Calling all Math Guru's redux
Sat Feb 21 2004

OK, I know you're out there. You few who love math and do calculus problems just for the fun of it (Beth, are you reading this?) I don't have anyone to look something over, and with a test on Monday, I would REALLY like to know if and where I'm going wrong with this. OK, drop the if and keep the where.

I will be the first to admit that I'm totally feeling lost right now in
my Calculus class. Integrands have begun to haunt my dreams. That aside,
I've done one of my assigned problems, and I';m almost positive I'm so lost
that my answers are no where near what they should be.

The problem has 4 parts, and the question reads:
For the region given by the shaded area in the figure below:
[Here is a figure of a trapezoidal shape going from (1,1) to (2,4) with the
"top" line along the hyperbola y = x^2]

A. Find the area of the shaded region.
I used 1/2h(b1+b2) to find f(x), and h=1, b1=1, b2=4, I came up with:
1/2(1)(1+4) = 1/2(5) = 5/2
Then, finding the integrand for 5/2 x^2 dx:
5/2[(x^3)/3] and evaluated from 1 to 2 for:
5/2(8/3 - 1/3) = 5/2(7/3) = 35/6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

B. Find the volume of the solid generated by rotating about the x axis.
The graph I found for this resembles the bell of a trumpet beginning
at x = 1 going to x = 2,
at x=1 y goes from -1 to 1
at x=2 y goes from -4 to 4

This is what I've done, but I'm not sure if it is correct:
Using V = (pi)r^2h, and h = 1, I come up with (pi)(x^2)^2(h) = (pi)x^4

Then integrating from 1 to 2 I get:
(pi) * the Integrand x^4dx
=(pi)[(1/5 x^5)] evaluated at 1 & 2 for:
(pi)[32/5 - 1/5] = (pi)31/5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

C. Find the volume of the solid generated by rotating the region about the
y axis.
The graph I found for this resembles a cylinder with an inner radius of
(-1,1) to (1,1) and an outer radius of (-2,4) to (2,4) and of course
hollow in the center from x = -1 to x = 1.

Again, not sure if I'm on the right track with this:
Finding the integrand for 2(pi)x(x^2)dx
=2(pi)[1/4 x^4] and evaluated from 1 to 2 for:
2(pi)[16/4 - 1/4] = 2(pi)[15/4] = [5(pi)]/2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
D. Find the volume of the solid generated by rotating the region about the
line x = 2
using V = (pi)r^2h
for y = x^2, with A(y) = (pi)(sq.root of y) , and y = 0 to y = 4
Finding the integrand for (pi)(sq.root of y)dy [(pi)*y^(1/2)dy]
= (pi)[2/3y^(3/2) and evaluating at 0 and 4 for:
(pi){[2/3(4)^(3/2)] - [2/3(0)^(3/2)]}
= [16(pi)]/3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After your laughter has subsided, and you've wiped the tears from your eyes, PLEASE let me know where I've gone wrong.


If you're really bored, and just dying to do more, let me know and I'll e-mail you the other problems I've got questions about!

5 Comments
  • From:
    Yarngirl (Legacy)
    On:
    Sat Feb 21 2004
    owwwww... my head hurts! Can I get you some melatonin?

    Julie
  • From:
    TraumaMama (Legacy)
    On:
    Sun Feb 22 2004
    I can't help you with the math, sorry.
    I'm going to watch my Survivor tape tomorrow morning before work. I was half awake and saw who got voted off, and the segment about the horrible storm. I slept through the rest. And yea, it's getting cozy for two of them. :)
  • From:
    Cutypops (Legacy)
    On:
    Sun Feb 22 2004
    i'd love to help, but i just don't understand it!
  • From:
    Widdershins (Legacy)
    On:
    Mon Feb 23 2004
    What textbook are you using? I may have it, in which case helping out would be a lot easier. Without pictures things get very awkward.
  • From:
    MangoRain (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Feb 24 2004
    oh god, i'm scared. i have an exam in integral calculus and differentiation on the 6th, and on conics (parabolas, hyperbolas and the like) on the 5th, but i admit these are beyond me.

    good luck :S is the most i dare to venture!!!