Surface Integrals: Solving Q6 & Q7

In summary: Hope you can read that ok.Only thing I can think of that I might not be doing is if I have to square z, as it's squared on the surface..?Only recently started vector calculus, and finding it pretty hard to get comfortable with. Really appreciating the advice, thanks a lot.No, you don't need to square z. Your answer is correct. My apologies for the confusion.In summary, the conversation involved two questions, Q6 and Q7, that required double integrals to solve. The conversation also included a discussion about the correct method for evaluating these integrals and some mistakes made in the process. The final answers for Q6 and Q7 were 7 and 2/
  • #1
HmBe
45
0
surface.png




Ok, so for Q6, I first said that

z = 3 - 3x - 1.5y

Using (∂z/∂x)^2 = 9, (∂z/∂y)^2 = 9/4

I then did a double integral of (x + y + (3 - 3x - 1.5y)) * sqrt(9 + 9/4 + 1) dA

Letting y and x be bounded below by 0 as stated, and x bounded above by 1 - 0.5y and y bounded above by 2, I went through the integral and got out 28.

Using pretty much the exact same method for Q7 I got the answer to be 2.

This is the first time attempting these sort of questions, really not sure if I'm doing it right. They only take a few minutes to do, so was hoping someone who was more confident in what they were doing could just check this for me, and let me know if I'm actually on the right track or not. Thanks a lot.
 
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  • #2
HmBe said:
surface.png

Ok, so for Q6, I first said that

z = 3 - 3x - 1.5y

Using (∂z/∂x)^2 = 9, (∂z/∂y)^2 = 9/4

I then did a double integral of (x + y + (3 - 3x - 1.5y)) * sqrt(9 + 9/4 + 1) dA

Letting y and x be bounded below by 0 as stated, and x bounded above by 1 - 0.5y and y bounded above by 2, I went through the integral and got out 28.
It sounds like you set it up correctly, but your final answer doesn't match what I got, which was 7.

Using pretty much the exact same method for Q7 I got the answer to be 2.
This is a different type of integral, so you can't use the exact same method to evaluate it. Show us your work in more detail.
 
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  • #3
Thanks a lot for the help.

Tried Q6 again, got the same answer, 28.

Q7 I did wrong, realized it's a different type of question and used a different method.

Put the coordinates into spherical polar coordinates, x=sinθcos∅ y=sinθsin∅ z=cosθ

dS=sinθdθd∅, and do the integral of F dot producted with the unit normal vector with respect to dS,

So got an integral of cosθsinθ, limits between 0 and pi/2 and 0 and pi, so got an answer of pi/2 out. That sound better?
 
  • #4
Here is a standard method for both scalar and vector surface integrals:
Write the surface in terms of two parameters, x= f(u,v), y= g(u,v), z= h(u,v).
(This is always possible because a surface is two dimensional.)

Hence write the "position vector" of any point on the surface
[tex]\vec{r}(u,v)= f(u,v)\vec{i}+ g(u,v)\vec{j}+ h(u,v)\vec{k}[/tex]

The two derivatives of that position vector
[tex]\vec{r}_u= f_u\vec{i}+ g_u\vec{j}+ h_u\vec{k}[/tex]
[tex]\vec{r}_v= f_v\vec{i}+ g_v\vec{j}+ h_v\vec{k}[/tex]
lie in the tangent plane to the surface at each point so their cross product
[itex]\vec{r}_u\times\vec{r}_v[/itex] is perpendicular to the surface and its length gives the "differential of surface area"

That is [itex]d\vec{S}= \vec{r}_u\times\vec{r}_v dudv[/itex] and

[itex]dS= \left|\vec{r}_u\times\vec{r}_v\right|dudv[/itex]
 
  • #5
Thanks, that's one of the methods I tried though, and I still got 28 for the first one.
 
  • #6
HmBe said:
Thanks a lot for the help.

Tried Q6 again, got the same answer, 28.
It doesn't really help to simply tell us the answer you got. All I can say is to try again.

Q7 I did wrong, realized it's a different type of question and used a different method.

Put the coordinates into spherical polar coordinates, x=sinθcos∅ y=sinθsin∅ z=cosθ

dS=sinθdθd∅, and do the integral of F dot producted with the unit normal vector with respect to dS,

So got an integral of cosθsinθ, limits between 0 and pi/2 and 0 and pi, so got an answer of pi/2 out. That sound better?
It's close, but not correct. What's the unit normal vector for ##d\vec{S}##?
 
  • #7
the Well, I tried (6) myself and got 3.

As for (7), as I said above, I would not calculate dS or the unit normal. To find dS, you calculate the "fundamental vector product", and multiply dudv by the length of that vector. To find the unit normal, you do the same thing and divide by its length. If you take that seriously, you divide and multiply by the same thing!

Instead, take
[tex]\vec{r}(\theta, \phi)= cos(\theta)sin(\phi)\vec{i}+ sin(\theta)sin(\phi)\vec{j}+ cos(\phi)\vec{k}[/tex]
find its "fundamental vector product" and multiply that by [itex]d\theta d\phi[/itex].

But it isn't really necessary to integrate at all! Note that for every point in the upper hemisphere, there exist a corresponding point on the lower hemisphere with the opposite sign on "z".
 
  • #8
HallsofIvy said:
the Well, I tried (6) myself and got 3.
Hmm, I got 7.

But it isn't really necessary to integrate at all! Note that for every point in the upper hemisphere, there exist a corresponding point on the lower hemisphere with the opposite sign on "z".
I just noticed the surface is only for y≥0 and z≥0, so the surface S is only a quarter of the sphere.
 
  • #9
Just realized I made a really dumb mistake, and multiplied everything by 4, so for Q6 I did get the answer to be 7.

vela said:
It's close, but not correct. What's the unit normal vector for ##d\vec{S}##?
Not quite sure what you mean vela by that.
 
  • #10
Had another go, think I realized my mistake, got 2/3 this time for Q7. Pretty sure that's correct, thanks for the help.
 
  • #11
That's not correct.
 
  • #12
working.jpg


Hope you can read that ok.

Only thing I can think of that I might not be doing is if I have to square z, as it's squared on the surface..?

Only recently started vector calculus, and finding it pretty hard to get comfortable with. Really appreciating the advice, thanks a lot.
 
  • #13
I'm so sorry. I misread the vector field and thought it was F = zk instead of F = zj. Your answer is correct.
 
  • #14
Oh right, was starting to wonder if you'd done that, I did it too earlier. No worries, very easy mistake to make. Cheers for the help anyway - it's just great having it confirmed, so easy to get an answer, so hard to know if it's correct.
 

Related to Surface Integrals: Solving Q6 & Q7

1. What is a surface integral?

A surface integral is a mathematical concept used to calculate the flux (flow) of a vector field across a two-dimensional surface. It involves breaking the surface into small pieces and summing the contributions of each piece to the overall flux.

2. How do you solve surface integrals?

To solve a surface integral, you first need to parameterize the surface using two variables such as u and v. Then, you need to calculate the partial derivatives of the parameterization with respect to u and v. These values are used to set up the integral, which is then evaluated using integration techniques such as substitution or integration by parts.

3. What is the difference between a single and a double surface integral?

A single surface integral is used to calculate the flux of a vector field across a two-dimensional surface, while a double surface integral is used to calculate the flux of a vector field across a three-dimensional surface. Double surface integrals require integration over two variables, while single surface integrals only require integration over one variable.

4. Can surface integrals be used in real-life applications?

Yes, surface integrals have many real-life applications in fields such as physics, engineering, and fluid dynamics. They are used to calculate the flow of fluids across surfaces, electric and magnetic fields across conductors, and heat transfer across surfaces, among other things.

5. What are some challenges when solving surface integrals?

One challenge when solving surface integrals is finding the appropriate parameterization for the surface. This can be a complex process, especially for irregular or complicated surfaces. Another challenge is setting up the integral, as it involves calculating partial derivatives and determining the limits of integration, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors.

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