8

FURTHER APPLICATIONS
OF INTEGRATION
FURTHER APPLICATIONS OF INTEGRATION

8.2
Area of a Surface
of Revolution

In this section, we will learn about:

The area of a surface curved out by a revolving arc.
SURFACE OF REVOLUTION

A surface of revolution is formed when

a curve is rotated about a line.

 Such a surface is the lateral boundary of a solid

of revolution of the type discussed in Sections 6.2
and 6.3
AREA OF A SURFACE OF REVOLUTION

We want to define the area of a surface

of revolution in such a way that it corresponds
to our intuition.

 If the surface area is A, we can imagine that

painting the surface would require the same
amount of paint as does a flat region with area A .
AREA OF A SURFACE OF REVOLUTION

Let’s start with some

simple surfaces.
CIRCULAR CYLINDERS

The lateral surface area of a circular cylinder

with radius r and height h is taken to be:
A = 2πrh
 We can imagine
cutting the cylinder
and unrolling it to
obtain a rectangle
with dimensions of
2πrh and h.
CIRCULAR CONES

We can take a circular cone with base radius r

and slant height l, cut it along the dashed line
as shown, and flatten it to form a sector of a
circle with radius and central angle θ = 2πr/l.
CIRCULAR CONES

We know that, in general, the area

of a sector of a circle with radius l and
angle θ is ½ l2 θ.
CIRCULAR CONES

So, the area is:

 2 r 
A l   l 
1 2
2    rl
1 2
2
 l 

 Thus, we define the lateral surface area

of a cone to be A = πrl.
AREA OF A SURFACE OF REVOLUTION

What about more

complicated surfaces of
revolution?
AREA OF A SURFACE OF REVOLUTION

If we follow the strategy we used with arc

length, we can approximate the original curve
by a polygon.

 When this is rotated about an axis, it creates

a simpler surface whose surface area approximates
the actual surface area.

 By taking a limit, we can determine the exact

surface area.
BANDS

Then, the approximating surface consists

of a number of bands—each formed by
rotating a line segment about an axis.
BANDS

To find the surface area, each of these

bands can be considered a portion of
a circular cone.
BANDS Equation 1

The area of the band (or frustum of a cone)

with slant height l and upper and lower radii r1
and r2 is found by
subtracting the areas of
two cones:
A   r (l1  l )   r1l1
  (r2  r1 )l1  r2l 
BANDS

From similar triangles, we have: l l1  l

1

r1 r2
This gives:

r2l1  r1l1  r1l

or
(r2  r1 )l1  r1l
BANDS Formula 2

Putting this in Equation 1, we get

A   (r1l  r2l )

or A  2 rl

where r = ½(r1 + r2) is the average radius of

the band.
AREA OF A SURFACE OF REVOLUTION

Now, we apply this formula

to our strategy.
SURFACE AREA

Consider the surface shown here.

 It is obtained by rotating the curve y = f(x), a ≤ x ≤ b,
about the x-axis, where f is positive and has
a continuous derivative.
SURFACE AREA

To define its surface area, we divide

the interval [a, b] into n subintervals with
endpoints x0, x1, . . . , xn and equal width Δx,
as we did in determining arc length.
SURFACE AREA

If yi = f(xi), then the point Pi(xi, yi) lies

on the curve.
 The part of the surface between xi–1 and xi
is approximated by taking the line segment Pi–1 Pi
and rotating it about the x-axis.
SURFACE AREA

The result is a band with

slant height l = | Pi–1Pi |
and average radius r = ½(yi–1 + yi).

 So, by Formula 2, its surface area is:

yi 1  yi
2 | Pi 1 Pi |
2
SURFACE AREA

As in the proof of Theorem 2 in Section 8.1,

we have

Pi 1 Pi  1   f '( x*)  x
2

where xi* is some number in [xi–1, xi].

SURFACE AREA

When Δx is small, we have yi = f(xi) ≈ f(xi*)

and yi–1 = f(xi–1) ≈ f(xi*), since f is continuous.

Therefore,
yi 1  yi * 2
2 Pi 1 Pi  2 f ( xi ) 1   f '( xi )  x
*

2
SURFACE AREA Formula 3

Thus, an approximation to what we think

of as the area of the complete surface of
revolution is:

 2 f ( x
2
i
*
) 1   f '( xi )  x
*

i 1
SURFACE AREA

The approximation appears to

become better as n → ∞.
SURFACE AREA

Then, recognizing Formula 3 as a Riemann

sum for the function g ( x)  2 f ( x) 1   f '( x) 
2

we have:

n
lim  2 f ( xi ) 1   f '( xi )  x
* * 2

n 
i 1

  2 f ( x) 1   f '( x)  dx
b 2
a
SURFACE AREA—DEFINITION Formula 4

Thus, in the case where f is positive and has

a continuous derivative, we define the surface
area of the surface obtained by rotating the
curve y = f(x), a ≤ x≤ b, about the x-axis as:

S   2 f ( x) 1   f '( x)  dx
b 2
a
SURFACE AREA Formula 5

With the Leibniz notation for derivatives,

this formula becomes:

2
b  dy 
S   2 y 1    dx
a
 dx 
SURFACE AREA Formula 6

If the curve is described as x = g(y),

c ≤ y ≤ d, then the formula for surface area
becomes:

2
d  dx 
S 2 y 1    dx
c
 dy 
SURFACE AREA Formula 7

Then, both Formulas 5 and 6 can be

summarized symbolically—using the notation
for arc length given in Section 8.1—as:

S   2 y ds
SURFACE AREA Formula 8

For rotation about the y-axis, the formula

becomes:
S   2 x ds

 Here, as before, we can use either

2 2
 dy   dx 
ds  1    dx or ds  1    dy
 dx   dy 
SURFACE AREA—FORMULAS

You can remember

these formulas in the following
ways.
SURFACE AREA—FORMULAS

Think of 2πy as the circumference of a circle

traced out by the point (x, y) on the curve as
it is rotated about the x-axis.
SURFACE AREA—FORMULAS

Think of 2πx s the circumference of a circle

traced out by the point (x, y) on the curve as
it is rotated about the y-axis.
SURFACE AREA Example 1

The curve y  4  x , –1 ≤ x ≤ 1, is an arc

2

of the circle x2 + y2 = 4 .
Find the area of the surface
obtained by rotating this
arc about the x-axis.

 The surface is a portion of

a sphere of radius 2.
SURFACE AREA Example 1

We have:

dy 1 2 1 2
 2 (4  x ) (2 x)
dx
x

4 x 2
SURFACE AREA Example 1

So, by Formula 5, the surface area is:

2
1  dy 
S   2 y 1    dx
1
 dx 
1 x2
 2  4  x2 1 dx
1 4 x 2

1 2
 2  4  x2 dx
1
4  x2
1
 4  1 dx  4 (2)  8
1
SURFACE AREA Example 2

The arc of the parabola y = x2 from (1, 1)

to (2, 4) is rotated about the y-axis.

Find the area of

the resulting surface.
SURFACE AREA E. g. 2—Solution 1

Using y = x2 and dy/dx = 2x,

from Formula 8, we have:

S   2 x ds
2
2  dy 
 2 x 1    dx
1
 dx 
2
 2  x 1  4 x dx
2
1
SURFACE AREA E. g. 2—Solution 1

Substituting u = 1 + 4x2, we have du = 8x dx.

Remembering to change the limits

of integration, we have:

 17  3 2 17

4 5
S u du   u 
2
3
4 5


 (17 17  5 5)
6
SURFACE AREA E. g. 2—Solution 2

Using
y 1
x= and dx/dy = 2 y,

we have the following solution.

SURFACE AREA E. g. 2—Solution 2
2
4  dx 
S   2 xds   2 x 1    dy
1
 dy 
4 1
 2  y 1  dy
1 4y
4
 4 y  1dy
1

 17

4
 udu (where u  1  4 y )
5


 (17 17  5 5)
6
SURFACE AREA Example 3

Find the area of the surface generated

by rotating the curve y = ex, 0 ≤ x ≤ 1,
about the x-axis.
SURFACE AREA Example 3

Using Formula 5 with y = ex and dy/dx = ex,

we have:
2
1  dy 
S   2 y 1    dx
0
 dx 
1
 2  e x
1  e dx
2x
0
e
 2  1  u du
2
(where u  e )
x
1
SURFACE AREA Example 3

 2  sec  d
3
(where u  tan  and   tan e) 1
 4


 2 sec  tan   ln sec   tan  
1
2 4
(E.g.8, Sec.7.2)

  sec  tan   ln sec   tan    2  ln  2 1 


SURFACE AREA Example 3

Since tan α = e , we have:

sec2α = 1 + tan α = 1 + e2

Thus,


 
S   e 1  e  ln e  1  e  2  ln

2 2
 
2 1 
