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Why are polar coordinates used for the inner double integral in the slicing method for this triple integral?

Polar coordinates are used because both the boundary shape of the cross-section (a disk) and the integrand term x2+y2x^2+y^2 exhibit rotational symmetry around the z-axis. This simplifies the algebra significantly, converting x2+y2x^2+y^2 to r2r^2 and the area element to r dr dθr\,dr\,d\theta.

Conditions

  • The cross-section D(z)D(z) is a disk centered at the origin in the xy-plane.
  • The integrand contains the term x2+y2x^2+y^2.

Reasoning, step by step

  1. Observe that the cross-section D(z)D(z) is defined by x2+y2≤zx^2+y^2 \le z, which is a circular region.
  2. Note that the integrand x2+y2x^2+y^2 is naturally expressed as r2r^2 in polar coordinates.
  3. Recognize that the Jacobian for polar coordinates is rr, leading to the integrand r2⋅r=r3r^2 \cdot r = r^3.
  4. Compare this to Cartesian coordinates, where the limits would involve square roots (±z−x2\pm\sqrt{z-x^2}) and the integrand would remain x2+y2x^2+y^2, making integration more complex.
  5. Conclude that polar coordinates exploit the symmetry to simplify the calculation.

Example

The script states: 'Converting the inner Cartesian double integral to polar coordinates simplifies the algebra significantly because both the boundary shape and the term x2+y2x^2+y^2 exhibit rotational symmetry around the z-axis.'

Common misconceptions

  • Thinking polar coordinates are always necessary for any circular region, even if the integrand is asymmetric.
  • Believing that Cartesian coordinates cannot be used (they can, but the calculation is harder).
  • Forgetting that the Jacobian rr must be included when switching to polar coordinates.

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