Volume by cylindrical shells worksheet
Spin a region about the y axis and a thin strip at x sweeps out a tube. Unroll the tube and it is a rectangle: its height times its circumference, which is where the 2 pi x comes from.
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Sigma Prep · sigmaprep.io/worksheets Name Volume by Shells Date Period Find the volume of each solid. Give exact values.
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Sigma Prep · sigmaprep.io/worksheets Name Volume by ShellsAnswer keyVersion 1 Date Period Find the volume of each solid. Give exact values.
Free math worksheets at sigmaprep.io/worksheets© 2026 Sigma Prep |
How to do these
The region under from to is spun about the -axis.
- A strip at x sweeps out a tube of radius x and height x.
- So the volume is 2 pi times the integral of x times x, from 0 to 2.
- That is 2 pi times 8 over 3, which is 16 pi over 3.
The answer is .
Where students go wrong
Forgetting the x in front. The 2 pi x is the circumference of the tube, and without it the integral is the area of the region rather than the volume of the solid.
Also called shell method, cylindrical shells or volume about the y-axis.
What you can put on this worksheet
- Volume by cylindrical shells
- The region bounded by , the -axis, and is spun about the -axis. Find the volume using shells. →
- About other vertical lines
- The region under on is revolved about . Use shells to find the volume. →
- Two curves, roots, and about x = -c
- Use shells to find the volume when the region bounded by , , and is revolved about the -axis. →