Q.Find the area under the given curves and given lines:
Concept understanding — Area Under Parabola
Area Under a Parabola
Picture the simplest parabola, y=x2: a smooth U opening upward with its lowest point at the origin. Suppose we want the area trapped between this curve, the x-axis, and the vertical lines x=0 and x=1 — the area under the parabola on [0,1].
A rough estimate helps. A rectangle of base 1 and height 1 gives area 1 — too big, since the curve sits well below its top. A triangle gives 21×1×1=0.5 — too small, since the curve bulges above the straight edge. So the true area lies somewhere between 0.5 and 1.
Calculus pins it down exactly. The area under a curve y=f(x) from x=a to x=b (with f(x)≥0) is the definite integral
Area=∫abf(x)dx.
For y=x2 from 0 to 1 we use the power rule
∫xndx=n+1xn+1+C(n=−1)
so, with n=2,
∫01x2dx=[3x3]01=31−0=31.
The exact area is 31 square units (about 0.333) — comfortably between our two guesses.
The area is exactly one-third of the bounding rectangle. In general, under y=x2 from 0 to a the area is 3a3, i.e. one-third of the a×a2 rectangle.
The general statement
For y=kx2 (k constant), the area from x=a to x=b is
∫abkx2dx=k⋅3b3−a3.
If the parabola is shifted, such as y=x2+c, integrate term by term. If it opens sideways, such as x=y2, integrate with respect to y instead.
The cube formula 3b3−a3 applies only to y=x2 (or a constant multiple). For a full quadratic y=ax2+bx+c you must integrate the whole expression — never apply the cube formula to the x2 term alone.
The key takeaway: integration converts a curved boundary into an exact number, and for the basic parabola y=x2 from 0 to a that number is simply 3a3.
Finding the area under a parabola using definite integration is a foundational example in the CBSE Class 12 Application of Integrals chapter, and "area under curve y = x^2 using integration" is a commonly searched topic for board exam revision. This same integration approach scales up to the more general area-bounded-by-curves questions tested in JEE Main.
Each area is the definite integral of the curve between the given vertical lines (both curves stay above the x-axis on the intervals).
(i) y=x2 from x=1 to x=2:
∫12x2dx=[3x3]12=38−31=37.
(ii) y=x4 from x=1 to x=5:
∫15x4dx=[5x5]15=53125−51=53124.
- Area =37 sq units.
- Area =53124 sq units.
The area under y=x2 on [1,2] is 37 sq units, and the area under y=x4 on [1,5] is 53124 sq units.
The area bounded by a curve y=f(x), the x-axis, and two vertical lines x=a, x=b (with f(x)≥0) is the definite integral ∫abf(x)dx — the sum of thin vertical strips of height f(x) and width dx. Both curves here are positive on their intervals, so the integral gives the area directly.
(i) y=x2, from x=1 to x=2
Apply the power rule ∫xndx=n+1xn+1 with n=2:
Area=∫12x2dx=[3x3]12=323−313=38−31=37.
(ii) y=x4, from x=1 to x=5
With n=4:
Area=∫15x4dx=[5x5]15=555−515=53125−1=53124.
- Area =37 sq units.
- Area =53124 sq units.
Method: Area under a power curve y=xn above the x-axis
Use this for the area bounded by a power curve y=xn, the x-axis, and two vertical lines, when the curve stays above the axis on the interval.
Steps
Step 1: Confirm positivity on [a,b].
For x>0 and any n, xn>0, so the integral gives the area directly with no splitting.
Step 2: Apply the power rule.
∫xndx=n+1xn+1+C(n=−1)
Step 3: Evaluate between the limits, one part at a time.
Area=∫abxndx=[n+1xn+1]ab=n+1bn+1−an+1
When several curves are asked in one question, treat each as a separate independent integral with its own n and its own limits.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Adding one to the base instead of the exponent in the power rule.
Why it's wrong: ∫x4dx=5x5, not 4x5 or 5x4 — the exponent increases by one and you divide by the new exponent. Correct approach: ∫xndx=n+1xn+1, so part (ii) is [5x5]15=53124.
Mistake 2: Arithmetic slips with large powers.
Why it's wrong: 55=3125 (not 625), and forgetting to subtract the lower-limit term 51 changes the answer. Correct approach: compute 53125−1=53124; and for part (i), 38−1=37.
- KCET 2018Set A-11 markMCQQ.The area bounded by the line y=x, x-axis and ordinates x=−1 and x=2 is (A) 23 (B) 25 (C) 2 (D) 3
›Reveal solutionSolution
Split the integral at x=0 where y=x changes sign, and add the two areas as positive magnitudes: 21+2=25.
Step 1 — The concept (the trap in this question).
Area is a positive quantity. Where the curve lies below the x-axis, the definite integral is negative, so we must take its modulus:
Area=∫ab∣y∣dx
Blindly writing ∫−12xdx lets the negative part cancel part of the positive part — that gives 3/2, which is why option (A) is there as a distractor.
Step 2 — Find where the sign changes.
y=x=0 at x=0, which lies inside [−1,2]. So split there:
- On [−1,0]: x<0, the line is below the x-axis.
- On [0,2]: x>0, the line is above the x-axis.
Step 3 — Area below the axis, [−1,0].
A1=∫−10xdx=[2x2]−10=0−21=21
Step 4 — Area above the axis, [0,2].
A2=∫02xdx=[2x2]02=24−0=2
Step 5 — Total area.
A=A1+A2=21+2=25
Geometric check. The region is two right-angled triangles: one with base 1 and height 1 (area 21⋅1⋅1=21) and one with base 2 and height 2 (area 21⋅2⋅2=2). Total =25 ✓.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (B) — 25.
ANSWER: B
- COMEDK 2026Set 2026-A1 markMCQQ.The area enclosed by the curve y=−x2 and the line x+y+2=0 is (A) 4.5 sq units (B) 3.5 sq units (C) 4 sq units (D) 5.5 sq units
›Reveal solutionSolution
The area between a parabola and a line is found by integrating the difference of the functions over their intersection points. The enclosed area is 4.5 square units, so the correct option is (A).
Concept & Intuition
We want the area trapped between the downward-opening parabola y=−x2 and the line x+y+2=0 (which can be rewritten as y=−x−2). The region is bounded where the line lies above the parabola (since the parabola is more negative for most x). To find the area, we:
- Find where they intersect (solve −x2=−x−2).
- Determine which curve is on top in the interval between intersections.
- Integrate (top minus bottom) with respect to x.
Step-by-step solution
-
Rewrite the line
x+y+2=0⟹y=−x−2.
-
Find intersection points
Set −x2=−x−2:
−x2+x+2=0⇒x2−x−2=0
Factor: (x−2)(x+1)=0 → x=−1 and x=2.
-
Determine which function is greater on [−1,2]
Test a point, say x=0:
- Parabola: y=−02=0
- Line: y=−0−2=−2 Since 0>−2, the parabola is above the line at x=0. But wait — that would mean the parabola is on top? Let’s check the shape: The parabola opens downward, so at x=0 it peaks at 0; the line is sloping downward. However, the enclosed region is the one where the line is above the parabola? Let’s test another point: at x=−1 (intersection), both equal. At x=1: parabola y=−1, line y=−3. So parabola is above the line. That means the region between them is bounded above by the parabola and below by the line. But the problem says “area enclosed by the curve and the line” — that region is indeed the one where the parabola is above the line between the intersections. So top = parabola, bottom = line.
-
Set up the integral
Area = ∫x=−12[(−x2)−(−x−2)]dx
Simplify the integrand:
−x2+x+2
- Integrate
∫−12(−x2+x+2)dx=[−3x3+2x2+2x]−12
Evaluate at x=2:
−38+24+4=−38+2+4=−38+6=3−8+18=310
Evaluate at x=−1:
−3(−1)3+2(−1)2+2(−1)=−(−31)+21−2=31+21−2
Common denominator 6: 62+63−612=−67
Subtract:
310−(−67)=310+67=620+67=627=4.5
- Conclusion The area is 4.5 square units.
Watch outA common mistake is to assume the line is always above the parabola because it’s “straight” — but here the parabola is above the line in the interval. Always test a point between intersections.
TipIf you graph quickly: parabola y=−x2 is an upside-down U with vertex at (0,0); line y=−x−2 crosses y-axis at -2. The region looks like a “lens” tilted — the parabola bulges upward relative to the line.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (A).
ANSWER: A
- KCET 2018Set A-11 markMCQQ.The area of the region bounded by the curve y=cosx between x=0 and x=π is (A) 1 sq. unit (B) 4 sq. units (C) 2 sq. units (D) 3 sq. units
›Reveal solutionSolution
The area under y=cosx from 0 to π is not simply the integral of cosx because the curve dips below the x-axis. We split the interval at x=π/2 and take absolute values, giving a total area of 2 square units.
The key idea here is that area is always positive. When a curve goes below the x-axis, the definite integral gives a signed area (negative below the axis), which is not what we want. For the region bounded by the curve and the x-axis, we must take the absolute value of the function, or equivalently, split the interval wherever the function changes sign and add the absolute areas.
For y=cosx between 0 and π, the curve is positive from 0 to π/2 and negative from π/2 to π. So the total area is the sum of the area above the axis and the area below the axis (taken as positive).
-
Find where the curve crosses the x-axis.
cosx=0 at x=π/2 within [0,π]. This is the split point.
-
Area from x=0 to x=π/2.
Here cosx≥0, so the area is simply the integral:
A1=∫0π/2cosxdx=[sinx]0π/2=sin(π/2)−sin(0)=1−0=1.
- Area from x=π/2 to x=π. Here cosx≤0, so the area is the absolute value of the integral:
A2=∫π/2πcosxdx=[sinx]π/2π=∣sin(π)−sin(π/2)∣=∣0−1∣=1.
- Total area.
A=A1+A2=1+1=2.
Watch outA common mistake is to compute ∫0πcosxdx directly, which gives sin(π)−sin(0)=0. That is the net signed area (the positive and negative parts cancel), not the actual geometric area. Always check where the function changes sign.
TipFor any function f(x) that changes sign on [a,b], the area bounded by the curve and the x-axis is ∫ab∣f(x)∣dx. Splitting at the zeros is the cleanest way to evaluate it.
✓Final answerThe area is 2 square units, so the correct option is (C).
-
- COMEDK 2023Set 2023-E1 markMCQQ.The area bounded by the curve y2=4a2(x−1) and the lines x=1,y=4a is (A) 316a sq units (B) 316a2 squnits (C) 16a2 squnits (D) 4a2 sq units
›Reveal solutionSolution
So the area is (16/3) a square units.
Concept: area by integrating with respect to y (the region is bounded by the parabola on one side and the vertical line x = 1 on the other).
Curve: y^2 = 4a^2 (x - 1) => x = 1 + y^2/(4a^2). It is a rightward parabola with vertex (1, 0).
Boundaries: the line x = 1 (the tangent at the vertex) and the horizontal line y = 4a.
For a horizontal strip at height y (0 <= y <= 4a), the width is
x_curve - x_line = [1 + y^2/(4a^2)] - 1 = y^2/(4a^2).
Area = integral from 0 to 4a of y^2/(4a^2) dy
= (1/(4a^2)) * [y^3/3] from 0 to 4a
= (1/(4a^2)) * (64 a^3 / 3)
= 16a/3.
So the area is (16/3) a square units.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (A) — 316a sq units
ANSWER: A
- KCET 2025Set A-11 markMCQQ.The area bounded by the curve y=sin(3x), x axis, the lines x=0 and x=3π is (A) 9 sq. units (B) 31 sq. units (C) 6 sq. units (D) 3 sq. units
›Reveal solutionSolution
Check the sign of the curve on the interval (it is non-negative throughout), then integrate sin(x/3) once from 0 to 3π.
Step 1 — Check the sign first (the step students skip).
Area is ∫∣y∣dx, so we must know where y is negative. Here
0≤x≤3π ⟹ 0≤3x≤π,
and sinθ≥0 for all θ∈[0,π]. So y=sin3x≥0 on the whole interval — the curve is one complete positive arch, sitting entirely above the x-axis. The modulus can therefore be dropped and the interval need not be split.
Step 2 — Set up the area integral.
Area=∫03πsin(3x)dx.
Step 3 — Antiderivative.
Since ∫sin(kx)dx=−k1cos(kx), with k=31 the factor is k1=3:
∫sin(3x)dx=−3cos(3x)+C.
Step 4 — Evaluate.
Area=[−3cos3x]03π=−3cosπ−(−3cos0)=−3(−1)+3(1)=3+3=6.
Sanity check. For y=sinx one arch (from 0 to π) has area 2. Here the curve is horizontally stretched by a factor 3 with the same height 1, so the area should be 3×2=6. ✓ (Option (A) 9 would need a further stretch; option (D) 3 forgets the factor of 2 from the arch.)
✓Final answerThe correct option is (C) — 6 sq. units.
ANSWER: C
- COMEDK 2024Set 2024-M1 markMCQQ.
[!FORMULA] The area (in sq units) enclosed by the parabola y2=8x, its latus-rectum and the x-axis is
(A) 316 (B) 3162 (C) 332 (D) 38›Reveal solutionSolution
The area is found by integrating the parabola’s upper branch from the vertex to the latus rectum, yielding 316 square units. The correct option is (A).
Concept & Intuition
The parabola y2=8x opens to the right. Its latus rectum is the vertical line through the focus. For y2=4ax, the focus is at (a,0) and the latus rectum is x=a. Here 4a=8⇒a=2, so the latus rectum is x=2. The region bounded by the parabola, this vertical line, and the x-axis is the part of the parabola’s “bowl” from the vertex (0,0) out to x=2, above the x-axis. Since the parabola is symmetric about the x-axis, the area above the axis is exactly half the total area between the curve and its latus rectum. We’ll integrate the top half (y=8x) from x=0 to x=2.
Step-by-step solution
-
Identify the parabola’s parameters
Standard form: y2=4ax. Comparing with y2=8x gives 4a=8⇒a=2.
Focus: (2,0). Latus rectum: the line x=2.
-
Set up the area integral
The required region is bounded by:
- the parabola y2=8x (upper branch: y=8x),
- the vertical line x=2 (latus rectum),
- the x-axis (y=0). So area A=∫x=02ydx=∫028xdx.
-
Simplify the integrand
8x=8x=22x1/2.
-
Integrate
A=22∫02x1/2dx=22[3/2x3/2]02=22⋅32[x3/2]02=342(23/2−0).
- Evaluate 23/2=(23)1/2=8=22. So A=342⋅22=342⋅22=38⋅2=316.
TipA common shortcut: the area enclosed by a parabola y2=4ax, its latus rectum, and the x-axis is 32⋅(base×height). Here base = 2 (from vertex to latus rectum), height = y at x=2 = 16=4, so area = 32⋅2⋅4=316. This works because the region is exactly two-thirds of the bounding rectangle.
Watch outA classic mistake is forgetting to take only the upper half. The full area between the parabola and its latus rectum (both above and below the x-axis) is 332, which is option (C). But the problem specifies “and the x-axis,” so we only take the part above the axis.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (A).
ANSWER: A
-
- COMEDK 2025Set 2025-M1 markMCQQ.The area bounded by the parabola y2=36x and its latus rectum is (A) 216 sq units (B) 108 sq units (C) 27 sq units (D) 54 sq units
›Reveal solutionSolution
The area bounded by a parabola and its latus rectum is found by integrating the difference between the parabola’s two symmetric halves from the vertex to the latus rectum. For y2=36x, the latus rectum is at x=9, and the area is 216 square units, so the correct option is (A).
The key idea is that the latus rectum of a parabola is the chord through the focus perpendicular to the axis. For the standard parabola y2=4ax, the focus is at (a,0) and the latus rectum is the vertical line x=a. The region bounded by the parabola and this line is symmetric about the x-axis, so we can compute the area in the upper half and double it.
Why this works: The parabola opens to the right, and the latus rectum acts as a vertical boundary. The area between the curve and this line from the vertex (at x=0) to the latus rectum is a classic application of integration with respect to x, using the fact that y=±36x.
-
Identify the parameter a.
The given parabola is y2=36x. Compare with the standard form y2=4ax.
Here 4a=36, so a=9.
The focus is at (9,0), and the latus rectum is the line x=9.
-
Set up the integral for the upper half.
The upper branch of the parabola is y=36x=6x.
The region bounded by the parabola and the latus rectum in the first quadrant runs from x=0 (vertex) to x=9 (latus rectum).
The area of this upper half is:
Areaupper=∫096xdx
- Evaluate the integral.
∫6xdx=6⋅32x3/2=4x3/2
Evaluate from 0 to 9:
[4x3/2]09=4(93/2)−0=4×27=108
So the area of the upper half is 108 square units.
- Double to get the total area. Since the parabola is symmetric about the x-axis, the total area bounded by the parabola and its latus rectum is:
Total area=2×108=216 square units
TipA quick check: For any parabola y2=4ax, the area bounded by the curve and its latus rectum is 38a2. Here a=9, so 38×81=216. This formula saves time in exams.
Watch outA common mistake is to forget the symmetry and only compute the upper half, then pick option (B) 108. Always double the result unless the problem asks for the area of one side only.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (A).
ANSWER: A
-
🎓Unlock everything free for 14 days
- ✓Full step-by-step solutions
- ✓Concept-first explanations
- ✓Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
- ✓PYQ mapping + timed mock tests
Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.