MATH 101 V2A

February 4th – Practice problems

Hints and Solutions

Method of “washers”:
1. Find the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the region bounded by the given curves about the
specified line.

(a) y 2 = x, x = 2y; about the y-axis.

Solution: We want to calculate the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the shaded region
around the y-axis.
y

2y = x
√
y= x

x
4

From this we can see that a washer will have inner radius r = y 2 and outer radius R = 2y. This
means that the volume of the solid is
Z 2 Z 2  
2 2 2

2 4 4 3 1 5 2 64
V =π (2y) − (y ) dy = π (4y − y )dy = π y − y  = π.
0 0 3 5 0 15

√
(b) y = x, y = x; about x = 2.

Solution: We want to calculate the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the shaded region
about the line x = 2
 y

√ x
y =

x
=
x

y
1 2

From this we can see that a washer will have inner radius r = 2 − y and outer radius R = 2 − y 2 .
This means that the volume of the solid is
Z 1 Z 1  1 
5 1 8
(2 − y 2 )2 − (2 − y)2 dy = π (−5y 2 +y 4 +4y)dy = π − y 3 + y 5 + 2y 2  =


V =π π.

0 0 3 5 0 15

2. Set up, but do not evaluate, an integral for the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the region
bounded by the given curves about the specified line.

(a) y = 0, y = sin(x) for 0 ≤ x ≤ π; about y = −2.

Z π
(2 + sin(x))2 − 22 dx.


Hint: Answer: V =
0

(b) x2 − y 2 = 1, x = 3; about x = −2.

√
Z 8  p 
Hint: Use the symmetry of the solid to simplify the integral. Answer: V = 2π 52 − (2 + y 2 − 1)2 dy.
0

Method of cylindrical shells:

1. Use the method of cylindrical shells to find the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the region
bounded by the given curves about the specified line.
(a) y = x2 , y = 0, x = 1, x = 2; about x = 1.

Solution: We want to calculate the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the shaded region
about the line x = 1.

2
 y

y = x2

x
1

From this we can see that a cylindrical shell will have radius (x − 1) and height x2 . Therefore,
Z 2 Z 2  
2 3 2

1 4 1 3 2 17
V = 2π (x − 1) · x dx = 2π x −x dx = 2π x − x  = π.
1 1 4 3 1 6

√
(b) y = x − 1, y = 0, x = 5; about y = 3.

Solution: We want to calculate the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the shaded region
about the line y = 3.
y

3
√
y= x−1

x
5

From this we can see that a cylindrical shell will have radius (3 − y) and height 5 − (y 2 + 1).
Therefore
Z 2 Z 2  
2 2 3

3 2 1 4 2
V = 2π (3−y)(5−(y +1))dy = 2π 12 − 3y − 4y + y dy = 2π 12y − y − 2y + y  = 24π.
0 0 4 0

2. Set up, but do not evaluate, an integral for the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the region
bounded by the given curves about the specified line.

3
(a) y = log(x), y = 0, x = 2; about the y-axis.

Z log(2)
Hint: Answer: V = 2π y(2 − ey )dy.
0

1
(b) y = 1+x2 , y = 0, x = 0, x = 2; about x = 2.

Z 2
1
Hint: Answer: V = 2π (2 − x) · dx.
0 1 + x2