Skip to main content

CLP-2 Integral Calculus

Chapter 2 Applications of Integration

In the previous chapter we defined the definite integral, based on its interpretation as the area of a region in the \(xy\)-plane. We also developed a bunch of theory to help us work with integrals. This abstract definition, and the associated theory, turns out to be extremely useful simply because "areas of regions in the \(xy\)-plane" appear in a huge number of different settings, many of which seem superficially not to involve "areas of regions in the \(xy\)-plane". Here are some examples.
  • The work involved in moving a particle or in pumping a fluid out of a reservoir. See section 2.1.
  • The average value of a function. See section 2.2.
  • The center of mass of an object. See section 2.3.
  • The time dependence of temperature. See section 2.4.
  • Radiocarbon dating. See section 2.4.
Let us start with the first of these examples.