So this time I have to evaluate the following integral:
$$\int \int \sqrt{a^2-x^2-y^2}dxdy$$ in the area
$$(x^2+y^2)^2=a^2(x^2-y^2)$$
and $$x \ge 0$$, $$a > 0 $$
So my first instinct was to introduce polar coordinates
$x=r\cos\phi$
$y=r\sin\phi$
$|J| = r$
So, substituting this we have that $$r^4 = a^2r^2\cos(2\phi)$$
or
$$r = a \sqrt{\cos(2\phi)}$$
this means that $$r \in [0, a\sqrt{\cos(2\phi)}$$
For the angle $\phi$, we have that $x \ge 0$, so $$\phi \in [-\frac{\pi}{2}, \frac{\pi}{2}]$$
Now, I'm not sure if my boundaries for the angle are correct, because in the upper boundary for $r$ I have the square root of cosine, so I don't know if I should take $\cos(2\phi) \ge 0$ into account.
If my deduction is correct, the integral would be:
$$ \int_{-\frac{\pi}{2}}^{\frac{\pi}{2}} \int_0^{a\sqrt{\cos(2\phi)}} r\sqrt{a^2-r^2}drd\phi $$
However, I'm not sure if my boundaries for the angle are correct.
Best Answer
The curve has two loops. Please note that the loop for $x \geq 0$ forms for $-\frac{\pi}{4} \leq \phi \leq \frac{\pi}{4}$ and for $x \leq 0$ forms for $\frac{3\pi}{4} \leq \phi \leq \frac{5\pi}{4}$
For the bounds you have used, you can check as an example that for $\frac{\pi}{4} \leq \phi \leq \frac{\pi}{2}, \cos2\phi \leq 0$ and hence $\sqrt{\cos2\phi}$ is not defined in that interval.
The other way to look at it is that the limits you have defined is actually for $2\phi$.
$-\frac{\pi}{2} \leq 2\phi \leq \frac{\pi}{2} \implies -\frac{\pi}{4} \leq \phi \leq \frac{\pi}{4}$
So the integral should be,
$ \displaystyle \int_{-\pi/4}^{\pi/4} \int_0^{a \sqrt{\cos 2\phi}} r \ \sqrt{a^2-r^2} \ dr \ d\phi$