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3: Multiple Integrals

  • Page ID
    89214
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    In your previous calculus courses you defined and worked with single variable integrals, like \(\int_a^b f(x)\ \mathrm{d}{x}\text{.}\) In this chapter, we define and work with multivariable integrals, like \(\iint_{R} f(x,y)\ \mathrm{d}{x}\,\mathrm{d}{y}\) and \(\iiint_{V} f(x,y,z)\ \mathrm{d}{x}\,\mathrm{d}{y}\,\mathrm{d}{z}\text{.}\) We start with two variable integrals.

    • 3.1: Double Integrals
      Suppose that you want to compute the mass of a plate that fills the region \(\mathcal{R}\) in the \(xy\)-plane. Suppose further that the density of the plate, say in kilograms per square meter, depends on position.
    • 3.2: Double Integrals in Polar Coordinates
      So far, in setting up integrals, we have always cut up the domain of integration into tiny rectangles by drawing in many lines of constant \(x\) and many lines of constant \(y\text{.}\)
    • 3.3: Applications of Double Integrals
      Double integrals are useful for more than just computing areas and volumes. Here are a few other applications that lead to double integrals.
    • 3.4: Surface Area
      Suppose that we wish to find the area of part, \(S\text{,}\) of the surface \(z=f(x,y)\text{.}\) We start by cutting \(S\) up into tiny pieces.
    • 3.5: Triple Integrals
      Triple integrals, that is integrals over three dimensional regions, are just like double integrals, only more so. We decompose the domain of integration into tiny cubes, for example, compute the contribution from each cube and then use integrals to add up all of the different pieces. We'll go through the details now by means of a number of examples.
    • 3.6: Triple Integrals in Cylindrical Coordinates
      Many problems possess natural symmetries. We can make our work easier by using coordinate systems, like polar coordinates, that are tailored to those symmetries. We will look at two more such coordinate systems — cylindrical and spherical coordinates.
    • 3.7: Triple Integrals in Spherical Coordinates
      In the event that we wish to compute, for example, the mass of an object that is invariant under rotations about the origin, it is advantageous to use another generalization of polar coordinates to three dimensions. The coordinate system is called spherical coordinates.
    • 3.8: Optional— Integrals in General Coordinates
      One of the most important tools used in dealing with single variable integrals is the change of variable (substitution) rule

    Thumbnail: A diagram depicting a worked triple integral example. The questions is "Find the volume of the region bounded above by the sphere \(x^2+y^2+z^2 = a^2\) and below by the cone \(z^2 \sin^2(a) = (x^2+y^2)\cos^2(a)\) where \(a\) is in the interval \([0,π]\) (Public Domain; Inductiveload via Wikipedia).


    This page titled 3: Multiple Integrals is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Joel Feldman, Andrew Rechnitzer and Elyse Yeager via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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