Proof of Cavalieri's principle for Jordan measurable solids
Builds on Jordan measureUpper and lower Darboux sumsUpper and lower Darboux integralsDarboux and Riemann integrals agreeLinearity of the integralPartition of an interval
Proof
We prove the formula first for simple sets, and then squeeze between simple sets.
- Let , , and be as in the statement. We use the boxes, simple sets and measure of the definition of Jordan measure, in and in . So and .
- Case . The set is bounded, so for some and every . Hence for every . So . From now on, let .
- Lemma 1: let be an interval with endpoints in , and let be its indicator function on . Then is integrable and .
- Proof of Lemma 1. Let . Take the partition of whose points are , and those of , that lie in .
- Outside we have , so the upper Darboux sum is at most . On we have , so the lower Darboux sum is at least .
- Since is arbitrary, the upper and lower Darboux integrals of are both . By the agreement of Darboux and Riemann integrals, Lemma 1 follows.
- Lemma 2: let be a simple set in . Write as a disjoint union of nonempty boxes , where is a half-open rectangle in and , for . Then for each , is a simple set and , where is the indicator function of .
- Proof of Lemma 2. We have . These are pairwise disjoint: a common point of two of them would give a common point of two boxes . So , which is the claim.
- Also , by the definition of the volume of a box.
- Let be a simple set, written as in Lemma 2. Each is nonempty and lies in , so . By Lemma 1 and linearity of the integral, is integrable on with integral .
- Let be a simple set, written as a disjoint union of nonempty boxes . On , the indicator of equals the indicator of the interval , whose length is at most .
- By Lemma 1, Lemma 2 and linearity, is integrable on , with .
- Let . Since and are simple, the definitions of inner and outer measure give and .
- Simple sets exist, since is bounded. Fix one such . By step 13, , so is bounded on .
- Let and be the lower and upper Darboux integrals of on . Let with integrable. Then each lower sum of is at least that of , and each upper sum of is at most that of . So and .
- By steps 10, 13 and 15, for every simple . Taking the supremum, .
- By steps 12, 13 and 15, for every simple . Taking the infimum, .
- Every lower sum is at most every upper sum, so . Since is Jordan measurable, . Steps 16 and 17 give .
- So . By the agreement of Darboux and Riemann integrals, is integrable on and .
- If two such solids have equal for each , the right sides agree. So the two solids have equal volume.
Idea
For a finite union of boxes, the area of the cross-section at height is a step function of , and its integral adds up the volumes of the boxes. A Jordan measurable solid is squeezed between such unions, from inside and outside. Their cross-sections squeeze the cross-sections of the solid, so the integral of is squeezed to the volume.
Reading path
To understand this page from the ground up, read these 63 pages in order. The foundations come first. The path takes the proofs Proof that Darboux and Riemann integrals agree, Proof of the approximation property of the supremum, Proof that the reals form an ordered field, with the Cauchy sequence construction, Proof that the absolute value is multiplicative, Proof of the triangle inequality for real numbers, Proof of the linearity of the integral, Proof that the reals are Archimedean from the completeness axiom.
- Construction of the reals from Cauchy sequences concept
- Element definition
- Euclidean space object
- Infimum concept
- Integers object
- Ordered field definition
- Partition of an interval definition
- Proposition concept
- Rational numbers object
- Real numbers object
- Sequence definition
- Set bounded above definition
- Supremum concept
- Set definition
- Ring of integers statement
- Archimedean ordered field definition
- Jordan measure definition
- Mesh of a partition definition
- Refinement of a partition definition
- Riemann sum definition
- Implication definition
- Predicate definition
- The reals form a field statement
- Real sequence definition
- Infimum definition
- Supremum definition
- Ordered pair definition
- The rationals form a field statement
- Riemann integrable function definition
- Universal quantifier definition
- Bounded sequence definition
- Completeness axiom statement
- Cartesian product definition
- Riemann integral definition
- Subset definition
- The rationals form an ordered field statement
- Upper and lower Darboux sums definition
- Binary relation definition
- Definite integral definition
- Order on the reals definition
- Upper and lower Darboux integrals definition
- Antisymmetric relation definition
- Reflexive relation definition
- Transitive relation definition
- Preorder definition
- Partial order definition
- Total order definition
- Proof that the reals form an ordered field, with the Cauchy sequence construction proof
- The reals form an ordered field statement
- Absolute value definition
- Proof of the approximation property of the supremum proof
- Proof of the triangle inequality for real numbers proof
- Proof that the absolute value is multiplicative proof
- Approximation property of the supremum statement
- Triangle inequality statement
- Absolute value is multiplicative statement
- Proof that the reals are Archimedean from the completeness axiom proof
- The reals are Archimedean statement
- Proof of the linearity of the integral proof
- Linearity of the integral statement
- Proof that Darboux and Riemann integrals agree proof
- Darboux and Riemann integrals agree statement
- Proof of Cavalieri's principle for Jordan measurable solids proof
Where this leads
2 pages build on this one.
Further reading
- Web https://terrytao.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/measure-book1.pdf, Section 1.1
- Web https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalieri%27s_principle, Generalisation to measures
About this page
| Tag | CRACJJNRP9 |
|---|---|
| URI | m2://CRACJJNRP9 |
| Kind | proof |
| Writing | W0 stub |
| MSC | 28A75 |
| Proves | Cavalieri's principle |
| Uses | Jordan measure, Upper and lower Darboux sums, Upper and lower Darboux integrals, Darboux and Riemann integrals agree, Linearity of the integral, Partition of an interval |
| Changed | 4 November 2026 |
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