Complicated Definite Double Integral

In summary, Brandon has been working on a problem involving a large meteoroid's gravitational effects on the Earth's mantle. He has developed an equation and tried using Mathematica to solve it, but it was unsuccessful. The equation involves an integral with a substitution that is not expressible in elementary functions. It is an elliptic function of the 3rd kind and further evaluation is needed.
  • #1
dBrandon/dC
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I've been working on a problem involving a large meteoroid passing over the Earth and what its gravitational effects would be on the Earth's mantle. I developed an equation for this, and I've worked it down to a certain point, but unfortunately, I'm not sure how to finally solve it. By the way, I downloaded a free trial version of Mathematica, but it doesn't seem to be able to solve the problem, either.

The equation is as follows:

Math Eq.jpg


(I'm new here, so I didn't know the best way to input an equation.)
Any help that could be provided would be very much appreciated.

- Brandon
 
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  • #2
The "r" part of the integral is doable. I get
[tex]P=\int_{0}^{\pi}2\rho Gmdr^{2}a\sin{a}\dot ( \ln{\sqrt{r^{2}+d^{2}-\cos{a}} +r} -\frac{r}{\sqrt{r^{2}+d^{2}-\cos{a}}})da\left|^{r=6.275*10^6}_{r=6.175*10^6}[/tex]

Integrating the "a" part seems like it should be a nightmare, though. You could do a substitution u=-cos(a) if it wasn't for that a sitting outside. It's probably not expressible in elementary functions. Could you just evaluate it numerically?
 
  • #3
Starting with the a integral,

[tex]\int \frac{a \sin a\, da}{(b^2 - \cos a)^{3/2}}[/tex]

is an elliptic function of the 3rd kind according to http://integrals.wolfram.com.

My knowledge of elliptic functions doesn't extend to knowing if your definite integral equals something nice, but at least that's a start.
 

1. What is a complicated definite double integral?

A complicated definite double integral is a type of mathematical calculation that involves finding the area under a complex, two-dimensional curve or surface. It requires integration, which is a method of finding the total value of a function over a given interval.

2. How is a complicated definite double integral different from a regular definite integral?

A complicated definite double integral involves integrating a function over a two-dimensional region, while a regular definite integral integrates over a one-dimensional interval. This means that a complicated definite double integral requires multiple integrals and is typically more complex to solve.

3. What are some real-world applications of complicated definite double integrals?

Complicated definite double integrals are commonly used in physics, engineering, and economics to calculate quantities such as volume, mass, and center of mass. They can also be used to find probabilities in statistics and to model complex systems in computer science.

4. What are the key steps to solving a complicated definite double integral?

The key steps to solving a complicated definite double integral include: 1) identifying the region of integration, 2) setting up the integral with the correct limits and variables, 3) evaluating the inner integral, 4) evaluating the outer integral, and 5) simplifying the final answer.

5. How can I check my answer for a complicated definite double integral?

You can check your answer for a complicated definite double integral by using mathematical software or a graphing calculator to graph the function and the region of integration. You can also use the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus to check your answer by taking the derivative of the double integral and comparing it to the original function.

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