∫dx/((x^(2/3)(x+1)), integrated over [0,∞]

Jamin2112

1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known data

As in thread title.

2. Relevant equations

Residue Theorem.

3. The attempt at a solution

I just need help figuring out the circle C I'll be using. Suggestions?

vela

What does the presence of z^2/3 tell you?

Jamin2112

Other than that there's a pole at z=0?

vela

Yes, other than that. In particular, what's the effect of the fractional power?

Jamin2112

Change the distance between z and the origin from r to r^2/3
Change the angle between z and the x-axis from ø to 2ø/3

vela

Right. Do you know what a branch point and a branch cut are?

Jamin2112

Yeah, I somehow need a loop that avoid z=-1 and z=0. Right?

vela

It's more that you want to avoid crossing the branch cut than avoiding z=0, and you obviously want a piece or pieces of the contour to correspond to the original integral.

Jamin2112

So I'd take R>1 and make a half circle of radius R in the upper half of the plane. Then I'd make two little half circles that jump over z=-1 and z=0. Then I'd look at ∫_C f(z)dz as the sum of several integrals, one of which can written as a real-valued integral and see what happens as R→∞ and the radii of the little half circles go to zero. Right?

vela

No, that's too complicated. Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methods...93_branch_cuts.

Also, rewrite the integrand as
$$\frac{z^{1/3}}{z(z+1)}$$to make it clear how to calculate the residue at z=0.

Jamin2112

So in my case the path should resemble a backwards Pacman?

vela

Doesn't the answer to that question depend on which way Pacman is moving?

Jamin2112

I forgot that PacMan is in perpetual motion.

But yeah, how am I gonna do this? I need C to be formed from a series of paths, each of which will have a line integral that approaches a real value after I take some limit.

vela

Start by taking the keyhole contour and break it into four pieces and evaluate the line integral for each piece.

Jamin2112

How would that work? I want ∫f(x)dx (integrated on [0, R]) to be one of the four line integrals.

vela

That's what you're supposed to figure out. Did you understand the example on Wikipedia? That's pretty much the recipe you want to follow.