We begin this chapter with a reminder of a few key concepts from Chapter 5. Let be a continuous function on which is partitioned into equally spaced subintervals as
Let denote the length of the subintervals, and let be any -value in the subinterval. Definition 5.3.1 states that the sum
is a Riemann Sum. Riemann Sums are often used to approximate some quantity (area, volume, work, pressure, etc.). The approximation becomes exact by taking the limit
Theorem 5.3.2 connects limits of Riemann Sums to definite integrals:
Finally, the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus states how definite integrals can be evaluated using antiderivatives.
This chapter employs the following technique to a variety of applications. Suppose the value of a quantity is to be calculated. We first approximate the value of using a Riemann Sum, then find the exact value via a definite integral. We spell out this technique in the following Key Idea.
Let a quantity be given whose value is to be computed.
Divide the quantity into smaller “subquantities” of value .
Identify a variable and function such that each subquantity can be approximated with the product , where represents a small change in . Thus .
Recognize that , which is a Riemann Sum.
Taking the appropriate limit gives
This Key Idea will make more sense after we have had a chance to use it several times. We begin with Area Between Curves.