Surfaces and surface integrals

1 Definition of a surface
It is intuitive that a curve is a one dimensional object while a surface has two dimensions. A
point can be located on a curve by giving only one coordinate, its distance from the start of the
curve, for example, while we need two coordinates to identify a point on a surface. Therefore,
while a curve is a vector function of only one parameter,

r(t) = f (t)i + g(t)j + h(t)k, a ≤ t ≤ b,

a surface is a vector function of two parameters,

r(u, v) = x(u, v)i + y(u, v)j + z(u, v)k,

where u and v vary in a region D. More formally,

Definition - A surface is an ordered set of three continuous functions defined in a closed con-
nected region D:

 x = x(u, v),
y = y(u, v), (u, v) ∈ D.

z = z(u, v),

v z

D
r(u,v)
u y

x
Figure 1: As the parameters u and v vary in the domain D the position vector describes a surface in
the three dimensional space (x, y, z). The coordinate grid in the domain D (left figure) are transformed
in a coordinate grid on the surface (right figure). For example, the coordinate lines u = u0 , where u0 is a
constant, (dashed lines) becomes the coordinate curves r(u0 , v).
 MA156 - Surfaces and surface integrals 2

z z

1 1

r(u,v)
r(u,v)
v
v

u y v y

x x

Figure 2: Example 2 Figure 3: Example 3

Example 1 - The equations


 x = x1 + u(x2 − x1 ) + v(x3 − x1 ),
y = y1 + u(y2 − y1 ) + v(y3 − y1 ), − ∞ < u, v < +∞

z = z1 + u(z2 − z1 ) + v(z3 − z1 ),

represent a plane that contains the points

P1 = (x1 , y1, z1 ), P2 = (x2 , y2, z2 ), P3 = (x3 , y3 , z3 ).

Example 2 - The surface


0 ≤ u ≤ 2π,
r(u, v) = a cos(u)i + a sin(u)j + vk,
0 ≤ v ≤ 1,

represents a cylinder of radius a and height 1 whose axis is the z axis (see Figure 2).
Example 3 - The surface

0 ≤ u ≤ 2π,
r(u, v) = v cos(u)i + v sin(u)j + vk,
0 ≤ v ≤ 1,

represents a cone of height 1 whose axis is the z axis (see Figure 3).
Example 4 - The surface

0 ≤ u ≤ π,
r(u, v) = a sin(u) cos(v)i + a sin(u) sin(v)j + a cos(u)k,
0 ≤ v ≤ 2π,

represents a sphere of radius a centred at the origin.

 MA156 - Surfaces and surface integrals 3

dr dr
x
du dv

dr
dv dv
r(u0,v) dr du
du dS

r(u 0+du,v)

r(u,v 0 +dv)
r(u,v0)

Figure 4: Geometrical interpretation of the area element. By changing the coordinate of a point on the
surface, r(u0 , v0 ) by small amounts du and dv, we describe a small patch whose area dS is given by the
cross product of the partial derivatives of the surface r(u, v).

2 Area of a surface
It can be shown that a sensible definition of the area of a surface, r(u, v) where (u, v) ∈ D, is
Z  
 ∂r ∂r 
 
Area =  ∂u × ∂v  dudv,
D

where ∂r/∂u and ∂r/∂v are the partial derivatives of the vector r(u, v) with respect to its argu-
ment. The vector
∂r ∂r
n(u, v) = ×
∂u ∂v
is perpendicular to the surface at the point r(u, v). Its modulus,
 
 ∂r ∂r 
dS =   × 
∂u ∂v 
is called the area element: it represents the area of a small patch of the surface obtained by
changing the coordinates u and v by small amounts du and dv (see Figure 4). The area of the
surface can also be indicated by the symbol
Z
Area = dS,
S

the integral over the surface S of the area element dS.

Example 1: Find the area of the cylinder of radius a and height h.
 MA156 - Surfaces and surface integrals 4

Using geometry
The area of a cylinder is the perimeter of the base times the height of the cylinder:

Area = 2πah.

Surface Element
The surface of the cylinder can be parametrised by

r(u, v) = a cos(u)i + a sin(u)j + vk, 0 ≤ u ≤ 2π, 0 ≤ v ≤ h.

To find the surface element we need the partial derivatives of r(u, v) with respect to u and v:

∂r
= −a sin(u)i + a cos(u)j,
∂u
∂r
= k,
∂v
∂r ∂r
× = a cos(u)i + a sin(u)j, Radial vector in the xy-plane
∂u ∂v 
 ∂r ∂r 

dS =  ×  dudv = adudv.
∂u ∂v 

Therefore the area of the cylinder is

Z Z   Z 2π Z h
 ∂r ∂r 
Area = dS =   ×  dudv = du dv a = 2πah.
S ∂u ∂v  0 0

Geometrical construction of the Surface element

The most “natural” coordinate system to identify a point on the surface of the cylinder is a
cylindrical coordinate system (φ, z), with the implied condition that all the points of the surface
have distance r = a from the z-axis (see Figure 5):

r(φ, z) = a cos(φ)i + a sin(φ)j + zk, 0 ≤ φ ≤ 2π, 0 ≤ z ≤ h.

The vector normal to the surface is a vector n perpendicular to the z axis and pointing radially
outward and the surface element is dS = adzdφ (see Figure 5).
The area of the cylinder is
Z Z 2π Z h
Area = dS = adzdφ = 2πah.
S 0 0
 MA156 - Surfaces and surface integrals 5

z z

dθ

dz
z
n
a
a a dθ
θ y

Figure 5: Description of a cylindrical surface and its surface element in cylindrical coordinates.
p
Example 2: Find the area of the cone z = x2 + y 2 , 0 ≤ z ≤ 1.
Using geometry
The surface of a cone is one half the product of the perimeter of its base times the length of
the cone side. The cone described by
p
z = x2 + y 2 , 0 ≤ z ≤ 1,
√
has a base of radius one and the side has length 2. Therefore its area is
√
2 √
Area = 2π = 2π.
2
Surface Element
The surface of the cone can be parametrised by
p
r(x, y) = xi + yj + x2 + y 2k.
Since
p
0 ≤ z ≤ 1 =⇒ 0 ≤ x2 + y 2 ≤ 1 =⇒ x2 + y 2 ≤ 1,
the domain where x and y vary is a disk D of radius one and centred at the origin.
Finally the surface element is given by
∂r x
=i+ p k,
∂x x2 + y 2
∂r y
=j+p k,
∂y x2 + y 2
∂r ∂r x y
× = −p i− p j + k,
∂x ∂y 2
x +y 2 x + y2
2
 
 ∂r ∂r  √
dS =  ×  dxdy = 2dxdy.
∂x ∂y 
 MA156 - Surfaces and surface integrals 6

Therefore the cone’s area is

Z Z √ √ √
Area = dS = 2dxdy = 2 × Area of disk D = 2π.
S D

Exercise - Use the parametrisation

r(u, v) = u cos(v)i + u sin(v)j + uk, 0 ≤ u ≤ 1, 0 ≤ v ≤ 2π,

to evaluate the integral.

Example 3: Find the area of a hemisphere of radius a.

Using geometry

Area = 2πa2 .

Surface Element
The surface can be parametrised by

r(u, v) = a cos(u) sin(v)i + a sin(u) sin(v)j + a cos(v)k, 0 ≤ u ≤ 2π, 0 ≤ v ≤ π/2.

The surface element is given by:

∂r
= −a sin(u) sin(v)i + a cos(u) sin(v)j,
∂u
∂r
= a cos(u) cos(v)i + a sin(u) cos(v)j − a sin(v)k,
∂v
∂r ∂r Opposite of the
× = −a2 cos(u) sin2 (v)i − a2 sin(u) sin2 (v)j − a2 sin(v) cos(v)k,
∂u ∂v radial vector
 
 ∂r ∂r 

dS =  ×  dudv = sin(v)a2 dudv.
∂u ∂v 

The area of the hemisphere is

Z Z 2π Z π/2
Area = dS = du dv sin(v)a2 = 2πa2 .
S 0 0

Geometrical construction of the surface element

The most “natural” coordinate system to describe a sphere is the spherical one, (φ, θ), with
the implied condition that the radial coordinate is fixed, r = a, where a is the radius of the
sphere:

r(φ, θ) = a cos(φ) sin(θ)i + a sin(φ) sin(θ)j + a cos(θ)k, 0 ≤ φ ≤ 2π, 0 ≤ θ ≤ π/2.

 MA156 - Surfaces and surface integrals 7

z n
z
a dθ

θ
a sinθ d φ

y
φ a

x y

Figure 6: Description of a hemispherical surface and its area element in spherical coordinates.

The surface element (see Figure 6) is

dS = a2 sin(θ)dθdφ,
while the vector normal to the hemispherical surface points in the radial direction. The area of
the hemisphere is
Z Z π/2 Z 2π Z π/2
2 2
Area = dS = dθ dφ a sin(θ) = 2πa sin(θ)dθ = 2πa2 .
S 0 0 0

3 Surface integral of a function

It is possible to extend the concept of integral of a function of two variables, f (x, y), on a region
D of the plane,
Z
f (x, y) dA,
D

to the integral of a function of three variables, f (x, y, z), on a surface r(u, v),
Z
f dS,
S

the surface integral of the function f . If we assume that the surface r(u, v) is a sheet of material
of surface density f , then we can interpret the surface integral as the mass of the sheet.
Suppose that the surface r(u, v) is defined on a domain D. The surface integral of f (x, y, z)
is defined as
Z Z  
 ∂r ∂r 
f dS = f [r(u, v)]  ×  dudv.
S D ∂u ∂v 
 MA156 - Surfaces and surface integrals 8

Notice that the function f is evaluated only on the points of the surface, i.e. f [r(u, v)] =
f [x(u, v), y(u, v), z(u, v)].
Example - Find the mass of the cylinder

0 ≤ u ≤ 2π,
r(u, v) = a cos(u)i + a sin(u)j + vk,
0 ≤ v ≤ h,

if its surface density is f (x, y, z) = z(x2 + y 2).

The area element is
 
 ∂r ∂r 
dS =  ×  dudv = adudv.
∂u ∂v 

The function evaluated on the surface is


f [r(u, v)] = f [a cos(u), a sin(u), v] = [a cos(u)]2 + [a sin(u)]2 v = a2 v.

The mass of the surface is given by

Z Z 2π Z h Z 2π Z h
2 3
M = f dS = du dv a a v = a du v dv = πa3 h2 .
S 0 0 0 0