How do I use polar coordinates to find the volume of a sphere of radius r?

1 Answer

The volume is V=43πr3

Explanation:

The equation of a sphere is x2+y2+z2=r2

From the equation we get

z=±r2(x2+y2)

The volume of the sphere is given by

V=2x2+y2rr2x2y2dA

Using polar coordinates x=rcosa,y=rsina and substituing

to the integral above

V=22π0r0r2a2rdrda

Which is calculated easily giving V=43πr3