Antiderivative involving a radical

In summary: The first term on the left-hand side is the integral of the function u over the interval [0,1] The second term on the left-hand side is the product of the function u and the radical The third term on the left-hand side is the integral of the function u over the interval [1,2] The fourth term on the left-hand side is the product of the function u and the radical The integral on the right-hand side is simply the sum of the integrals on the left-hand side.In summary, the student attempted to integrate the sum of the squares of x and 1-x, and was unable to do so due to
  • #1
nuuskur
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Homework Statement


[tex]\int\frac{1}{(x+1)^2}\sqrt{\frac{x}{1-x}}{\rm{d}}x[/tex]

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


Utterly perplexed. Have no ideas how to do this one. Did try bringing the entire thing under square root and try partial fractions, but the entire thing is modified by the square root. I can't integrate the sum separately or anything.
Integration by parts is even more devastating and more incomprehensible. Not sure how to proceed. Is there a cunning substitution to be made? Hints, please.
Thanks
 
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  • #2
Partial fractions aren't recommended because of the square root.

Since you have various powers of linear terms in x, have you tried u-substitution?
 
  • #3
Alright, I managed this so far:
substituting the radical for u:
[tex]u = \sqrt{\frac{x}{1-x}} \Rightarrow x = \frac{u^2}{u^2 +1}, {\rm{d}}x = \frac{2u}{(u^2 +1)^2}{\rm{d}}u[/tex]
resulting in
[tex]\int\frac{2u^2}{(2u^2 + 1)^2}{\rm{d}}u[/tex]
adding 1 and -1 in the numerator:
[tex]\int\frac{{\rm{d}}u}{2u^2 + 1} - \int\frac{{\rm{d}}u}{(2u^2 + 1)^2}[/tex]
The first one is ok, but the second integral is troublesome. Partial fractions yield no result.
 
  • #4
I would have tried something like u = 1 + x or u = 1 - x, rather than mess with the radical as a whole.
 
  • #5
My thought process went along the lines of "get rid of the square root, somehow". How will I be able to integrate the second integral I wound up with? I feel like I'm on the right track.
EDIT: Right as I posted, I thought about trigonometric substitution. To be continued..
 
  • #6
I don't know why you say "partial fractions" doesn't work. They usual "partial fractions" format says that we can write this as
[tex]\frac{1}{(u^2+ 1)^2}= \frac{Au+ B}{u^2+ 1}+ \frac{Cu+ D}{(u^2+ 1)^2}[/tex]
There are a number of different ways to solve for A, B, C, and D. Perhaps the simplest is to multiply both sides by [tex](u^2+ 1)^2[/tex] to get
[tex]1= (Au+ B)(u^2+ 1)+ Cu+ D[/tex]
This must be true for all u. Setting u to 4 different values will give 4 different equations to solve for A, B, C, and D.
Setting u= 0, B+ D= 1.
Setting u= 1, 2A+ 2B+ C+ D= 1.
Setting u= -1, -2A+2B- 2C+ D= 1.
Setting u= 2, 10A+ 5B+ 2C+ D= 1.

Solve those four equations for A, B, C, and D. I would start by adding the last two equation to get an equation with only A, B, and D in it, then Add twice the second equation to get another equation with only A, B, and D. Combine those two equations to eliminate A. Combine that equation, with only B and D, with B+ D= 1, to eliminate either B or D.
 
  • #7
Managed to figure it out: In the second integral i can substitute
[tex]\tan{t} = \sqrt{2}u , \frac{{\rm{d}}t}{\cos^2{t}} = \sqrt{2}{\rm{d}}u\\ \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}\int\frac{{\rm{d}}t}{(\tan^2{t}+1)^2 \cos^2{t}}[/tex]
[itex]\tan^2{x} +1 = \frac{1}{\cos^2{x}}[/itex] so we get that it is:
[tex]\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}\int \cos^2{t}{\rm{d}}t[/tex]which is a piece of cake.

Thank you HallsofIvy, I will try your suggestion aswell, I must have done something wrong when I tried partial fractions.
 
  • #8
HallsofIvy said:
I don't know why you say "partial fractions" doesn't work. They usual "partial fractions" format says that we can write this as
[tex]\frac{1}{(u^2+ 1)^2}= \frac{Au+ B}{u^2+ 1}+ \frac{Cu+ D}{(u^2+ 1)^2}[/tex]


That doesn't seem likely to get anywhere since A=B=C=0, D=1 is the original problem.
 
  • #9
nuuskur said:
Alright, I managed this so far:
substituting the radical for u:
[tex]u = \sqrt{\frac{x}{1-x}} \Rightarrow x = \frac{u^2}{u^2 +1}, {\rm{d}}x = \frac{2u}{(u^2 +1)^2}{\rm{d}}u[/tex]
resulting in
[tex]\int\frac{2u^2}{(2u^2 + 1)^2}{\rm{d}}u[/tex]

You can now factor the integrand as [tex]
\int u \frac{2u}{(2u^2 + 1)^2}\,du[/tex] and integrate by parts.
 

1. What is an antiderivative involving a radical?

An antiderivative involving a radical is the reverse process of taking the derivative of a function with a radical in it. It involves finding a function whose derivative is the original function with the radical.

2. What are some common types of radicals in antiderivatives?

Some common types of radicals in antiderivatives include square roots, cube roots, and higher order roots. These radicals can also be combined with other functions, such as polynomials, trigonometric functions, and exponential functions.

3. How do you find the antiderivative of a function with a radical?

To find the antiderivative of a function with a radical, you can use the power rule for integration. This involves raising the power of the radical by one and dividing by the new power. You can then simplify the resulting expression to find the antiderivative.

4. Can you use the chain rule for antiderivatives involving radicals?

Yes, the chain rule can be used in some cases for antiderivatives involving radicals. This is especially useful when the function with the radical is nested inside another function. In this case, you can use the chain rule to find the antiderivative.

5. How do you check if your antiderivative involving a radical is correct?

You can check your antiderivative by taking the derivative of the resulting function and seeing if it matches the original function with the radical. You can also use graphing software to plot both functions and see if they overlap, which would indicate that the antiderivative is correct.

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