Express the following integral in terms of the gamma function

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SUMMARY

The integral discussed is expressed as Integrate[(a/b^a) x^(n + a - 1) Exp[-(x/b)^a], {x, 0, Infinity}], which is equivalent to the nth moment of a random variable in terms of the gamma function. The constants involved are a, b, and n. The recommended approach is to use substitutions that transform the integral into the gamma function format rather than attempting integration by parts, which complicates the solution.

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Ben1220
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Homework Statement


This is actually part of a probability problem I'm thinking about. I'm trying to find the nth moment of a certain random variable in terms of the gamma function, which is basically equivalent to solving the following integral or expressing it in terms of the gamma function. Here is the integral:

Homework Equations



Mathematica:
Integrate[(a/b^a) x^(n + a - 1) Exp[-(x/b)^a], {x, 0, Infinity}]

Plain text:
integral_0^infinity(a x^(n+a-1) e^(-(x/b)^a))/b^a dx

a, b, and n are constants.

wolfram alpha:

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=integrate+%28%28a%2Fb^a%29*x^%28n%2Ba-1%29*e^%28-1%28x%2Fb%29^a%29%2Cx%2C0%2Cinf%29

The Attempt at a Solution



I tried integrating by parts, taking u = -x^n and dv/dx = ... everything else in the expression (since that can be integrated nicely using derivative is present substitution), I was left with -1 + an even nastier integral, so I'm not convinced this is the right method...
 
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Don't actually try to integrate it. Use substitutions that turn the integral into the form of the gamma function.
 

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