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How is the area of a vertical strip approximated in the Riemann sum construction?

The area of a vertical strip is approximated by a rectangle. The height of the rectangle is determined by the function value at a chosen sample point within the strip, and the width is the width of the subinterval. Multiplying these gives the approximate area of that strip.

Conditions

  • The interval is divided into subintervals.
  • A sample point is chosen in each subinterval.

Reasoning, step by step

  1. Identify the subinterval corresponding to the strip.
  2. Choose a sample point ξᵢ within the subinterval.
  3. Evaluate the function f(ξᵢ) to get the height.
  4. Measure the width Δxᵢ of the subinterval.
  5. Calculate the area as f(ξᵢ) * Δxᵢ.

Example

The script states: 'A rectangle of height f(ξᵢ) and width Δxᵢ approximates that piece of area.'

Common misconceptions

  • Using the average height of the strip instead of a sample point.
  • Assuming the width varies within the strip.
  • Confusing the strip with the entire region.

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