Double Integral Help - Solve Analytically

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a double integral that participants believe should be solvable analytically. The integral involves variables x and y, with specified limits, and raises questions about the coordinate system being used.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Some participants suggest converting the integral to polar coordinates, while others argue about the nature of the coordinate system, debating whether it is Cartesian or another form. There are discussions about changing variables and the implications of the coordinate system on the integral's evaluation.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with various interpretations of the coordinate system being explored. Some participants have offered insights into potential approaches, such as considering the nature of the integrand and the possibility of using computational tools for evaluation. However, there is no explicit consensus on the best method to proceed.

Contextual Notes

Participants are navigating constraints related to the original problem's context, including the nature of the variables and the assumptions about the coordinate system. There is also mention of a physical application related to the integral, which adds complexity to the discussion.

madeinmsia
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can someone please give me some help on this integral. it should be solvable analytically.

[tex]\int^{1}_{-1}\int^{2\pi}_{0}\frac{1}{2+x+\sqrt{1-x^2}cos(y)+\sqrt{1-x^2}sin(y)}dxdy[/tex]
 
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This one might be easier to work in polar coordinates:
x = r*cos([tex]\theta[/tex])
y = r*sin([tex]\theta[/tex])
dxdy = rdrd[tex]\theta[/tex]

You'd want to change the limits of integration, also, to represent the rectangle R={(x,y): 0 <= x <= 2 [tex]\pi[/tex], -1 <= y <= 1} in its polar form.

I haven't worked this problem, but that's what I would try.
 
i don't think the integral is in cartesian coordinates. x ranges from (-1,1) and y from (0,2pi). I'm not sure what this coordinate system is called, but it's different. so ur suggestion wouldn't work.
 
It's ***definitely*** in Cartesian coordinates, as evidenced by dx and dy. The fact that y ranges from 0 to 2pi has nothing to do with whether this is or isn't in Cartesian coordinates.
 
sorry, i did a variable change because i tried to save time by just using x and y instead of greek symbols mu and gamma.

i hope that clears it up that they are not cartesian coordinates.
 
No, it does not.

You can start with a double integral over a closed and bounded region R and get this integral:
[tex]\int \int[/tex] f(x, y) dA
The Cartesian iterated integral has the form [tex]\int \int[/tex] f(x, y) dx dy.
The polar iterated integral has the form [tex]\int \int[/tex] f(r, [tex]\theta[/tex]) r dr d[tex]\theta[/tex].

It doesn't matter if you use mu and gamma instead of x and y, it's still Cartesian.
 
Do you really have to solve this by hand, analytically? If you are allowed to use Mathematica, I would definitely consider it...anyways, I haven't solved this by hand but if you choose to do so, you will have to do the y-integral first (unless you can find a useful change of variables)...Mathematica's solution for the y-integral involves Cos(y/2) and Sin(y/2) terms, so using the double angle formula might help you.

I may be able to come up with something more useful if you show me the original problem; there may be a way to avoid this particular integral altogether.
 
Mark44 said:
No, it does not.

You can start with a double integral over a closed and bounded region R and get this integral:
[tex]\int \int[/tex] f(x, y) dA
The Cartesian iterated integral has the form [tex]\int \int[/tex] f(x, y) dx dy.
The polar iterated integral has the form [tex]\int \int[/tex] f(r, [tex]\theta[/tex]) r dr d[tex]\theta[/tex].

It doesn't matter if you use mu and gamma instead of x and y, it's still Cartesian.

There is no way to determine the nature of the Co-ordinate system from the given integral...for example, what if your [itex]f(r,\theta)=g(r,\theta)/r[/itex]? then the integral looks like [itex]\int g(r,\theta)dr d \theta[/itex] and a simple renaming of r to x and theta to y could make it look like the given integral.

That being said, I would guess based on the form of the integrand that if this integral represents some sort of physical application; it is given in curvilinear coordinates. In either case, it is unimportant since the integrand is a scalar for this problem.
 
  • #10
the original integral was [tex]\int_{4\pi}\frac{1}{1+A.\Omega}d\Omega[/tex] where A is a vector and [tex]\Omega[/tex] is the solid angle.
 
  • #11
madeinmsia said:
the original integral was [tex]\int_{4\pi}\frac{1}{1+A.\Omega}d\Omega[/tex] where A is a vector and [tex]\Omega[/tex] is the solid angle.

What is the vector [itex]\vec{A}[/itex]? And what surface is [tex]\Omega[/tex] the solid A angle of (sphere, cone...etc)?
 
  • #12
to make it simple, vector A = (1,2,3) in the cartesian coordinates and it is the solid angle over a sphere. I'm pretty sure there's a way to simplify this. I've tried multiplying top and bottom by 1+A.Omega and then separating them into two integrals. One is an even function and one is an odd function. So the odd function drops to zero and I am left with:

[tex]2.\int_{A.\Omega}\frac{1}{1-(A.\Omega)^2}d\Omega[/tex]

i'm not sure if i made it worst!
 
Last edited:
  • #13
Usually, the solid angle for a sphere is just the scalar quantity [itex]\Omega=4 \pi[/itex] and [itex]d \Omega= sin(\theta) d \theta d\phi[/itex] in the usual spherical coordinates... Perhaps you'd better explain to me what expressions you are using, and how you are taking he dot product of a vector with a scalar?
 
  • #14
oh ok. [tex]\Omega = (\mu,\sqrt{1-\mu^2}cos(\gamma),\sqrt{1-\mu^2}sin(\gamma))[/tex] in the Cartesian coordinate.
 
  • #15
hmmm...I've never seen the solid angle expressed as a vector before.. what are [itex]\mu[/itex] and [itex]\gamma[/itex] and what expression are you using for [itex]d \Omega[/itex]?
 

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