- #1
Omid
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Today I was reading my favorite calculus textbook, that saw the integration formula for tan(x).
It was : Integral of tan(x) = -ln|cosx| + C .
I know that when we say integral of tanx we mean, what is the function whose derivative is tanx. So started to take the derivative of -ln |cosx|, in order to prove the formula. But what could I do with the absolute value sign ? I just ignored it and took the derivative. It worked and I arrived at the answer, tan(x). Now there are 2 questions. 1. why is the sign there anymore? 2. what is the right approach while taking derivative of functions involving absolute value sign? Do we ignore them always, as I did in this case ?
Thanks
It was : Integral of tan(x) = -ln|cosx| + C .
I know that when we say integral of tanx we mean, what is the function whose derivative is tanx. So started to take the derivative of -ln |cosx|, in order to prove the formula. But what could I do with the absolute value sign ? I just ignored it and took the derivative. It worked and I arrived at the answer, tan(x). Now there are 2 questions. 1. why is the sign there anymore? 2. what is the right approach while taking derivative of functions involving absolute value sign? Do we ignore them always, as I did in this case ?
Thanks