- #1
Benny
- 584
- 0
I was doing an integration question earlier on and I came across something that I would like to be cleared up. The question basically boiled down to:
[tex]
- \left[ {\cot \left( \theta \right) + \theta } \right]_{\frac{\pi }{6}}^{\frac{\pi }{2}} = - \left[ {\frac{{\cos \left( \theta \right)}}{{\sin \left( \theta \right)}} + \theta } \right]_{\frac{\pi }{6}}^{\frac{\pi }{2}}
[/tex]
Now if I just substitute the relevant values into the antiderivative it works out fine. However if I write the following I end up getting a 'weird' (I do not
know the right words to describe it ) answer(something involving 1/infinity).
[tex]
- \left[ {\cot \left( \theta \right) + \theta } \right]_{\frac{\pi }{6}}^{\frac{\pi }{2}} = - \left[ {\frac{1}{{\tan \left( \theta \right)}} + \theta } \right]_{\frac{\pi }{6}}^{\frac{\pi }{2}}
[/tex]
Can someone explain to me why this occurs? I can understand that when certain values are substituted in, 'weird' numbers appear but I cannot understand why the question works/does not work, depending on which way an expression is written(I am referring to the cotangent function), even though it is just the same thing. Any help would be good. I hope I was not unclear.
[tex]
- \left[ {\cot \left( \theta \right) + \theta } \right]_{\frac{\pi }{6}}^{\frac{\pi }{2}} = - \left[ {\frac{{\cos \left( \theta \right)}}{{\sin \left( \theta \right)}} + \theta } \right]_{\frac{\pi }{6}}^{\frac{\pi }{2}}
[/tex]
Now if I just substitute the relevant values into the antiderivative it works out fine. However if I write the following I end up getting a 'weird' (I do not
know the right words to describe it ) answer(something involving 1/infinity).
[tex]
- \left[ {\cot \left( \theta \right) + \theta } \right]_{\frac{\pi }{6}}^{\frac{\pi }{2}} = - \left[ {\frac{1}{{\tan \left( \theta \right)}} + \theta } \right]_{\frac{\pi }{6}}^{\frac{\pi }{2}}
[/tex]
Can someone explain to me why this occurs? I can understand that when certain values are substituted in, 'weird' numbers appear but I cannot understand why the question works/does not work, depending on which way an expression is written(I am referring to the cotangent function), even though it is just the same thing. Any help would be good. I hope I was not unclear.
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