How can trigonometric substitution be used to simplify a complex integral?

In summary, the conversation involves a person seeking help with a problem they have been working on for hours. They provide a link to the problem and mention that the expected answer is 2*arctan(2x)+4x/(4x^2+1) +CI. Another person responds, noting that the problem seems to be approached in a strange way and offers an alternative method using trigonometric substitution. They provide the steps and conclude that the integral should be easy to solve using this method.
  • #1
hyper
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  • #2
I should probably mention that the answer is supposed to be:

2*arctan(2x)+4x/(4x^2+1) +C
 
  • #3
I didn't go through that in detail but it looks like a very strange way to attack the problem! You have a square of a square and you write it as a fourth power of a square root of a square so you can apply a trig substitution!
You don't need the square root to apply a trig substitution. Let 2x= tan t and 4x2+ 1= tan2 t+ 1= sec2. (4x2+ 1)2= sec4 t and 2dx= sec2 t dt. Your integral becomes
[tex]\int\frac{8dx}{(4x^2+ 1)^2}= \int \frac{4dt}{sec^2 t}= 4\int cos^2 t dt[/itex]
That should be easy.
 

Related to How can trigonometric substitution be used to simplify a complex integral?

What is trigonometric substitution?

Trigonometric substitution is a method used in calculus to solve integrals involving certain trigonometric functions. It involves replacing the variable in the integral with a trigonometric expression, which helps to simplify the integral and make it easier to solve.

When is trigonometric substitution used?

Trigonometric substitution is typically used when solving integrals that involve expressions with square roots, quadratic expressions, or expressions with a combination of trigonometric functions.

What are the three main trigonometric substitutions?

The three main trigonometric substitutions are:

  • Sine substitution: replacing the variable with sin(theta)
  • Cosine substitution: replacing the variable with cos(theta)
  • Tangent substitution: replacing the variable with tan(theta)

How do you choose which trigonometric substitution to use?

The substitution to use depends on the expression inside the integral. If the expression includes a square root of a quadratic expression, then sine substitution is used. If the expression includes a quadratic expression without a square root, then cosine substitution is used. If the expression includes a product of trigonometric functions, then tangent substitution is used.

What are some common trigonometric identities used in trigonometric substitution?

Some common trigonometric identities used in trigonometric substitution include:

  • sin^2(theta) + cos^2(theta) = 1
  • 1 + tan^2(theta) = sec^2(theta)
  • 1 + cot^2(theta) = csc^2(theta)
  • sin(2theta) = 2sin(theta)cos(theta)
  • cos(2theta) = cos^2(theta) - sin^2(theta)

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