Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2021/prelims/mathematics-iv-resit/3/c/solution

Use the parametric curve
Here , so the ellipse stays strictly above the axis of rotation . Rotating in three dimensions gives a surface of revolution with parametrization
The two parameter tangent vectors are orthogonal, with Euclidean norms and . Hence the area element of a surface is
The generating ellipse is simple and has positive distance from the axis of rotation; its rotation sweeps the surface once, apart from the identified parameter endpoints. Also
Writing , the surface area is therefore . Since and ,
Consequently
The cancellation is an instance of the surface area of revolution of a centrally symmetric curve: the surface area is the generating curve’s arc length times the distance traveled by its center.

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