Q.Using integration, find the area of the region bounded by the line , the x-axis and the ordinates and .
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →To find the total geometric area, we must split the integration interval at the x-intercept of the line . The area is the sum of the absolute values of the integrals over these sub-intervals, which calculates to square units.
When we use definite integration to find the area bounded by a curve and the x-axis, it's crucial to understand that the integral calculates the signed area. This means that regions above the x-axis contribute positively to the integral, while regions below the x-axis contribute negatively.
However, when we are asked for the "area of the region," we are typically looking for the geometric area, which is always a positive quantity. To find the geometric area, we must ensure that all contributions are positive. This is achieved by taking the absolute value of the function before integrating, or by splitting the integral at points where the function crosses the x-axis and taking the absolute value of each resulting integral.
For the line , we need to identify where it crosses the x-axis within the given interval to . This point will divide the region into parts where is positive and parts where is negative. We then integrate the absolute value of over the entire interval, or integrate over each sub-interval and sum their absolute values.
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Identify the function and boundaries:
We are given the line , the x-axis (), and the vertical lines (ordinates) and . Our goal is to find the area of the region enclosed by these boundaries.
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Find the x-intercept of the line:
The line intersects the x-axis when .
Setting , we get , which means .
This x-intercept, (or ), lies within our given interval . This means the line crosses the x-axis within the region of interest, so we must split our integral.
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Determine the sign of in the sub-intervals:
- For , the value of is negative. For example, at , .
- For , the value of is positive. For example, at , . Therefore, the region from to lies below the x-axis, and the region from to lies above the x-axis.
Watch outA common mistake is to simply integrate . This would give the net signed area, where the negative area below the x-axis would cancel out some of the positive area above, leading to an incorrect geometric area.
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Set up the integrals for the total geometric area:
To find the total geometric area, we need to sum the absolute values of the areas of these two sub-regions.
Total Area
Since we know the sign of in each interval, we can write this as:
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Evaluate the integrals:
First, let's find the indefinite integral of :
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