Volumes with known cross sections
Problem 5.262 · medium
The base of a solid is the region between \( \displaystyle y = 4 - x^{2} \) and the \( \displaystyle x \)-axis. Cross-sections perpendicular to the \( \displaystyle x \)-axis are squares. Find the volume of the solid.
- \[ 4 - x^{2} \]At position x the base of the cross-section has length (top − bottom).✓ Proved
- \[ \left(4 - x^{2}\right)^{2} = x^{4} - 8 x^{2} + 16 \]Area of one cross-section: 1·(side)².✓ Proved
- \[ \int\limits_{-2}^{2} \left(x^{4} - 8 x^{2} + 16\right)\, dx = \frac{512}{15} \]Volume = ∫ A(x) dx across the base.✓ Proved
Answer \( \frac{512}{15} \)
Every line of this solution was proved by the computer algebra system SymPy. The answer was also checked a second way, without looking at the solution. The reviewers disagree about how one step is explained; every verdict is in the receipt.
The full receipt
| Line | Status | Checked by | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ✓ Proved | sympy 1.14.0 | simplify(lhs - rhs) reduced to 0 |
| 2 | ✓ Proved | sympy 1.14.0 | simplify(lhs - rhs) reduced to 0 |
| 3 | ✓ Proved | sympy 1.14.0 | simplify(lhs - rhs) reduced to 0 |
| answer, a second way | ✓ Checked independently | sympy 1.14.0 + mpmath 1.3.0 | numerical quadrature of the cross-sectional area |
Reviewers
gpt-oss:20b: passqwen3.6:27b-mlx: pass — The solution correctly identifies the side length of the square cross-sections, sets up the integral for the volume with correct bounds, and computes the result accurately.
Every verdict on record (4)
qwen3.6:27b-mlx: pass 2026-10-05 — The solution correctly identifies the side length of the square cross-sections, sets up the integral for the volume with correct bounds, and computes the result accurately.gpt-oss:20b: pass 2026-10-05qwen3.6:27b-mlx: inconclusive 2026-10-05 — reviewer returned a non-objectgpt-oss:20b: pass 2026-10-05
Proved: SymPy reduced the difference between the two sides to zero. Checked independently: a separate
method, named above, confirmed it. Checked numerically: the two sides agree at every sampled point, which is evidence,
not proof. Reviewed: a model or a person read it; that is all a sentence can have. Solution by
generator:structured/volume_cross_sections, checked 2026-10-05 with SymPy 1.14.0.