Essential Concepts
- Surfaces can be parameterized, just as curves can be parameterized. In general, surfaces must be parameterized with two parameters.
- Surfaces can sometimes be oriented, just as curves can be oriented. Some surfaces, such as a Möbius strip, cannot be oriented.
- A surface integral is like a line integral in one higher dimension. The domain of integration of a surface integral is a surface in a plane or space, rather than a curve in a plane or space.
- The integrand of a surface integral can be a scalar function or a vector field. To calculate a surface integral with an integrand that is a function, use ∬Sf(x,y,z)dS=∬Df(r(u,v))‖tu×tv‖dA. To calculate a surface integral with an integrand that is a vector field, use ∬SF⋅dS=∬SF⋅NdS
- If S is a surface, then the area of S is ∬SdS
Key Equations
- Scalar surface integral
∬Sf(x,y,z)dS=∬Df(r(u,v))‖tu×tv‖dA - Flux integral
∬SF⋅NdS=∬SF⋅dS=∬SF(r(u,v))⋅(tu×tv)dA
Glossary
- flux integral
- another name for a surface integral of a vector field; the preferred term in physics and engineering
- grid curves
- curves on a surface that are parallel to grid lines in a coordinate plane
- heat flow
- a vector field proportional to the negative temperature gradient in an object
- mass flux
- the rate of mass flow of a fluid per unit area, measured in mass per unit time per unit area
- orientation of a surface
- if a surface has an “inner” side and an “outer” side, then an orientation is a choice of the inner or the outer side; the surface could also have “upward” and “downward” orientations
- parameter domain (parameter space)
- the region of the uv plane over which the parameters u and v vary for parameterization r(u,v)=⟨x(u,v),y(u,v),z(u,v)⟩
- parameterized surface
- a surface given by a description of the form r(u,v)=⟨x(u,v),y(u,v),z(u,v)⟩ , where the parameters u and v vary over a parameter domain in the uv-plane
- regular parameterization
- parameterization r(u,v)=⟨x(u,v),y(u,v),z(u,v)⟩ such that ru×rv is not zero for point (u,v) in the parameter domain
- surface area
- the area of surface S given by the surface integral ∫∫SdS
- surface integral of a scalar-valued function
- a surface integral in which the integrand is a scalar function
- surface integral of a vector field
- a surface integral in which the integrand is a vector field
Candela Citations
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- Calculus Volume 3. Authored by: Gilbert Strang, Edwin (Jed) Herman. Provided by: OpenStax. Located at: https://openstax.org/books/calculus-volume-3/pages/1-introduction. License: CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. License Terms: Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/calculus-volume-3/pages/1-introduction