Example: Arc Length and Surface Area

Plots > XY Plots > Plotting Functions > Example: Arc Length and Surface Area

Find the arc length or surface area of a function over a span on which its derivative is continuous.

Arc Length

1. Use the sin function to define a function of one variable.

2. Define the endpoints of an interval.

3. Plot the function f over the interval [a, b] by setting the lowest tick mark value to a and the highest tick mark value to b.

<region id="ID0EGWYHB" top="312" left="24" width="312" height="312" xmlns="http://schemas.mathsoft.com/worksheet50">
  <plot origin-positioning="true">
    <xyPlot>
      <title class="- topic/title " wwtype:type="Paragraph" xmlns:wwtype="urn:WebWorks-Type-Schema" />
      <legend />
      <traces>
        <trace num-of-points="500">
          <traceStyle color="#FF00008B" symbol="none" line-weight="1" line-style="Solid">lines</traceStyle>
        </trace>
      </traces>
      <axes>
        <xAxis legend-position="PlotBoundaryBottom" rank="1">
          <axisLine position="origin" positionticmark="5" />
          <axisGrid>
            <gridFrequency>11</gridFrequency>
            <gridLabels display="true" />
            <gridLines />
            <tickMarks display="true" />
          </axisGrid>
          <axisLabel />
          <markers />
          <numberFormat />
          <plotEquations>
            <plotEquation>
              <math>
                <id xmlns="http://schemas.mathsoft.com/math50">x</id>
              </math>
              <math>
                <placeholder xmlns="http://schemas.mathsoft.com/math50" />
              </math>
            </plotEquation>
          </plotEquations>
          <xyDomain scale-type="linear" auto-scale="true">
            <startValue>
              <id xmlns="http://schemas.mathsoft.com/math50">a</id>
            </startValue>
            <endValue>
              <id xmlns="http://schemas.mathsoft.com/math50">b</id>
            </endValue>
          </xyDomain>
        </xAxis>
        <yAxis legend-position="PlotBoundaryLeft" rank="1">
          <axisLine position="origin" positionticmark="0" />
          <axisGrid>
            <gridFrequency>11</gridFrequency>
            <gridLabels display="true" />
            <gridLines />
            <tickMarks display="true" />
          </axisGrid>
          <axisLabel />
          <markers />
          <numberFormat />
          <plotEquations>
            <plotEquation>
              <math>
                <apply xmlns="http://schemas.mathsoft.com/math50">
                  <id>f</id>
                  <id>x</id>
                </apply>
              </math>
              <math>
                <placeholder xmlns="http://schemas.mathsoft.com/math50" />
              </math>
            </plotEquation>
          </plotEquations>
          <xyDomain scale-type="linear" auto-scale="true">
            <startValue>
              <placeholder xmlns="http://schemas.mathsoft.com/math50" />
            </startValue>
            <endValue>
              <placeholder xmlns="http://schemas.mathsoft.com/math50" />
            </endValue>
          </xyDomain>
        </yAxis>
      </axes>
    </xyPlot>
  </plot>
</region>

4. Calculate the arc length over the interval [a, b].

Surface Area

Calculate the surface area above a disc as described by the following condition:

1. Define a function of two variables.

2. Define a radius for the disc-shaped region of integration.

3. Calculate the surface area above the disc.

4. Convert the function into polar coordinates and calculate the surface area above the disc.