Double Integral 227
Easy Applications

Find the surface area of the part of the surface

Find the surface area of the part of the surface $z=\dfrac{x+y}{x^2+y^2}$ cut out by the cylinders $x^2+y^2=1$ and $x^2+y^2=4$, lying in the first octant.

Explanation of Method

A short algebraic identity collapses $z_x^2+z_y^2$ to a function of $r^2=x^2+y^2$ alone, making the integrand radially symmetric; polar coordinates then reduce the problem to a single radial integral over $r\in[1,2]$, which becomes elementary (though not trivial) after $u=r^2$.

  1. Compute $z_x^2+z_y^2$ using the identity $(A+B)^2+(A-B)^2=2A^2+2B^2$.
  2. Convert to polar coordinates.
  3. Evaluate the resulting integral via $u=r^2$ and a standard antiderivative.

Step 1 · Surface-area integrand

With $z=\dfrac{x+y}{x^2+y^2}$: $z_x=\dfrac{y^2-x^2-2xy}{(x^2+y^2)^2},\,z_y=\dfrac{x^2-y^2-2xy}{(x^2+y^2)^2}$. Writing $A=x^2-y^2,\,B=2xy$, the numerators are $\mp(A+B)$ and $A-B$, so $z_x^2+z_y^2=\dfrac{2(A^2+B^2)}{(x^2+y^2)^4}=\dfrac{2(x^2+y^2)^2}{(x^2+y^2)^4}=\dfrac2{(x^2+y^2)^2}$ (using $A^2+B^2=(x^2+y^2)^2$). Hence:

$$ 1+z_x^2+z_y^2 = 1+\frac2{(x^2+y^2)^2}. $$

Step 2 · Polar coordinates

$$ S = \int_0^{\pi/2}\int_1^2\sqrt{1+\frac2{r^4}}\,r\,dr\,d\theta = \frac\pi2\int_1^2\frac{\sqrt{r^4+2}}r\,dr. $$

Step 3 · Evaluate via $u=r^2$

With $u=r^2$: $S=\dfrac\pi4\displaystyle\int_1^4\dfrac{\sqrt{u^2+2}}u\,du$. Using $\displaystyle\int\frac{\sqrt{u^2+2}}u\,du = \sqrt{u^2+2}+\sqrt2\ln\frac u{\sqrt{u^2+2}+\sqrt2}+C$:

$$ \int_1^4\frac{\sqrt{u^2+2}}u\,du = \Big[3\sqrt2 - \tfrac{\sqrt2}2\ln2\Big] - \Big[\sqrt3-\sqrt2\ln(\sqrt2+\sqrt3)\Big] = 3\sqrt2-\sqrt3+\sqrt2\ln\frac{\sqrt2+\sqrt3}{\sqrt2}. $$

Therefore:

$$ S = \frac\pi4\left[3\sqrt2-\sqrt3+\sqrt2\ln\frac{2+\sqrt6}2\right]. $$


Additional Notes

Result

The surface area is:

$$ S = \frac\pi4\left[3\sqrt2-\sqrt3+\sqrt2\ln\frac{2+\sqrt6}2\right]. $$