Consider the region bounded by the following two functions:
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and 
- a) Using the lower sum with three rectangles having equal width, approximate the area.
- b) Using the upper sum with three rectangles having equal width, approximate the area.
- c) Find the actual area of the region.
| Foundations:
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| Recall:
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- 1. The height of each rectangle in the lower Riemann sum is given by choosing the minimum
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value of the left and right endpoints of the rectangle.
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- 2. The height of each rectangle in the upper Riemann sum is given by choosing the maximum
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value of the left and right endpoints of the rectangle.
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- 3. The area of the region is given by
for appropriate values 
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Solution:
(a)
| Step 1:
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| We need to set these two equations equal in order to find the intersection points of these functions.
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| So, we let
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- Failed to parse (Conversion error. Server ("https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_") reported: "Cannot get mml. Server problem."): {\displaystyle 2(-x^{2}+9)=0.}
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| Solving for Failed to parse (Conversion error. Server ("https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_") reported: "Cannot get mml. Server problem."): {\displaystyle x,}
we get Failed to parse (Conversion error. Server ("https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_") reported: "Cannot get mml. Server problem."): {\displaystyle x=\pm 3.}
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| This means that we need to calculate the Riemann sums over the interval Failed to parse (Conversion error. Server ("https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_") reported: "Cannot get mml. Server problem."): {\displaystyle [-3,3].}
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| Step 2:
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Since the length of our interval is and we are using rectangles,
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each rectangle will have width
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| Thus, the lower Riemann sum is
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- Failed to parse (Conversion error. Server ("https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_") reported: "Cannot get mml. Server problem."): {\displaystyle 2(f(-3)+f(-1)+f(3))\,=\,2(0+16+0)\,=\,32.}
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(b)
| Step 1:
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As in Part (a), the length of our inteval is and
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each rectangle will have width (See Step 1 and 2 for (a))
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| Step 2:
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| Thus, the upper Riemann sum is
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- Failed to parse (Conversion error. Server ("https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_") reported: "Cannot get mml. Server problem."): {\displaystyle 2(f(-1)+f(-1)+f(1))\,=\,2(16+16+16)\,=\,96.}
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(c)
| Step 1:
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| To find the actual area of the region, we need to calculate
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- Failed to parse (Conversion error. Server ("https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_") reported: "Cannot get mml. Server problem."): {\displaystyle \int _{-3}^{3}2(-x^{2}+9)~dx.}
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| Step 2:
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| We integrate to get
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| Final Answer:
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(a)
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| (b) Failed to parse (Conversion error. Server ("https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_") reported: "Cannot get mml. Server problem."): {\displaystyle 96}
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| (c) Failed to parse (Conversion error. Server ("https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_") reported: "Cannot get mml. Server problem."): {\displaystyle 72}
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