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a

Deriving the Volume of a Truncated Square Pyramid by Method of Slicing Brad Thompson

( a2 ,h)
f (x)

m f (x ) =

h!0 2h = a b a!b 2 ! 2 " 2h $ (x ! # a ! b%


b 2

f (x) = y ! 0 =

! y=

h(2x " b) (a " b)

( b2 ,0)
b

[Need x in terms of y as integrating w.r.t. dy] g(y) = x = (a ! b) b y+ 2h 2

Each sliced square has side length s = [2g(y)], area A = [2g(y)] ;


2 h h 2

To find volume of solid by slicing, evaluate

! A(y)dy
0

! [2g(y)] dy
2 0

( " ( a ! b) b% + = . *2$ y + ' - dy [where a, b, & h are constants] # 2h 2& , 0) " (a ! b) % = ($ y + b ' dy h & 0#
h 2

a3h b3h = ! 3(a ! b) 3(a ! b) = 1 " a3 ! b3 % h$ ' 3 # a!b & 1 " (a ! b)(a 2 + ab + b 2 ) % h$ ' 3 # (a ! b) & 1 h ( a 2 + ab + b 2 ) 3

[ =

(a !b ) h

y +b 3

h # % " (a ! b) % $0

# a3 h & # b3 h & =% ! ( " % 3 ! (a " b) ( $ 3 (a " b) ' $ '

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