Calculus · real student question

Evaluate the triple integral of x^2 y^2 over the solid inside the paraboloid x^2 + y^2 = 2z between the planes z = 2 and z = 8.

Question

Evaluate

Ex2y2dV\iiint_E x^2y^2\,dV

where EE is the solid inside the paraboloid x2+y2=2zx^2+y^2=2z between the planes z=2z=2 and z=8z=8.

Step-by-step solution

  1. Describe the solid in cylindrical coordinates. The surface x2+y2=2zx^2+y^2=2z is a paraboloid opening upward, z=r22z=\tfrac{r^2}{2}. "Inside the paraboloid" means r22zr^2\le 2z, so slicing horizontally at height zz gives a disk of radius 2z\sqrt{2z}:

    2z8,0r2z,0θ2π2\le z\le 8,\qquad 0\le r\le \sqrt{2z},\qquad 0\le\theta\le 2\pi

    Slicing by zz (rather than integrating zz last) is what keeps the limits simple — every cross-section is a full disk.

  2. Convert the integrand and the volume element. With x=rcosθx=r\cos\theta and y=rsinθy=r\sin\theta,

    x2y2=r4cos2θsin2θ,dV=rdrdθdzx^2y^2=r^4\cos^2\theta\sin^2\theta,\qquad dV=r\,dr\,d\theta\,dz

    so the integrand picks up a total power of r5r^5:

    Ex2y2dV=28 ⁣ ⁣02π ⁣ ⁣02zr5cos2θsin2θdrdθdz\iiint_E x^2y^2\,dV=\int_2^8\!\!\int_0^{2\pi}\!\!\int_0^{\sqrt{2z}} r^5\cos^2\theta\sin^2\theta\,dr\,d\theta\,dz

    Forgetting the Jacobian factor rr is the most common error and would leave r4r^4 here.

  3. Separate the angular factor. Nothing in the limits depends on θ\theta, so the triple integral factors into a product of a θ\theta-integral and an (r,z)(r,z)-integral. Using cosθsinθ=12sin2θ\cos\theta\sin\theta=\tfrac12\sin 2\theta,

    cos2θsin2θ=sin22θ4=1cos4θ8\cos^2\theta\sin^2\theta=\frac{\sin^2 2\theta}{4}=\frac{1-\cos 4\theta}{8}

    02πcos2θsin2θdθ=18[θsin4θ4]02π=2π8=π4\int_0^{2\pi}\cos^2\theta\sin^2\theta\,d\theta=\frac{1}{8}\left[\theta-\frac{\sin 4\theta}{4}\right]_0^{2\pi}=\frac{2\pi}{8}=\frac{\pi}{4}

  4. Do the radial integral, then the zz-integral. For fixed zz,

    02zr5dr=(2z)36=8z36=4z33\int_0^{\sqrt{2z}} r^5\,dr=\frac{(2z)^3}{6}=\frac{8z^3}{6}=\frac{4z^3}{3}

    Integrating that over 2z82\le z\le 8:

    284z33dz=43[z44]28=13(409616)=1360\int_2^8 \frac{4z^3}{3}\,dz=\frac{4}{3}\left[\frac{z^4}{4}\right]_2^8=\frac{1}{3}\left(4096-16\right)=1360

  5. Multiply the two factors and sanity-check the size.

    Ex2y2dV=1360π4=340π1068.1\iiint_E x^2y^2\,dV=1360\cdot\frac{\pi}{4}=340\pi\approx 1068.1

    The sign is right: the integrand x2y2x^2y^2 is never negative, so a positive answer is mandatory. A crude bound also supports the magnitude — the solid sits inside a cylinder of radius 44 and height 66, where x2y2r4/464x^2y^2\le r^4/4\le 64, giving an upper bound of about 64π1661930064\cdot\pi\cdot 16\cdot 6\approx 19300, comfortably above 340π340\pi.

Answer

340π340\pi

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