Jim Lambers

MAT 280
Spring Semester 2009-10
Lecture 22 Notes
These notes correspond to Section 13.7 in Stewart and Sections 7.5 and 7.6 in Marsden and Tromba.
Surface Integrals
Surface Integrals of Scalar-Valued Functions
Previously, we have learned how to integrate functions along curves. If a smooth space curve C is
parameterized by a function r(t) = r(t), j(t), .(t), o t /, then the arc length 1 of C is given
by the integral

o
o
r

(t) dt.
Similarly, the integral of a scalar-valued function )(r, j, .) along C is given by

C
) d: =

o
o
)(r(t), j(t), .(t))r

(t) dt.
It follows that the integral of )(r, j, .) 1 along C is equal to the arc length of C.
We now dene integrals of scalar-valued functions on surfaces in an analogous manner. Recall
that the area of a smooth surface o, parametrized by r(n, ) = r(n, ), j(n, ), .(n, ) for (n, )
1, is given by the integral
(o) =

1
r
&
r

dnd.
To integrate a scalar-valued function )(r, j, .) over o, we assume for simplicitly that 1 is a rect-
angle, and divide it into sub-rectangles {1
i)
} of dimension n and , as we did when we derived
the formula for (o). Then, the function r maps each sub-rectangle 1
i)
into a surface patch o
i)
that has area o
i)
. This area is then multiplied by )(1

i)
), where 1

i)
is any point on o
i)
.
Letting n, 0, we obtain the surface integral of ) over o to be

S
)(r, j, .) do = lim
&,0
a

i=1
n

)=1
)(1

i)
) o
i)
=

1
)(r(n, ))r
&
r

dnd,
since, in the limit as n, 0, we have
o
i)
r
&
r

n.
Note that if )(r, j, .) 1, then the surface integral of ) over o yields the area of o, (o).
1
Example (Stewart, Section 13.7, Exercise 6) Let o be the helicoid with parameterization
r(n, ) = ncos , nsin , , 0 n 1, 0 .
Then we have
r
&
= cos , sin , 0, r

= nsin , ncos , 1,
which yields
r
&
r

= sin , cos , n =

sin
2
+ cos
2
+ n
2
=

1 + n
2
.
It follows that

S

1 + r
2
+ j
2
do =

1
0

1 + (ncos )
2
+ (nsin )
2
r
&
r

d dn
=

1
0

1 + n
2

1 + n
2
d dn
=

1
0

0
1 + n
2
d dn
=

1
0
1 + n
2
dn
=
(
n +
n
3
3
)

1
0
=
4
3
.

The surface integral of a scalar-valued function is useful for computing the mass and center of
mass of a thin sheet. If the sheet is shaped like a surface o, and it has density j(r, j, .), then the
mass is given by the surface integral
: =

S
j(r, j, .) do,
and the center of mass is the point ( r, j, .), where
r =
1
:

S
rj(r, j, .) do, j =
1
:

S
jj(r, j, .) do, . =
1
:

S
.j(r, j, .) do.
2
Surface Integrals of Vector Fields
Let v be a vector eld dened on
3
that represents the velocity eld of a uid, and let j be the
density of the uid. Then, the rate of ow of the uid, which is dened to be the rate of change
with respect to time of the amount of uid (mass), per unit area, is given by jv.
To determine the total amount of uid that is crossing o, called the ux across o, we divide
o into several small patches o
i)
, as we did when we dened the surface integral of a scalar-valued
function. Since each patch o
i)
is approximately planar (that is, parallel to a plane), we can
approximate the ux across o
i)
by
(jv n)(o
i)
),
where n is a unit vector that is normal (perpendicular) to o
i)
. This is because if 0 is the angle
between o
i)
and the direction of v, then the uid directed at o
i)
is eectively passing through a
region of area (o
i)
) cos 0.
If we sum the ux over each patch, and let the areas of the patches approach zero, then we
obtain the total ux across o,

S
j(r, j, .)v(r, j, .) n(r, j, .) do,
where n(r, j, .) is a continuous function that describes a unit normal vector at each point (r, j, .)
on o. For a general vector eld F, we dene the surface integral of F over o by

S
F dS =

S
F ndo.
When F represents an electric eld, we call the surface integral of F over o the electric ux of F
through o. Alternatively, if F = 1n, where n is a function that represents temperature and 1
is a constant that represents thermal conductivity, then the surface integral of F over a surface o
is called the heat ow or heat ux across o.
If o is parameterized by a function r(n, ), where (n, ) 1, then
n =
r
&
r

r
&
r

,
and we then have

S
F dS =

S
F
r
&
r

r
&
r

do
=

1
F(r(n, ))
r
&
r

r
&
r

r
&
r

d
=

1
F(r(n, )) (r
&
r

) d.
3
This is analogous to the denition of the line integral of a vector eld over a curve C,

C
F dr =

C
F Td: =

o
o
F(r(t)) r

(t) dt.
Just as the orientation of a curve was relevant to the line integral of a vector eld over a curve,
the orientation of a surface is relevant to the surface integral of a vector eld. We say that a surface
o is orientable, or oriented, if, at each point (r, j, .) in o, it is possible to choose a unique vector
n(r, j, .) that is normal to the tangent plane of o at (r, j, .), in such a way that n(r, j, .) varies
continuously over o. The particular choice of n is called an orientation.
An orientable surface has two orientations, or, informally, two sides, with normal vectors n
and n. This denition of orientability excludes the Mobius strip, because for this surface, it is
possible for a continuous variation of (r, j, .) to yield two distinct normal vectors at every point
of the surface, that are negatives of one another. Geometrically, the Mobius strip can be said to
have only one side, because negating any choice of continuously varying n yields the same normal
vectors.
For a surface that is the graph of a function . = p(r, j), if we choose the parametrization
r = n, j = , . = p(n, ),
then from
r
&
= 1, 0, p
&
, r

= 0, 1, p

,
we obtain
r
&
r

= p
&
, p

, 1 = p
a
, p

, 1
which yields
n =
r
&
r

r
&
r

=
p
a
, p

, 1

1 + p
2
a
+ p
2

.
Because the .-component of this vector is positive, we call this choice of n an upward orientation
of the surface, while n is a downward orientation.
Example (Stewart, Section 13.7, Exercise 22) Let o be the part of the cone . =

r
2
+ j
2
that
lies beneath the plane . = 1, with downward orientation. We wish to evaluate the surface integral

S
F dS
where F = r, j, .
4
.
First, we must compute the unit normal vector for o. Using cylindrical coordinates yields the
parameterization
r = ncos , j = nsin , . = n, 0 n 1, 0 2.
4
We then have
r
&
= cos , sin , 1, r

= nsin , ncos , 0,
which yields
r
&
r

= ncos , nsin , ncos

2
+ nsin
2
= ncos , sin , 1.
Because we assume downward orientation, we must have the .-component of the normal vector be
negative. Therefore, r
&
r

must be negated, which yields

S
F dS =

1
F(r(n, ), j(n, ), .(n, )) (r
&
r

) d,
where 1 is the domain of the parameters n and , the rectangle [0, 1] [0, 2]. Evaluating this
integral, we obtain

S
F dS =

1
ncos , nsin , n
4
ncos , sin , 1 d
=

2
0

1
0
(ncos
2
nsin
2
+ n
4
)ndnd
=

2
0

1
0
(n
2
n
5
) dnd
= 2

1
0
(n
2
n
5
) dn
= 2
(
n
3
3

n
6
6
)

1
0
=

3
.
An alternative approach is to retain Cartesian coordinates, and then use the formula for the unit
normal for a downward orientation of a surface that is the graph of a function . = p(r, j),
n =
p
a
, p

, 1

p
2
a
+ p
2

+ 1
=
1

r
2
+ j
2
,
j

r
2
+ j
2
, 1

.
This approach stil requires a conversion to polar coordinates to integrate over the unit disk in the
rj-plane.
For a closed surface o, which is the boundary of a solid region 1, we dene the positive orientaion
of o to be the choice of n that consistently point outward from 1, while the inward-pointing normals
dene the negative orientation.
5
Example (Stewart, Section 13.7, Exercise 26) To evaluate the surface integral

S
F dS
where F(r, j, .) = j, . j, r and o is the surface of the tetrahedron with vertices (0, 0, 0),
(1, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0), and (0, 0, 1), we must evaluate surface integrals over each of the four faces of the
tetrahedron separately. We assume positive (outward) orientation.
For the rst side, o
1
, with vertices (0, 0, 0), (1, 0, 0) and (0, 0, 1), we rst parameterize the side
using
r = n, j = 0, . = , 0 n 1, 0 1 n.
Then, from
r
&
= 1, 0, 0, r

= 0, 0, 1,
we obtain
r
&
r

= 0, 1, 0.
This vector is pointing outside the tetrahedron, so it is the outward normal vector that we wish to
use. Therefore, the surface integral of F over o
1
is

S
1
F dS =

1
0

1&
0
0, 0, n 0, 1, 0 d dn
=

1
0

1&
0
d dn
=

1
0

2
2

1&
0
dn
=
1
2

1
0
(1 n)
2
dn
=
1
2
(1 n)
3
3

1
0
=
1
6
.
For the second side, o
2
, with vertices (0, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0) and (0, 0, 1), we parameterize using
r = 0, j = n, . = , 0 n 1, 0 1 n.
Then, from
r
&
= 0, 1, 0, r

= 0, 0, 1,
we obtain
r
&
r

= 1, 0, 0.
6
This vector is pointing inside the tetrahedron, so we must negate it to obtain the outward normal
vector. Therefore, the surface integral of F over o
2
is

S
2
F dS =

1
0

1&
0
n, n, 0 1, 0, 0 d dn
=

1
0

1&
0
nd dn
=

1
0
n(n 1) dn
=
(
n
3
3

n
2
2
)

1
0
=
1
6
.
For the base o
3
, with vertices (0, 0, 0), (1, 0, 0) and (0, 1, 0), we parametrize using
r = n, j = , . = 0, 0 n 1, 0 1 n.
Then, from
r
&
= 1, 0, 0, r

= 0, 1, 0,
we obtain
r
&
r

= 0, 0, 1.
This vector is pointing inside the tetrahedron, so we must negate it to obtain the outward normal
vector. Therefore, the surface integral of F over o
3
is

S
3
F dS =

1
0

1&
0
, 0 , n 0, 0, 1 d dn
=

1
0

1&
0
nd dn
=

1
0
n(n 1) dn
=
(
n
3
3

n
2
2
)

1
0
=
1
6
.
Finally, for the top face o
4
, with vertices (1, 0, 0), (0, 1, 0) and (0, 0, 1), we parametrize using
r = n, j = , . = 1 n , 0 n 1, 0 1 n,
7
since the equation of the plane containing this face is r + j + . 1 = 0. This can be determined
by using the three vertices to obtain two vectors within the plane, and then computing their cross
product to obtain the planes normal vector.
Then, from
r
&
= 1, 0, 1, r

= 0, 1, 1,
we obtain
r
&
r

= 1, 1, 1.
This vector is pointing outside the tetrahedron, so it is the outward normal vector that we wish to
use. Therefore, the surface integral of F over o
4
is

S
4
F dS =

1
0

1&
0
, 1 n 2, n 1, 1, 1 d dn
=

1
0

1&
0
1 d dn
=

1
0
(


2
2
)

1&
0
dn
=

1
0
1 n
(1 n)
2
2
dn
=

1
0
1
2

1
2
n
2
dn
=
(
n
2

n
3
6
)

1
0
=
1
3
.
Adding the four integrals together yields

S
F dS =
1
6

1
6

1
6
+
1
3
=
1
6
.

8
Practice Problems
Practice problems from the recommended textbooks are:
Stewart: Section 13.7, Exercises 5-27 odd
Marsden/Tromba: Section 7.5, Exercises 1, 3, 7; Section 7.6, Exercises 3-9 odd
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