Relating integral of powers of Sin b/w 0 and pi/2 to factorial form

In summary, the conversation discusses the process of going from the integral \int\limits_0^{\pi/2} \sin^{2a+1}(x)\,dx to the factorial form {(2^a a!)}^2 \over (2a+1)! by using integration by parts multiple times. However, the speaker struggles to understand the connection and is unable to simplify the integral.
  • #1
musik132
11
0
Our integral
[tex]\int\limits_0^{\pi/2} \sin^{2a+1}(x)\,dx[/tex]

Has a Factorial Form:
[tex] {(2^a a!)}^2 \over (2a+1)![/tex]

What is the process behind going from that integral to that factorial form?

My approach which is not very insightful:
I used mathematica to calculate the integral to return:
[tex]\pmb{\frac{\sqrt{\pi } \text{Gamma}[1+a]}{2 \text{Gamma}\left[\frac{3}{2}+a\right]}}[/tex]
I know Gamma[1+a] = a! and Gamma[3/2+a] has a factorial form also but doesn't help me to reduce to that form.

Griffiths just says that integral equals (2*4*...2a)/(1*3*5...*[2a+1]) to get from this to that factorial form is easy but I got lost in his integration.
 
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  • #2
musik132 said:
Our integral
[tex]\int\limits_0^{\pi/2} \sin^{2a+1}(x)\,dx[/tex]

What do you get after integrating by parts twice?
 
  • #3
[tex]\pi/2-(2a+1)\int\limits_0^{\pi/2} \sin^{2a}(x)cos(x)x[/tex]

Sorry I still don't see how to finish the connection.

Edit: Didn't see you said twice IBP ill go back and retry this
 
  • #4
taking u = sin^2a(x) and v'=xcos(x) , I get:
[tex] -a\pi+(2a+1)(2a)\int\limits_0^{\pi/2} Sin^{2a}(x)x +Sin^{2a-1}(x)cos(x)dx[/tex]

Sadly my math isn't great and can't seem to figure out how this would lead to the factorial form.

So I tried to integrate by parts again and try to simplify and it just got really messy.
I tried to take u = sin^2a(x)cos(x) and v'=x and that got messy also compared to the one above so I didn't pursue it.
 
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1. What is the formula for the integral of powers of sine between 0 and pi/2?

The formula for the integral of powers of sine between 0 and pi/2 is (2^n-1)!! / (2^n)!!, where n is the power of the sine function.

2. How is the factorial form related to the integral of powers of sine between 0 and pi/2?

The factorial form is a way to express the integral of powers of sine between 0 and pi/2 in terms of factorials. It is derived from the binomial expansion of (1-sin(x))^(-1) and can be written as (2^n-1)!! / (2^n)!!.

3. What is the significance of the interval being between 0 and pi/2?

The interval between 0 and pi/2 is significant because it represents the first quadrant of the unit circle in trigonometry. This is where the sine function is positive and the integral of powers of sine can be easily calculated.

4. Can the formula for the integral of powers of sine between 0 and pi/2 be applied to other intervals?

Yes, the formula can be applied to other intervals by using a change of variables. For example, for an interval between 0 and a, the formula would become (a^n-1)!! / (a^n)!!.

5. How is the integral of sine related to other trigonometric functions?

The integral of sine is related to other trigonometric functions through integration by parts. By integrating sin(x), we get -cos(x), which is the integral of cosine. Similarly, the integral of cosine is sin(x). These relationships can be used to find the integrals of other trigonometric functions.

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