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    Riemann Sum Example Problem

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    ujwala_512
    The document discusses using Riemann sums to approximate the area under a curve. It shows using left, right, and midpoint approximations with 4 rectangles to estimate the area under the curve y=x^2+1 from x=0 to x=2. Increasing the number of rectangles improves the approximation, with the right and midpoint methods bounding the true area. The document also demonstrates approximating other functions like y=sin(x) using Riemann sums on a graphing calculator.

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Riemann Sum Example Problem

    Uploaded by

    ujwala_512
    386 views6 pages
    The document discusses using Riemann sums to approximate the area under a curve. It shows using left, right, and midpoint approximations with 4 rectangles to estimate the area under the curve y=x^2+1 from x=0 to x=2. Increasing the number of rectangles improves the approximation, with the right and midpoint methods bounding the true area. The document also demonstrates approximating other functions like y=sin(x) using Riemann sums on a graphing calculator.

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    calculus

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    The document discusses using Riemann sums to approximate the area under a curve. It shows using left, right, and midpoint approximations with 4 rectangles to estimate the area under the curve y=x^2+1 from x=0 to x=2. Increasing the number of rectangles improves the approximation, with the right and midpoint methods bounding the true area. The document also demonstrates approximating other functions like y=sin(x) using Riemann sums on a graphing calculator.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    386 views6 pages

    Riemann Sum Example Problem

    Uploaded by

    ujwala_512
    The document discusses using Riemann sums to approximate the area under a curve. It shows using left, right, and midpoint approximations with 4 rectangles to estimate the area under the curve y=x^2+1 from x=0 to x=2. Increasing the number of rectangles improves the approximation, with the right and midpoint methods bounding the true area. The document also demonstrates approximating other functions like y=sin(x) using Riemann sums on a graphing calculator.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 6
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    The document discusses using Riemann sums to approximate the area under a curve by dividing the region into rectangles and adding their areas.

    Riemann sums divide the region into rectangles and approximate the area under the curve by adding the areas of the rectangles. Taking finer partitions leads to a better approximation.

    The three types discussed are left, right, and midpoint Riemann sums.

    Riemann Sum Example Problem

    1 of 6

    http://www2.seminolestate.edu/lvosbury/CalculusI_Folder/RiemannSum...

    Seminole State Homepage

    Calculus I

    Calculus II
    Homepage

    Calculus III

    Diff Eq

    Calculus

    Riemann Sums and Area


    The curve in red in the pictures below is the graph
    of y = x2 + 1.
    The goal is to approximate and then compute
    exactly the area between the x-axis and the graph
    of y = x2 + 1 with x between 0 and 2. The region
    being described is shown at the right in red.
    Initially I will use four approximating rectangles.
    As demonstrated in class, I will do it three times. I
    will first use a left approximation, then a right
    approximation, and then a midpoint
    approximation.

    Left

    Right

    In the picture above the width of each rectangle will


    be 1/2 and the length (height) will be the value of the
    function evaluated at the left end of the subinterval
    corresponding to that rectangle. In this case the area
    of the region will be approximated by

    In the picture above the width of each rectangle will


    be 1/2 and the length (height) will be the value of the
    function evaluated at the right end of the subinterval
    corresponding to that rectangle. In this case the area
    of the region will be approximated by

    The left approach would give a low estimate and the right approach would give a high estimate.

    9/2/2011 9:18 PM

    Riemann Sum Example Problem

    2 of 6

    http://www2.seminolestate.edu/lvosbury/CalculusI_Folder/RiemannSum...

    A pretty good estimate could be computed by taking the average of the left and right approximations.

    A good estimate of the area of the region would


    Midpoint
    appear to be the area approximation derived from
    the midpoint approach taken on the right. At least
    this "looks" pretty accurate with the "top" of each
    approximating rectangle partially above and
    partially below the red graph of the function f(x) =
    x2 + 1.

    In the picture above the width of each rectangle will


    be 1/2 and the length (height) will be the value of the
    function evaluated at the midpoint of the subinterval
    corresponding to that rectangle. In this case the area
    of the region will be approximated by

    Let's try using more approximating rectangles and focus first on the right approximation.

    9/2/2011 9:18 PM

    Riemann Sum Example Problem

    3 of 6

    http://www2.seminolestate.edu/lvosbury/CalculusI_Folder/RiemannSum...

    Quicktime Animation: right Riemann sum

    At this point we can certainly conclude that the area of the region cannot be more than the limit
    computed above.
    It also cannot be less than than a limit we could compute relating to a left approximation method. Let's
    see what that would be.

    9/2/2011 9:18 PM

    Riemann Sum Example Problem

    4 of 6

    http://www2.seminolestate.edu/lvosbury/CalculusI_Folder/RiemannSum...

    Quicktime Animation: left Riemann sum

    Just for fun let's look further at the midpoint method.


    Quicktime Animation: midpoint Riemann sum

    9/2/2011 9:18 PM

    Riemann Sum Example Problem

    5 of 6

    http://www2.seminolestate.edu/lvosbury/CalculusI_Folder/RiemannSum...

    What if we do not have a summation formula that applies? For example, how could we approximate the
    area under the graph of y = sin(x) and above the x-axis with x between 0 and pi.

    We will soon discover that the exact area of the region is 2 square units. Using the summation feature of
    a TI-89 and n = 1000 yields 1.99999835507. In the picture above on the right n = 10 and the area
    approximation is 1.983523538 using a TI-89 or Maple. The approximation for n = 2000 is 1.99999958876

    9/2/2011 9:18 PM

    Riemann Sum Example Problem

    6 of 6

    http://www2.seminolestate.edu/lvosbury/CalculusI_Folder/RiemannSum...

    (TI-89). The accuracy of these "right" approximations is increased by the fact that the function is
    increasing over the first half of the interval and decreasing over the second half of the interval. Thus
    some of the approximating rectangles are too large and some are too small and the errors tend to balance
    themselves. Quicktime animation using the midpoint method.
    One More Example--Again Using a TI to Approximate the Sum. The approximated area for n = 10 is
    16.26332364.

    Here is a Maple worksheet for computing the sum above.


    return

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    in such site has been endorsed or approved by this site.
    Lane Vosbury, Math Chair, Seminole Community College email: [email protected]
    This page was last updated on 10/08/08

    Copyright 2002

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    9/2/2011 9:18 PM

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