Final answer:
To find the area of the surface generated by revolving the curve y = 81 - x^2 about the x-axis, use the formula for the surface area of revolution and evaluate the definite integral.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the area of the surface generated by revolving the curve y = 81 - x^2 about the x-axis, we can use the formula for the surface area of revolution:
S = 2π ∫[a,b] f(x) √(1 + [f'(x)]^2) dx
In this case, a = -8 and b = 8. The derivative of f(x) = 81 - x^2 is f'(x) = -2x. Plugging these values into the formula, we get:
S = 2π ∫[-8,8] (81 - x^2) √(1 + (-2x)^2) dx
Now, we can evaluate this definite integral to find the area of the surface.