Can the integral of e^(x^2) be solved for arbitrary limits?

  • Context: Graduate 
  • Thread starter Thread starter ep10
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Integral
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
3 replies · 4K views
ep10
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
i am solving a problem that involves taking the integral of an exponential to the power of -x^2. I would have no problem solving this integral if the limits were 0 to infinity but the limits i am solving for are an arbitrary a to infinity. Can anybody help?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
ep10 said:
i am solving a problem that involves taking the integral of an exponential to the power of -x^2. I would have no problem solving this integral if the limits were 0 to infinity but the limits i am solving for are an arbitrary a to infinity. Can anybody help?

Sounds like a gaussian function:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_distribution

The anti-derivative is the error function, which is nonelementary.
 
that verifies what i was thinking but i am still having trouble going about solving it. I think I am just not sure where to start. Thanks though at least I know I am not completely off track