Section Summary: 11.5

  1. Definitions

    None.

  2. Theorems

    None.

  3. Properties/Tricks/Hints/Etc.

    The area of a region created by positive continuous function f in the equation tex2html_wrap_inline130 as tex2html_wrap_inline132 ranges over [a,b] is

    displaymath120

    ( tex2html_wrap_inline136 ).

    ``...to find all points of intersection of two polar curves, it is recommended that you draw the graphs of both curves.'' p. 706.

    The arc length formula is derived by treating a polar curve as a parametric equation, and then simplifying: so if tex2html_wrap_inline130 , then

    displaymath121

    and

    displaymath122

    which, when simplified using the equations for x and y above, yields

    displaymath123

  4. Summary

    This section is more of the same-ol' same-ol': finding areas and arc lengths of parametric curves, only using somewhat unusual tactices. For example, we used sectors of circles to compute the area, whereas for arc length we simply rewrote polar equations as parametric equations, and applied the formula for arc length in that case (later simplified to eliminate x and y).

    The area problem is a little different than the standard area problem, in that we're looking for the area of a sector as an angle changes - as a piece of pie, rather than as a traditional piece of iced cake, as it were. We aren't sitting squarely on the x-axis, but are focused at the pole.




Mon Oct 6 18:52:52 EDT 2003