Can Integration by Parts Solve Higher Power Trigonometric Integrals?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the integration of higher power trigonometric functions, specifically the integral of \(\tan^{8}(x)\sec(x)\) and its relation to the integral of \(\tan^{6}(x)\sec(x)\). Participants are exploring methods to express one integral in terms of another using integration techniques.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss various integration techniques, including integration by parts, and consider different substitutions to simplify the integrals. There is a focus on how to manipulate the integrals to relate them to known quantities.

Discussion Status

Some participants have proposed different approaches and substitutions, leading to intermediate results. There is acknowledgment of the challenges faced in simplifying the integrals, particularly with the powers of secant and tangent. While some participants express confidence in their methods, there is no explicit consensus on the correctness of the approaches taken.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the constraints of a homework assignment, which may limit the methods they can use. There is also a mention of potential assumptions regarding the relationships between the integrals being explored.

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Homework Statement



If \int_{0}^{pi/4}\tan^{6}(x)sec(x)dx = I then express \int_{0}^{pi/4}\tan^{8}(x)sec(x)dx in terms of I.

Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


I figured you would have to get the second equation to look like the first one, so I pulled out a tan^2(x) to make it
\int_{0}^{pi/4}\((sec^{2}(x)-1)tan^{6}(x)sec(x)dx then
\int_{0}^{pi/4}\sec^{2}{x}tan^{6}(x)sec(x)dx - I

And here's where I get stuck. My thought is to use integration by parts, setting sec^2 = u, and tan^6xsecxdx = dv. However this just leads me to a dead end when I try to figure out what v could be. Using the opposite substitution (u = tan^6... etc) I end up with

tan^{7}(x)sec(x) - 6\int_{0}^{pi/4}\tan^{6}(x)sec^{3}(x)dx = 2\int_{0}^{pi/4}\tan^{8}(x)sec(x)dx

which gives me the same problem I had to begin with (an even power to tangent and an odd power of secant).

Is there some substitution I could make somewhere?
 
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Have you tried integrating by parts using dv = sec x tan x?
 
Yeah... that gets me:

\int_{0}^{pi/4}\sec^{2}{x}tan^{6}(x)sec(x)dx - I

u = sec^2xtan^5x dv = secxtanx
du = 2sec^2xtan^6x + 5tan^4xsec^4x

sec^{3}(x)tan^{5}(x) - \int_{0}^{pi/4}\sec(x)[2sec^{2}(x)tan^{6}(x) + 5tan^{4}(x)sec^{4}(x)]dx

simplified...

sec^{3}(x)tan^{5}(x) - 2\int_{0}^{pi/4}\sec^{3}(x)tan^{6}(x) - 5\int_{0}^{pi/4}\tan^{4}(x)sec^{5}(x)dx

Which still leaves me with odd powers of secant and even powers of tangent...

EDIT: Woops, dropped the "- I" after all of those, but it's pretty irrelevant.
 
Last edited:
Hmm.. I just tried a different approach, would like to know if this is a correct approach...

\int_{0}^{pi/4}\sec^{2}{x}tan^{6}(x)sec(x)dx - I

using u = secx, dv = tan^6xsec^2x
du = secxtanx, v = (1/7)tan^7x

\frac{sec(x)tan^{7}(x)}{7} - \frac{1}{7}\int_{0}^{pi/4}\sec(x)tan^{8}(x)dx - I = \int_{0}^{pi/4}tan^{8}(x)sec(x)dx

So...

\frac{\sqrt{2}}{7} - I = \frac{8}{7}\int_{0}^{pi/4}tan^{8}(x)sec(x)dx

= \frac{\sqrt{2}-7I}{8}this look right?
 
Last edited:
Looks good to me. (And for the record, you can get the same result by using using dv = sec x tan x in the *original* equation. You'll get an integral with sec^3 x, which you can rewrite as sec x(1 + tan^2 x).)
 
TMFKAN64 said:
Looks good to me. (And for the record, you can get the same result by using using dv = sec x tan x in the *original* equation. You'll get an integral with sec^3 x, which you can rewrite as sec x(1 + tan^2 x).)

Ah... yeah I see. I did that at one point but didn't think to write sec^2 as (1+tan^2). Anyway, thanks a ton.
 

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