View Full Version : What is the theoretical 3d shape that is all surface area?
objectundefined
Apr 21, 2010, 05:13 PM
What is the theoretical 3d shape that is all surface area?
InfoJunkie4Life
Apr 22, 2010, 07:52 AM
I would imagine it would be a 3d fractal. Fractals are said to have an infinite perimeter. Turning it into a 3d object would be likely to have an infinite surface area.
Mandelbulb
Mandelbulb: The Unravelling of the Real 3D Mandelbrot Fractal (http://www.skytopia.com/project/fractal/mandelbulb.html)
Clough
Jul 1, 2010, 11:49 PM
Wow! Amazing images on that website, InfoJunkie4Life!
Thanks!
objectundefined
Jul 2, 2010, 12:27 AM
Cool images, but not what I'm looking for. It's always presented as a sort of jar. A vase-shaped, glassy object that had no volume and was all surface area.
galactus
Jul 2, 2010, 02:22 AM
I think what you are referring to is called Gabriel's Horn.
If we take the unbounded region lying between the x-axis and y=\frac{1}{x}, we get a solid with finite volume but infinite surface area.
The volume is given by:
V={\pi}\int_{1}^{\infty}(\frac{1}{x})^{2}dx={\pi}
The surface area is given by
S=2{\pi}\int_{1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{x}\sqrt{1+\frac{ 1}{x^{4}}}dx.
This is an improper integral that diverges and thus shows infinite surface area.
Because \sqrt{1+\frac{1}{x^{4}}}>1 on the interval [1,{\infty}),
and the improper integral \int_{1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{x}dx diverges,
we can conclude that the improper integral \int_{1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{x}\sqrt{1+\frac{1}{x^{4} }}dx also diverges. Therefore, the surface area is infinite.
elscarta
Jul 2, 2010, 09:08 AM
While this may not be the jar you are looking for the Menger Sponge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menger_sponge)is also a 3D object with zero volume, making it all surface area.
dmcdrmtt
Aug 15, 2011, 04:15 PM
You're looking for a Klein bottle - a 3D object with no interior. http://www.google.com/search?q=klein+bottle&hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1280&bih=691&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=cKdJTqjCEtSlsQKkpK2vCA&sqi=2&ved=0CEEQsAQ