Antiderivative of square root function

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The discussion focuses on finding the antiderivative of the function sqrt(81-x^2) within the bounds of 0 to 9/2. The initial approach involved a sine substitution, leading to an integral of 9cos^2(t), but a mistake was later identified where it should have been 81cos^2(t). After correcting this error, the proper steps were followed to solve the integral, resulting in the correct answer. A standard integral formula for the antiderivative of sqrt(a^2 - x^2) was also shared, highlighting its utility. The conversation emphasizes the importance of understanding the process over memorizing formulas.
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1. find the antiderivative of sqrt(81-x^2) in the bounds 0 to 9/2

okay so the first thing i did was sin substitution.
where I made x = 9sin(t) dx = 9cos(t) where t is theta.
then after some manipulating i got that that new integral was 9cos^2(t)
i then used the double angle formula and made it equal to 9/2 * (1 + cos(2t))
I then found the antiderivative of this integral to be 9/2 * (t + sin(2t)/2)
Using the identity that sin(2t) = 2sin(t)cos(t) the antiderivative became
(9/2) (t + cos(t)sin(t))
I then changed the bounds of the integral.
When x goes from 0 to 9/2, theta goes from 0 to pi/6
i then solved the integral to get 4.304
The actual answer is 38.74 so i think I am completely missing the boat here.
 
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Ps any tips you might have would really help me out it doesn't have to be too in detail I am usually pretty good at this stuff. Thank you!
 
okay so it was actually a really dumb sneaky mistake:
after all the subtituting and manipulating was done instead of 9cos^2(t) its actually supposed to be 81cos^2(t) then follow my steps from there and its right!
 
It is a standard integral [i.e. anti-derivatives of a general form of problems]:

<br /> \int \sqrt{a^2 - x^2}dx = \frac{x}{2} \sqrt{a^2 - x^2} + \frac{a^2}{2} sin^{-1}\left(\frac{x}{a}\right) + C<br />
 
thats really cool! I've never seen that formula before!
 
It is, honestly, better to know HOW to do the integral, the way you did, rather than remember (or even look up) a formula.
 
Question: A clock's minute hand has length 4 and its hour hand has length 3. What is the distance between the tips at the moment when it is increasing most rapidly?(Putnam Exam Question) Answer: Making assumption that both the hands moves at constant angular velocities, the answer is ## \sqrt{7} .## But don't you think this assumption is somewhat doubtful and wrong?

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