Dirac Delta Integrals: How to Solve for the Argument of the Delta Function?

leroyjenkens
Messages
615
Reaction score
49

Homework Statement


This is just an example, not a specific problem.

So if I have ∫σ(sinx), for example, and my limits of integration are, for example, 1 to 10, what I need to do to solve that is to find a value of x that would make the argument of the delta function 0. So for sinx, 0 makes the argument 0. But since it's outside of the limits of integration, the integral would be 0, correct? What if my limits of integration are 1 to 10, and I input pi as the argument for sine? I'm unsure of what to input in for the x, because I have 1 to 10 in the limits of integration, so does that mean I use degrees instead of radians?

Or for that one do I use the formula which is σf(x) = Ʃ σ(x-xi)/|f'(xi)|?
If f(xi) = 0 and f'(xi) does not = 0.

Using that formula, I still have to decide whether to use radians as my x (pi) or degrees (180).

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
leroyjenkens said:
But since it's outside of the limits of integration, the integral would be 0, correct?

Correct! And for your next question: you should always use radians; otherwise it is the angle*pi/180.
 
There are two things I don't understand about this problem. First, when finding the nth root of a number, there should in theory be n solutions. However, the formula produces n+1 roots. Here is how. The first root is simply ##\left(r\right)^{\left(\frac{1}{n}\right)}##. Then you multiply this first root by n additional expressions given by the formula, as you go through k=0,1,...n-1. So you end up with n+1 roots, which cannot be correct. Let me illustrate what I mean. For this...
Back
Top