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MATHEMATICS - CASE STUDY

    Introduction


Rod on Scale

 

High school students in a physics class are asked to measure the mass of a non-homogeneous rod where the density varies along its length.

What is known:

  • The density of the rod can be modeled as
          ρ(x) = x2 - x + 3
    where x is the length. The density function, ρ(x), has units of g/m.
  • The length of the rod is 4 m.
     
    Questions

   

Determine the mass of the rod.

     
    Approach


 
  • If the rod is divided into many small pieces, the total mass of the stick can be approximated by summing the mass of each piece.

         
  • The definite integral can be used if the number pieces became infinite