Finding Volumes

obtained by surface of revolution

The Disk Method
 The Disk Method
If a region in the plane is revolved about a line,
the resulting solid is a solid of revolution, and
the line is called the axis of revolution.

The simplest such solid is a right

circular cylinder or disk, which is
formed by revolving a rectangle
about an axis adjacent to one
side of the rectangle,
as shown in Figure 7.13.
Figure 7.13
 The Disk Method

The volume of such a disk is

Volume of disk = (area of disk)(width of disk)

= πR2w

where R is the radius of the disk and w is the

width.
 The Disk Method
To see how to use the volume of a disk to find
the volume of a general solid of revolution,
consider a solid of revolution formed by
revolving the plane region in Figure 7.14 about
the indicated axis.

Figure 7.14
 The Disk Method
To determine the volume of this solid, consider a
representative rectangle in the plane region. When
this rectangle is revolved about the axis of
revolution, it generates a representative disk whose
volume is

Approximating the volume of the solid by n such

disks of width Δx and radius R(xi) produces

Volume of solid ≈
 The Disk Method

Volume of solid =

Schematically, the disk method looks like this.

 The Disk Method
A similar formula can be derived if the axis of
revolution is vertical.

Figure 7.15
 Example 1 – Using the Disk Method
Find the volume of the solid formed by revolving the
region bounded by the graph of and the
x-axis
(0 ≤ x ≤ π) about the x-axis.

Solution:
From the representative
rectangle in the upper graph
in Figure 7.16, you can see that
the radius of this solid is
R(x) = f(x)

Figure 7.16
 Example 1 – Solution cont’d

So, the volume of the solid of revolution is

Find the volume of the solid generated by revolving the region
defined by y  x 3 , y = 8, and x = 0 about the y-axis.

Bounds? [0,8]

Length? x 3y

 y
2
Area?  3

  
8
2
Volume? 3`
y dy
0
Find the volume of the solid generated by revolving the region
defined by y  2  x 2 and y = 1, about the line y = 1

Bounds? [-1,1]

Length? (2  x 2 )  1

Area?  1  x 2 2

1

  1  x  dx
Volume? 2 2

1
The Washer Method
 The Washer Method
The disk method can be extended to cover solids of
revolution with holes by replacing the
representative disk with a representative washer.
The washer is formed by revolving
a rectangle about an axis,
as shown in Figure 7.18.
If r and R are the inner and outer radii
of the washer and w is the width of the
washer, then the volume is given by
Volume of washer = π(R2 – r2)w.

Figure 7.18
 Area of a Washer

 Area   Area 
 of    of 
   
R
 Outer   Inner 

r
 R2   r 2 

 R 2  r 2 

Note: Both R and r are measured from the axis of

rotation.
 The Washer Method
To see how this concept can be used to find the
volume of a solid of revolution, consider a
region bounded by an outer radius R(x) and an
inner radius r(x), as shown in Figure 7.19.

Figure 7.19
 The Washer Method
If the region is revolved about its axis of revolution, the
volume of the resulting solid is given by

Note that the integral involving the inner radius

represents
the volume of the hole and is subtracted from the
integral
involving the outer radius.
 Example – Using the Washer Method
Find the volume of the solid formed by revolving
the region bounded by the graphs of
about the x-axis, as shown in
Figure 7.20.
 Example – Using the Washer Method
Find the volume of the solid formed by revolving
the region bounded by the graphs of
about the x-axis, as shown in
Figure 7.20.

Figure 7.20
 Example – Using the Washer Method
Find the volume of the solid formed by revolving
the region bounded by the graphs of
about the x-axis, as shown in
Figure 7.20.

Figure 7.20
 Example – Solution
In Figure 7.20, you can see that the outer and
inner radii are as follows.

Integrating between 0 and 1 produces

Example – Solution cont’d
 The Washer Method

In previous example, the axis of revolution has

been horizontal and you have integrated with
respect to x. In next Example, the axis of
revolution is vertical and you will have to
integrate with respect to y. Moreover, you need
two separate integrals to compute the volume.
 Example – Integrating with Respect to y, Two-Integral Case

Find the volume of the solid formed by revolving

the region bounded by the graphs of y = x2 + 1, y
= 0, x = 0, and x = 1 about y-axis, as shown in
Figure 7.21.

Figure 7.21
 Example – Solution

For the region shown in Figure 7.21, the outer

radius is simply R = 1.

There is, however, no convenient formula that

represents the inner radius.

When 0 ≤ y ≤ 1, r = 0, but when 1 ≤ y ≤ 2, r is

determined by the equation y = x2 + 1, which
implies that
 Example – Solution cont’d

Using this definition of the inner radius, you can

use two integrals to find the volume.
 Example – Solution cont’d

Note that the first integral represents

the volume of a right circular cylinder of radius 1
and height 1.

This portion of the volume could have been

determined without using calculus.
Find the volume of the solid generated by revolving the region
defined by y  2  x 2 and y = 1, about the line y = -1.

Bounds? [-1,1]

Outside Radius?
2  x  1
2

Inside Radius? 1  1

 3  x    2 
2 2 2
Area?

  3  x    2  dx
Volume? 1
2 2 2

1
 Example
Let R be the region in the xy-plane bounded by

4 1
y  , y  , and x  2
x 4

Set up the integral for the volume obtained by rotating R

about the x-axis using planar slices perpendicular to the axis of
rotation.
 Notice the gap:
4 1
y  , y  , and x  2
x 4

Outside Radius ( R ):
4
x

Inside Radius ( r ):
1
4
2 2
 4  1
Area:    
 x  4
2 2
 4  1
16
Volume:
2   x     4  dx
 Example

Let R be the region in the xy-plane bounded by

y  2x 2 and y  3x  1

Set up the integral for the volume of the solid obtained by

rotating R about the x-axis, using planar slices perpendicular
to the axis of rotation.
 Notice the gap:
y  2x 2
and y  3x  1

Outside Radius ( R ): 3x  1

Inside Radius ( r ):
2x 2

 3x  1   2x 2 2

2
Area:

  3x  1   dx
1
2 2
  2x
2
Volume:
1
2
Practice Questions:
Exercise 6.1
Q. 13 - 48.
Note: Don’t do all of these questions, try to do the difficult ones.