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Areas of Plane Regions Using Definite Integrals

The document discusses using definite integrals to find the area of plane regions bounded by curves. It provides 4 examples of finding the area of different plane regions bounded above and below by curves. It notes that when the upper and lower bounding curves change which is above the other, the region must be split into subregions where the height between the curves is constant in order to correctly calculate the total area using integrals.

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1K views16 pages

Areas of Plane Regions Using Definite Integrals

The document discusses using definite integrals to find the area of plane regions bounded by curves. It provides 4 examples of finding the area of different plane regions bounded above and below by curves. It notes that when the upper and lower bounding curves change which is above the other, the region must be split into subregions where the height between the curves is constant in order to correctly calculate the total area using integrals.

Uploaded by

jennie
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Areas of Plane

Regions Using
Definite
Integrals
JENNIE MAE D. ALONZO
Reporter
Consider a continuous function f. If the graph of y = f(x) over the
interval [a, b] lies entirely above the x-axis, then Z b a f(x) dx gives
the area of the region bounded by the curves y = f(x), the x-axis, and
the vertical lines x = a and x = b. This is illustrated in the figure
below:
EXAMPLE 1: Find the area of the plane region
bounded by y = 3x + 1, x = 1, x = 3, and the x-axis.
This plane region is clearly in the first quadrant of the Cartesian plane
(see figure above) and hence immediately from the previous discussion,
we obtain:

Evaluating the integral and applying the Fundamental Theorem of


Calculus, we get
EXAMPLE 2: Find the area of the plane region bounded
above by y = 1 − |x − 1| and below by the x-axis.
Observe that the line from the point (0, 0) to (1, 1) is given by:
y = 1 − [−(x − 1)] = x
and the line from the point (1, 1) to (0, 2) is given by
y = 1 − (x − 1) = 2 − x.
Clearly, we have two subregions here, Region 1 (R1) which is bounded
above by y = x, and Region 2 (R2) which is bounded above by y = 2 − x.
Hence, the area of the entire plane region is given by:
We now generalize the problem from finding the area of the region bounded
by above by a curve and below by the x-axis to finding the area of a plane
region bounded by several curves (such as the one shown below).

The height or distance between two curves at x is


h = (y-coordinate of the upper curve) - (y-coordinate of the lower curve).
Now, if y = f(x) is the upper curve and y = g(x) is the lower curve, then
h = f(x) − g(x).
EXAMPLE 3: Find the area of the plane region bounded by
the curves y = x 2 −2 and y = x.

We start by finding the points of intersection of the


two curves. Substituting y = x into y = x 2 − 2, we
obtain

x=x2−2
⇒0=x2−x−2
⇒ 0 = (x − 2)(x + 1)
Thus, we have x = 2 or x = −1. When x = 2, y = 2 while when x = −1,
y = −1. Hence, we have the points of intersection (2, 2) and (−1, −1). The
graphs of the two curves, along with their points of intersection, are
shown below.
The function f(x) − g(x) will be x − (x 2 − 2). Our interval is I = [−1, 2] and so a
= −1 and b = 2. Therefore, the area of the plane region is
EXAMPLE 4: Find the area of the plane region bounded by the
curves y = x 2 , x = −1, x = 2, and y = −1.

First, we find the points of intersection of the curves. With respect


to the curves

y = x 2 and x = −1, we have y = (−1)2 = 1.

Hence, these curves intersect at the point (−1, 1). For the curves y =
x 2 and x = 2, we have y = 22 = 4.
Thus, they intersect at the point (2, 4). Now, for the curves x = −1
and y = −1, they intersect at (−1, −1). While for x = 2 and y = −1,
they intersect at (2, −1). The graphs of these curves are shown below
and the required region is shaded.
In the formula for the area of a plane region, the upper curve y = f(x) is
always above the lower curve y = g(x) on [a, b]. Hence, the height of any
vertical line on the region will always have the same length that is given by the
function f(x) − g(x). What if this is not true anymore? Consider the figure:

To the left of x = −1, the upper curve is the part of the parabola located above the x-axis
while the lower curve is the part of the parabola below the x-axis. On the other hand, to the
right of x = 1, the upper curve is the parabola while the lower curve is the line y = x. Hence,
in this case, we need to split the region into subregions in such a way that in each subregion
the difference of the upper and lower curves is the same throughout the subregion.

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