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Multivariable Calculus
Properties of Double Integrals
The two properties of the definite integral that we see in basic Calculus gen-
eralize to double integrals:
Theorem: Suppose that R = [a, b] × [c, d], f (x, y) and g(x, y) are
continuous functions over R, and k ∈ R. Then:
¨ ¨ ¨
[f (x, y) + g(x, y)] dA = f (x, y) dA + g(x, y) dA, and
R R R
¨ ¨
k · f (x, y) dA = k · f (x, y) dA.
R R
Double Integrals Over General Regions
We can also compute the double integral of a continuous function f (x, y)
over a domain D on the xy -plane, where D is not necessarily a rectangle.
First, we must require that D is closed and bounded, which roughly means
that D includes all the points on its edges, and D can be contained in a big
enough rectangle.
We say that D is a Type I region if it can be expressed as:
D = {(x, y) | x ∈ [a, b] and g1 (x) ≤ y ≤ g2 (x)},
and similarly D is a Type II region if it can be expressed as:
D = {(x, y) | y ∈ [c, d] and h1 (y) ≤ x ≤ h2 (y)}.
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Multivariable Calculus
y = g2 (x) x = h1 (y) x = h2 (y)
c
y = g1 (x)
a b
A Type I Region A Type II Region
For a Type I region, the double integral over D can be computed as:
¨ ˆ
x=b ˆ 2 (x)
y=g
f (x, y) dA = f (x, y) dy dx.
D x=a y=g1 (x)
Again, we perform the inner integration with respect to dy , so we are pre-
tending that x is a constant when we look for an antiderivative F (x, y) for
f (x, y) with respect to y . Once we find F (x, y), we substitute in the end-
points for y and apply the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus to get
F (x, g2 (x)) − F (x, g1 (x))
. At this point, we get a function only in x, and so we can perform the outer
integration using basic techniques (hopefully), as we did when the domain
was a rectangle.
Similarly, for a Type II region, the double integral over D can be computed
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Multivariable Calculus
as:
¨ ˆ
y=d ˆ 2 (y)
x=h
f (x, y) dA = f (x, y) dx dy.
D y=c x=h1 (y)
We say that D is simple if it can be expressed as either a Type I or Type II
region. In the worst case scenario, we will only be interested in regions D
which can be subdivided into two or more regions which are of either Type I
or II, as long as these regions overlap only on their boundaries. We would
write these subdivisions, for example, in the form:
D = D1 ∪ D2 ,
where the symbol ∪ stands for union. In this scenario, we have the property:
¨ ¨ ¨
f (x, y) dA = f (x, y) dA + f (x, y) dA.
D D1 D2
Example:
Find the exact value of the double integral:
¨
sin(3x + 2y) dA,
D
where D is the triangular region with vertices A(0, π/6), B(π/3, 0),
C(π/2, π/6).
The Type I Scan told us that we will have to break up this integral into two if
we want to use Type I integrals.
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Multivariable Calculus
The Type II Scan said that this is already a Type II region.
The horizontal arrows enter the region along AB , and exit along BC .
We need to find the equations of these line segments.
The horizontal arrows enter the region along AB , and exit along BC .
We need to find the equations of these line segments.
A(0, π/6), B(π/3, 0)
x y
+ =1
π/3 π/6
3x 6y
+ =1
π π
3x + 6y = π
So, x = h1 (y) = 13 (π − 6y) = π/3 − 2y
B(π/3, 0), C(π/2, π/6)
We will use the point-slope form of the equation of a line! y − y0 = m(x −
x0 )
π/6 − 0 π/6 π/6
m= = = =1
π/2 − π/3 3π/6 − 2π/6 π/6
Pick B to get: y − 0 = 1(x − π/3)
y = x − π/3
So: x = h2 (y) = y + π/3
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Multivariable Calculus
As a Type II integral:
¨ ˆ
y=π/6 ˆ
x=y+π/3
sin(3x + 2y) dA = sin(3x + 2y) dx dy
D y=0 x=π/3−2y
u = 3x + 2y , so du = 3dx, and dx = 13 du
´
sin(u) 13 du = − 13 cos(u) = − 13 cos(3x + 2y)
1
Upper limit: − cos(3(y + π/3) + 2y)
3
1
= − cos(3y + π + 2y)
3
1
= − cos(5y + π)
3
1
= cos(5y)
3
1
Lower limit: − cos(3(π/3 − 2y) + 2y)
3
1
= − cos(π − 6y + 2y)
3
1
= − cos(π − 4y)
3
1
= cos(4y)
3
Plug into the outer integral:
ˆ y=π/6 ( )
1 1
cos(5y) − cos(4y) dy
y=0 3 3
[ ]y=π/6
1 1 1
= sin(5y) − sin(4y)
3 5 4 y=0
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Multivariable Calculus
[ ]
1 1 1
= sin(5π/6) − sin(2π/3)
3 [5 4
√ ]
1 1 1 1 3
= · − ·
3 5 2 4 2
√
1 3
= − = −0.03883545
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