Welcome to calculus.

I'm Professor Griest.

We're about to begin lecture 32 on simple
volumes.
In this lesson, we'll progress from
computing areas in 2-D to computing
volumes in 3-D.
Following the pattern that we use with
areas, we'll begin with some of the
classical shapes and consider their
volume formulae.
We'll look at round balls, cones and
pyramids.
When computing volumes, there's really
only one formula you need to know, and
that is The volume is the integral of the
volume element.
And all of the difficulty lies in finding
the correct volume element.
The simplest example would be that of a
rectangular prism of length l, width w,
and height h.
In this case, computing the volume
element is simple if we slice along one
of the three principal directions.
One volume element might be w times h dx,
integrated from 0 to l.
Another, l times h dy, integrated from 0
to w.
Or finally, l*wdz, integrated from zero
to h.
All three integrals return the volume.
Length x width x height.
For a less trivial example, consider a
cylinder with base.
A disk of radius r and height h, there
are several ways to compute the volume,
its pi r squared h.
1 method involves taking the associated
area element for the base and multiplying
by the height of the cylinder.
h as we saw in a previous lesson on area
there are several different ways to do
this.
We could use a lateral slice of thickness
dx and obtain as a volume element 2h
square root of r squared minus x squared.
>> Dx integrating from negative r to r.
If instead we use an angular wedge, then
we integrate with respect to theta.
The volume element 1/2 r squared h d
theta.
Here theta goes from 0 to 2 pi.
Finally, if we use an annular area
element, then associating a t variable to
that, we consider as a volume element
this cylindrical shell, whose volume is 2
pi t times h Dt.
Here we integrate from 0 to r.

Now moving up in complexity a little bit,

consider around ball of radius r.
In this case, we're going to slice along
a lateral plane.
This leads to a disk shaped volume
element, but as we slide the plane back
and forth over this solid ball, we see
that the radius of the disk changes.
It's going to take a little bit of work
to figure out this volume element.
In this case, since it's always a disc,
the volume is the area of that disc pi
times whatever it's radius is squared,
times the thickness.
Let's call it d x Now, at a particular
value of x what is the associated radius?
It will help to build a right triangle in
a cross sectional view whose base is of
length x, whose radius is, of course, r.
What is the height?
In this case it is square root of r
squared minus x squared.
So, to compute the volume, we integrate
the volume element.
That is, we integrate pi times quantity,
r squared, minus x squared, dx.
As x goes from negative r to r.
In contrast with computing the area Of a
round disk of radius r computing the
volume of a round ball.
Radius r is relatively simple.
This integral is very straightforward
yielding pie times r squared x minus one
third x cubed.
Evaulating that from negative r to r
leads, with just a little bit of algebra,
to the familiar formula, four-thirds pi r
cubed.
There's more than one way to derive this
volume formula.
Let's look at a different method.
Consider slicing up the ball into
cylindrical shells as a volume element.
Let's choose a radial variable, let's
call it t and then consider a cylinder
that sweeps out the volume of the ball,
parallel to some, let's say vertical,
axis.
In this case, what can we say about the
volume element?
Well I claim it is 2 pi t h d t.
That is the area of the anular strip of
thickness, d t, and radius, t, times the
associated height, h, of the cylinder.
Well, that's great except, what is h?
It depends on t.
Again, building the associated right
triangle is going to help us out.
This triangle in profile is going to have
hypotenuse r, the radius of the ball.

The base is of length t, the radius of

our cylinder.
the height is given by Pythagoras as the
square root of r squared minus t squared,
but thats' the height of the traingle.
The height of the cylinder is this Double
hence our volume element is four pie t.
Square root of r squared minus t squared
d t.
And to compute the volume of the ball in
this alternative fashion we integrate
this volume element.
As t goes from zero.
2 r.Now this is not so difficult of an
integral.
It's not quite as easy as the last one,
but a simple substitution.
Letting u be r squared minus t squared.
We see that d u is negative 2 t dt.
And that we can rewrite this as the
integral of negative 2 pi square root of
u d u as u goes from r squared to 0.
That integrates simply to negative 2 pi
times u to the 3 halves over 3 halves.
Evaluating from r squared to 0, and
simplifying the algebra leads to 4 thirds
pi r cubed.
A last method for decomposing the ball
and obtaining the volume would be to use
a spherical volume element.
This is a round shell.
Concentric with the ball.
We're going to need to choose a variable
to denote the radius of this shell.
Let's call that rho.
That's a letter that you'll be seeing
again in multivariable calculus.
In this case, I claim that the volume
element is really The surface area of
this shell for pi rho squared times the
thickness, dRho.
Now I'm not going to justify that
computation, other than to demonstrate
that when we integrate it.
paths rho goes from zero to r.
We obtain most simply, 4 3rds pi rho
cubed.
As rho goes from zero to r, we have, very
easily, the formula for the volume.
Using this spherical shell seemed to be
the simplest integral, but determining
what the volume element is in terms of
the surface area of that shell is maybe
not so simple.
The moral of this story is that the
proper volume element Can make the
integration very, very simple.
Let's switch to a different example and
consider cones.
You may recall the formula for the volume

of a cone with a circular base of radius

r and height h.
>> Let's turn a cone upside down
putting the point at the origin of the xy
plane in profile.
And then consider slicing along disc's
that are parallel to the x axis.
All of these slices Are going to be disks
of some radius.
And so the volume element is going to be
pi times x squared, dy.
Where x is the radius of this disk.
But we want to integrate with respect to
y.
Since our thickness, our differential
element, is dy.
>> So, writing things as we have done
so with the apex of the origin of the
plane, we see that the equation for the
line that determines the profile of the
cone is y equals h over r times x.
Solving for x as r over h times y, we
substitute into the formula for the
volume element to obtain pi times
quantity r over h y squared d y.
And now, to compute the volume We
integrate this volume element [UNKNOWN] y
goes from 0, the bottom, to h, the top.
Pulling out the associated constants
gives pi r squared over h squared.
What's left is the integral of y squared
dy, which is of course y cubed over 3.
Evaluating from zero to h yields the,
perhaps, familiar formula one-third pi
r-squared h.
Now what happens if, instead of a cone
with a circular base, we consider
something else.
Let's say a square, side length s.
Preceding is before by turning the cone
upside down and slicing along lateral
planes.
We see that the volume element is a
thickened square of sum, side length.
what is that side length?
If we solve.
For the line that constrains y in terms
of x and solve for x.
Then we obtain a volume element that is
four x squared d y namely four times
quantity s over two h y squared.
Dy.
Integrating that to obtain the volume
leads to the integral of s squared over h
squared times y squared, dy as y goes
from zero to h.
Pulling out the constants, we are left
the integral of y squared dy.
Yielding y cubed over three.
Evaluating from zero to h, andmultiplying

by those constants out in front leads to

one third s squared h.
You may sense a pattern here in both
cases it was one third the area of the
base.
Times the height.
Well, it turns out that this is true, in
general, for any cone with a base of area
B and height h, no matter what its shape.
We can, by turning it upside-down and
slicing.
Obtain copies of that base, copies that
are rescalled by some factor so that the
volume element is b the area of the base,
time some factor times the factor DY.
The question is, what is that scaling
factor?
As a function of y.
Well, let's says that you go halfway
down.
At y equals h over 2, what is happening
to the area of the slice?
The area's not decreased by 1/2, Rather,
it is multiplied by a factor of 1 4th,
that is one half squared.
Because we're rescaling both directions.
Therefore, the appropriate volume element
is B time y over h squared dy.
And when we integrate that, which, see,
that the constant B and h squared come
out in front and once left it's the
integral y squared dy.
Valuating that from zero to h, yields one
third the base, times the height.
And so we see that the real reason for
that one third in the volume of a cone
comes from integrating y squared.
That's a nice insight to this classical
formula.
And so we see that the classical volume
formulate still hide insights.
Now we need to know why there's a
one-third in the volume of a cone and why
there's a four-thirds pi in the volume of
a ball.
In our next lesson, we're going to turn
from these simple volume formulae and
consider some more complex objects.