Section 15.9

Surface Area

Extending arc length to 3D.

1

Introduction

To find the area of a curved surface , we approximate it with tangent planes.

A small rectangle on the floor corresponds to a tilted parallelogram on the surface.

2

The Surface Area Formula

Definition

For a surface over a region D:

This factor represents the "tilt" of the surface.

3

Visualizing Surface Area

Interactive: Paraboloid Cap

4

Worked Examples

Example 1: Surface Area of Paraboloid

Find the area of below .

1. Partial Derivatives:

.

.

2. Convert to Polar:

Region is circle (radius 3).

.

3. Solve:

u-sub: .

.
Limits: , .

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Example 2: Plane in First Octant

Find area of in the first octant.

1. Derivatives:

.

.

.

2. Area of D:

D is the triangle in xy-plane where , i.e., .

Intercepts: (3,0) and (0,2). Area = .

3. Surface Area:

.

Example 3: Sphere Surface Area

Find the area of .

1. Upper Hemisphere:

.

.

.

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2. Integral:

.

Sub .
.

3. Total Area:

Double it for lower hemisphere: .

5

Practice Quiz

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