Area of region {(x,y): 4x²+y²≤8 and y²≤4x} equals

Area of region {(x,y): 4x²+y²≤8 and y²≤4x} equals | JEE Main Mathematics
Q738 MCQ Integral Calculus
The area (in square units) of the region
$A = \{(x,y) : 4x^2 + y^2 \leq 8 \text{ and } y^2 \leq 4x\}$
is equal to:
A) $\pi + \dfrac{2}{3}$ ✓
B) $2\pi – \dfrac{2}{3}$
C) $\pi + \dfrac{4}{3}$
D) $\pi$
✅ Correct Answer
A) π + 2/3
Solution Steps
1
Identify the curves

Ellipse: $4x^2 + y^2 = 8 \Rightarrow \dfrac{x^2}{2} + \dfrac{y^2}{8} = 1$

Semi-axes: $b = \sqrt{2}$ (along $x$), $a = 2\sqrt{2}$ (along $y$)

Parabola: $y^2 = 4x$ (opens right, vertex at origin)

2
Find intersection points

Substitute $y^2 = 4x$ into ellipse equation:

$4x^2 + 4x = 8$

$x^2 + x – 2 = 0$

$(x-1)(x+2) = 0$

Since $x \geq 0$ (parabola): $x = 1,\; y = \pm 2$

Intersection points: $(1, 2)$ and $(1, -2)$

3
Set up the area integral

By symmetry about $x$-axis:

$$A = 2\left[\int_0^1 2\sqrt{x}\,dx + \int_1^{\sqrt{2}} \sqrt{8-4x^2}\,dx\right]$$

For $0 \leq x \leq 1$: parabola gives $|y| \leq 2\sqrt{x}$

For $1 \leq x \leq \sqrt{2}$: ellipse gives $|y| \leq \sqrt{8-4x^2}$

4
Evaluate Part 1: Parabola region

$$I_1 = 2\int_0^1 2\sqrt{x}\,dx = 4\cdot\left[\frac{x^{3/2}}{3/2}\right]_0^1 = 4\cdot\frac{2}{3} = \frac{8}{3}$$

5
Evaluate Part 2: Ellipse region

$$I_2 = 2\int_1^{\sqrt{2}} \sqrt{8-4x^2}\,dx = 4\int_1^{\sqrt{2}} \sqrt{2-x^2}\,dx$$

Use formula: $\int\sqrt{a^2-x^2}\,dx = \dfrac{x}{2}\sqrt{a^2-x^2}+\dfrac{a^2}{2}\sin^{-1}\!\dfrac{x}{a}+C$

With $a = \sqrt{2}$:

$$4\left[\frac{x}{2}\sqrt{2-x^2}+\sin^{-1}\!\frac{x}{\sqrt{2}}\right]_1^{\sqrt{2}}$$

At $x=\sqrt{2}$: $\dfrac{\sqrt{2}}{2}\cdot 0 + \sin^{-1}(1) = \dfrac{\pi}{2}$

At $x=1$: $\dfrac{1}{2}\cdot 1 + \sin^{-1}\!\dfrac{1}{\sqrt{2}} = \dfrac{1}{2}+\dfrac{\pi}{4}$

$$I_2 = 4\left[\frac{\pi}{2} – \frac{1}{2} – \frac{\pi}{4}\right] = 4\left[\frac{\pi}{4}-\frac{1}{2}\right] = \pi – 2$$

6
Total Area

$$A = I_1 + I_2 = \frac{8}{3} + (\pi – 2)$$

$$= \pi + \frac{8}{3} – 2 = \pi + \frac{8-6}{3} = \boxed{\pi + \frac{2}{3}}$$

✓ Answer: A) π + 2/3

📐
Theory: Area Between Curves
Ellipse–Parabola Area Method
To find the area of intersection of an ellipse $\frac{x^2}{a^2}+\frac{y^2}{b^2}=1$ and a parabola $y^2=4px$:

Step 1: Find intersection points by substitution.
Step 2: Determine which curve is the tighter bound in each $x$-interval.
Step 3: Use symmetry (about $x$-axis) to simplify.
Step 4: Evaluate $\int\sqrt{a^2-x^2}\,dx = \frac{x}{2}\sqrt{a^2-x^2}+\frac{a^2}{2}\sin^{-1}\frac{x}{a}+C$ for the ellipse part.

This is a standard JEE pattern — always check which boundary is active at each $x$ value.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q
Why do we integrate from 0 to √2 and not beyond?
The parabola $y^2=4x$ requires $x \geq 0$. The ellipse exists from $x=-\sqrt{2}$ to $x=\sqrt{2}$, but the parabola restricts to $x \geq 0$. At $x=\sqrt{2}$, the ellipse closes ($y=0$), so the region ends there.
Q
How do we know the parabola is tighter for 0 ≤ x ≤ 1?
At $x=0.5$: parabola gives $y=\pm\sqrt{2}\approx\pm1.41$; ellipse gives $y=\pm\sqrt{7}\approx\pm2.65$. So parabola is the smaller (tighter) bound for $0 \leq x \leq 1$.
Q
Why does the formula give sin⁻¹(1) = π/2 at x = √2?
At $x=\sqrt{2}$ with $a=\sqrt{2}$: $\sin^{-1}(x/a) = \sin^{-1}(1) = \pi/2$. This is just the standard value of the inverse sine function.
Q
What is sin⁻¹(1/√2)?
$\sin^{-1}(1/\sqrt{2}) = \pi/4 = 45°$ since $\sin(45°) = 1/\sqrt{2}$. This is used in evaluating the lower limit of the integral.
Q
What is the complete area of the ellipse 4x²+y²=8?
Area of ellipse $\frac{x^2}{a^2}+\frac{y^2}{b^2}=1$ is $\pi ab$. Here $a=\sqrt{2}, b=2\sqrt{2}$, so area $= \pi\cdot\sqrt{2}\cdot 2\sqrt{2} = 4\pi$. Our shaded region $\pi+2/3$ is only a portion of this.
Q
Can we use the substitution x = √2 sin θ for the ellipse integral?
Yes! Let $x=\sqrt{2}\sin\theta$, then $\sqrt{2-x^2} = \sqrt{2}\cos\theta$ and $dx=\sqrt{2}\cos\theta\,d\theta$. Limits: $x=1 \Rightarrow \theta=\pi/4$; $x=\sqrt{2} \Rightarrow \theta=\pi/2$. This gives the same result more elegantly.
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