Double Integral 141
Hard Polar Coordinates and Change of Variables

Find the area of the region bounded by the ellipses

Find the area of the region bounded by the ellipses: $$ \frac{x^2}{\cosh^2u}+\frac{y^2}{\sinh^2u}=c^2 \qquad(u=u_1,\,u_2) $$ and the hyperbolas: $$ \frac{x^2}{\cos^2v}-\frac{y^2}{\sin^2v}=c^2 \qquad(v=v_1,\,v_2), $$ where $0<u_1<u_2$, $0<v_1<v_2$, $x>0$, $y>0$.

Explanation of Method

The two boundary families are precisely the level curves of the classical confocal elliptic coordinates $x=c\cosh u\cos v,\ y=c\sinh u\sin v$: fixing $u$ traces an ellipse of the first form, and fixing $v$ traces a hyperbola of the second form, both with foci at $(\pm c,0)$. The region bounded by two ellipses ($u=u_1,u_2$) and two hyperbolas ($v=v_1,v_2$) is therefore exactly a coordinate rectangle $[u_1,u_2]\times[v_1,v_2]$ in $(u,v)$-space, and the area follows from the Jacobian of this transformation.

  1. Verify that $x=c\cosh u\cos v,\,y=c\sinh u\sin v$ reproduces both given curve families.
  2. Compute the Jacobian $\dfrac{\partial(x,y)}{\partial(u,v)}$.
  3. Integrate the Jacobian over the rectangle $[u_1,u_2]\times[v_1,v_2]$.

Step 1 · Confocal elliptic coordinates

Let $x=c\cosh u\cos v,\ y=c\sinh u\sin v$ (with $u>0$, $0<v<\frac\pi2$ covering the first quadrant $x>0,y>0$). Then:

$$ \frac{x^2}{\cosh^2u}+\frac{y^2}{\sinh^2u} = c^2\cos^2v+c^2\sin^2v = c^2, $$

which is exactly the given ellipse equation, with $u$ fixed and $v$ the parameter along it. Likewise:

$$ \frac{x^2}{\cos^2v}-\frac{y^2}{\sin^2v} = c^2\cosh^2u-c^2\sinh^2u = c^2\big(\cosh^2u-\sinh^2u\big)=c^2, $$

which is exactly the given hyperbola equation, with $v$ fixed and $u$ the parameter along it. So the region bounded by the ellipses $u=u_1,u_2$ and hyperbolas $v=v_1,v_2$ is precisely the rectangle $u\in[u_1,u_2],\,v\in[v_1,v_2]$ in these coordinates.

Step 2 · Compute the Jacobian

$$ \frac{\partial x}{\partial u}=c\sinh u\cos v,\quad \frac{\partial x}{\partial v}=-c\cosh u\sin v,\quad \frac{\partial y}{\partial u}=c\cosh u\sin v,\quad \frac{\partial y}{\partial v}=c\sinh u\cos v. $$

$$ \frac{\partial(x,y)}{\partial(u,v)} = c^2\sinh u\cos v\cdot\sinh u\cos v - \big(-c^2\cosh u\sin v\cdot\cosh u\sin v\big) = c^2\big(\sinh^2u\cos^2v+\cosh^2u\sin^2v\big). $$

Using $\cosh^2u=1+\sinh^2u$: $\sinh^2u\cos^2v+\cosh^2u\sin^2v = \sinh^2u(\cos^2v+\sin^2v)+\sin^2v = \sinh^2u+\sin^2v$. So:

$$ \frac{\partial(x,y)}{\partial(u,v)} = c^2\big(\sinh^2u+\sin^2v\big) \geqslant0, $$

and $dx\,dy=c^2(\sinh^2u+\sin^2v)\,du\,dv$.

Step 3 · Set up and evaluate the area integral

$$ A = c^2\int_{v_1}^{v_2}\!\int_{u_1}^{u_2}\big(\sinh^2u+\sin^2v\big)\,du\,dv = c^2(v_2-v_1)\int_{u_1}^{u_2}\sinh^2u\,du + c^2(u_2-u_1)\int_{v_1}^{v_2}\sin^2v\,dv. $$

Using $\sinh^2u=\frac{\cosh2u-1}2$ and $\sin^2v=\frac{1-\cos2v}2$:

$$ \int_{u_1}^{u_2}\sinh^2u\,du = \frac{\sinh2u_2-\sinh2u_1}4-\frac{u_2-u_1}2, \qquad \int_{v_1}^{v_2}\sin^2v\,dv = \frac{v_2-v_1}2-\frac{\sin2v_2-\sin2v_1}4. $$

Substituting and collecting terms, the two "linear" pieces $-\frac{c^2}2(v_2-v_1)(u_2-u_1)$ and $+\frac{c^2}2(u_2-u_1)(v_2-v_1)$ cancel exactly, leaving:

$$ A = \frac{c^2}4\Big[(v_2-v_1)\big(\sinh2u_2-\sinh2u_1\big) - (u_2-u_1)\big(\sin2v_2-\sin2v_1\big)\Big]. $$


Additional Notes

Result

The area is:

$$ A = \frac{c^2}4\Big[(v_2-v_1)\big(\sinh2u_2-\sinh2u_1\big) - (u_2-u_1)\big(\sin2v_2-\sin2v_1\big)\Big]. $$