice is a circle
with a hole in it, so we subtract the area of the inner
circle from the area of the outer circle.

V     R 2  r 2  dx
b
The washer method formula is:
a

24

 The region bounded by
y  2x y  x 2 and y  2 x is
revolved about the y-axis.
y  x2 Find the volume.
If we use a horizontal slice:
y  x2 y  2x
The “disk” now has a hole in
y it, making it a “washer”.
yx x
2
The volume of the washer is:  R   r   thickness
2 2

2
  y 
 y
2
  R  r  dy
4
V      dy 2 2
0  2
 
 4 1 2 outer inner
V     y  y  dy radius radius
0
 4 
4
4 1 2 1 1   16  8
V  y  y dy    y 2  y3    8    25
0 4 2 12  0  3 3 
 y  x2
If the same region is
y  2x
rotated about the line x=2:
The outer radius is:
y
R  2
2
r The inner radius is:
y  x2 y  2x R
r  2 y
y
yx x 4 y2
2    4  2 y   4  4 y  y dy
4
0 4
V    R 2  r 2 dy 4 1 2 1
0
   3 y  y  4 y 2 dy
y
2 0 4

  dy
4 2
  2   2 y 3 4
0
 2  3 2 1 3 8 
    y  y  y  2

 y2   2 12 3 0
 
4
    4  2 y    4  4 y  y dy  16 64  8
0
 4      24     26
 3 3 3 
 5
Find the volume
1 4   y of the 4region
1 dy 
2
bounded by y  x  1 , x  2 ,
5
and y  0  revolved
5  y dy  4about
 the y-
y  x2  1 1
axis.
5
 1 
 5 y  y 2   4
 2 1

We can use the washer method ifwe split

25  itinto1 two
  parts:
  25     5     4
y 1  x 2
x  y 1  2   2 

 25 9 
 
5 2
 2 2
y  1 dy    2 12
     4
1  2 2
inner cylinder
outer 16
radius   4
radius 2
thickness
of slice 8  4  12 27

 Volumes of Solids of Revolution
The solids we considered are examples of solids of revolution because
they are obtained by revolving a region about a line. In general, we
calculate the volume of a solid of revolution by using the basic defining
formula
b d
V   A( x)dx or V   A( y )dy
a c

and we find the cross-sectional area A(x) or A(y) in one of the following
ways:
• If the cross-section is a disk, we find the radius of the disk (in terms of
x or y) and use
A = π(radius)2
• If the cross-section is a washer, we find the inner radius rin and outer
radius rout and compute the area of the washer by subtracting the area of
the inner disk from the area of the outer disk:
28
A = π(outer radius)2 - π(inner radius)2