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Math1014 Calculus II
Volumes by Slicing and Cylindrical Shells

• If the cross section area of a solid along certain axis, say the x-axis, over the interval a ≤ x ≤ b is a known continuous
function A(x), then the volume V of the solid is given by the definite integral

! b
V= A(x)dt
a
In fact, based on a subdivision of the interval a = x0 < x1 < · · · < xn = b,
b−a
with subintervals [xi−1 , xi ] of equal length ∆x = n , the volume of the thin
slice Vi over the subinterval [xi−1 , xi ] can be intuitively approximated by the
A(x) A(x)
cylindrical volume A(xi )∆x, and hence by passing to the integration process,
we have the volume of the solid given as
! b n ∆x
a xi−1xi b
V=
a
A(x)dx = lim
n→∞
∑ A(xi )∆x
i=1
" #$ %
a Riemann sum of thin volumes
• In particular, the volume of a solid of revolution obtained by rotating certain area about an axis can be handled by
analyzing the the areas of the cross sections of the solid along the axis, which is basically a matter of working with the
geometry of circles.

• Another way to study the volume of a solid of revolution is to decompose the solid into layers of thin cylindrical shells
around the central axis. Approximating the volume by the Riemann sum of thin cylindrical shell volumes along a
suitable interval, say a ≤ x ≤ b, the volume V of the solid can be expressed as an integral of the form
! b
V= 2π r(x) · h(x)dx
a

where r(x) is the radius of the cylindrical shell at x, and h(x) is the height of the cylindrical shell.

Example-Exercise The volume V of a right (or oblique) square pyramid, or a right (or oblique) cone, is given by V = 13 Bh,
where B is the base area, and h the height, of the prism, or cylinder.

h
B B

A(x) x2
Just note that = 2 , and hence
B h
! h ! h
B 2 1
V= A(x)dx = 2
x dx = Bh
0 0 h 3
Example-Exercise The volume V of a right (or oblique) prism, or a right (or oblique) cylinder, is given by V = Bh, where
B is the base area, and h the height, of the prism, or cylinder.
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Example-Exercise Find the volume of a right regular cone with base radius R and height h, as the solid of revolution
obtained by rotating the area under the graph of y = Rh x over the interval [0, h] about the x-axis.
Slicing along the x-direction!
Cross section at x along the x-axis is a disc with radius y, hence with
y
cross section area
π R 2 x2
A = π y2 =
h2 x
The volume of the cone is :
π R 2 x2 & π R 2 x3 ' h 1
! h ! h
V= A(x) dx = dx = = π R2 h (cubic units)
0 0 h2 3h2 0 3

Example-Exercise Find the volume of a sphere of radius R, as the solid of revolution obtained by rotating the area under
√
the graph of y = R2 − x2 over the interval [−R, R] about the x-axis. (Slicing along the x direction.) y

√
Cross section area at x along the x-axis is: A(x) = π y2 = π ( R2 − x2 )2
The volume of the sphere is :
x3 'R
! R ! R & 4
V= A(x) dx = π (R2 − x2 ) dx = π R2 x − = π R3 x

−R −R 3 −R 3

Example-Exercise Find the volume of the solid of revolution obtained by rotating the area enclosed by the curves y = x2
and y = 4x, (i) about the x-axis; (ii) about the y-axis. (Slicing in x, and respectively y, directions.)
(i) The two curves intersect at the points (0, 0) and (4, 16).
Cross section area (between two circles) at x along the x-axis is:
A(x) = π y2up − π y2down = π (4x)2 − π (x2)2 16
y

The volume of the solid is :

! 4 ! 4 & 16x3 x5 '4 2048π
V= A(x) dx = π (16x2 − x4 ) dx = π − =
0 0 3 5 0 15 8

(ii) Cross section area at y along the y-axis is:

√
A(y) = π x2right − π x2le f t = π ( y)2 − π (y/4)2 x

The volume of the solid is :

y2
! 16 ! 16 & '16 128π
V= A(y) dy = π (y − ) dy = π y2 /2 − y3/48 =
0 0 16 0 3

Example-Exercise Find the volume of the solid of revolution (i.e., a torus) obtained by rotating the area enclosed by the
circle (x − R)2 + y2 = r2 about the y-axis, where 0 < r < R.
(
x = R ± r 2 − y2
√
Cross section area at y is: A(y) = π x2right − π x2le f t = π ( y)2 − π (y/4)2 y

The volume of the solid is :

! r ! r ( (
V= A(y) dy = π [(R + r2 − y2 )2 − (R − r2 − y2 )2 ] dy x

! −r −r
r ( π r2
=π 4R r2 − y2 dy = 4π R · = 2π R · π r 2
−r ! 2
r (
Note that r2 − y2 dy is the area of a semi-disc of radius r.
−r
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Example-Exercise The base of a solid sitting on top of the xy-plane is the ellipse region enclosed by the ellipse given by
x2
the equation 4 + y2 = 1. Find the volume of the solid if (i) cross sections along the x-direction are semi-circles; (ii) cross
sections along the y-direction are equilateral triangles. z

(i) Cross section area at x is: A(x) = 12 π y2 = 12 π (1 − x2/4)

The volume of the solid is : y

! 2 ! 2
1 π& '2 4π
V= A(x) dx = π (1 − x2/4) dx = x − x3 /12 =
−2 −2 2 2 −2 3 x

(
(ii) x = ±2 1 − y2
The equilateral triangle area along the y-axis at y is: z

1 ( √
A(y) = (4 1 − y2)2 sin 60◦ = 4 3(1 − y2)
2
The volume of the solid is :
! 1 ! 1 √ √
2
√ & 3
'1 16 3
V= A(y) dy = 4 3(1 − y ) dy = 4 3 y − y /3 =
−1 −1 −1 3 x
y

Example-Exercise A wedge is cut out from a right cylinder with base radius 4 by a plane passing through the diameter of
the base, and making an angle of inclination of 30◦ with the base. Find the volume of the wedge.

(i) Cross section area along the x axis at x is: z

√ √
A(x) = 12 42 − x2 42 − x2 tan 30◦ = 2√1 3 (16 − x2)
The volume of the wedge is :
! 4 ! 4
1 1 & '4 128
V= A(x) dx = √ (16 − x2) dx = √ 16x − x3/3 = √ y

−4 −4 2 3 2 3 −4 3 3
x

Example-Exercise Use the method of cylindrical shells to find the volume of torus obtained by rotating the area enclosed
by the circle (x − R)2 + y2 = r2 about the y-axis, where 0 < r < R.

By the cylindrical shell method, the volume of the torus is: y

! R+r )
V= 2 π
"#$%x · 2 r2 − (x − R)2 dx
R−r " #$ %
circum f erence
height

Using the substitution u = x − R, such that du = dr, we have

x
! r (
V = 2π (u + R)2 r2 − u2 du
−r
! r ( ! r( y

= 4π u r2 − u2 du + 4π r2 − u2 du
−r −r

π r2
= 0 + 4π · = 2π R · π r 2
2 x

√
since u r2 − u2 is an odd function on the interval [−r, r].
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Example-Exercise Find the volume of the solid of revolution obtained by rotating about the y-axis the area enclosed by the
graph of y = 2x2 − x3 and the x-axis. How about rotating the area about the straight line given by x = 2?
Rotating about the y-axis, the volume of the solid of revolution is:
! 2 & '2
2 3 4 5
V = 2 π
"#$%x · (2x − x ) dx = 2 π x /2 − x /5
0 " #$ % 0
circum f erence height
& 4 ' 16π
= 2π · 23 1 − =
5 5
Rotating about the vertical line x = 2, the volume of the solid of revolution y
2−x
x

is:
! 2 ! 2 x
2 3 2 3 4
V = 2π (2 − x) · (2x − x ) dx = 2π (4x − 4x + x ) dx
0 0
& '2 &2 2 ' 32π
= 2π 4x3 /3 − x4 + x5 /5 = 2π · 24 − 1 + =
0 3 5 15
since the radius of the “cylindrical shell”, i.e., the distance between the line
x = 2 and the line segment at x which generates the cylindrical surface, is
now (2 − x).
Exercise Find the volume of a sphere with radius R by the cylindrical shell method.
√
Exercise Find the volume of the solid of revolution obtained by rotating the area under y = sin x2 over the interval 0 ≤ x ≤ π
about the y-axis.

Exercise Find the volume of the solid of revolution obtained by rotating the area enclosed by the hyperbola x2 − y2 = 1 and
the straight line x = 3 about (i) the x-axis; (ii) the y-axis; (iii) the straight line x = 3.