Find the integral x^3 sqrt(x^2 + x^8 + 8) cos x dx

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Homework Statement


Find the integral

f(x) = x^3 sqrt(x^2 + x^8 + 8) cox(x) dx


The Attempt at a Solution



I need help starting. It appears to be either integration by parts and/or substituion.
 
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You are going to have a tough time finding an antiderivative for that. Is it actually a definite integral?
 


The problem wanted the function evaluated from -14 to 14. Does it make a difference if it is definitive or not? Is there a trick if it is definitive?
 


golb0016 said:
The problem wanted the function evaluated from -14 to 14. Does it make a difference if it is definitive or not? Is there a trick if it is definitive?

It does in this case. For your function f(-x)=(-f(x)), it's an odd function. What happens if you integrate an odd function over a symmetric interval around the origin?
 


Does the positive and negative parts cancel out if it is symmetric?
 


golb0016 said:
Does the positive and negative parts cancel out if it is symmetric?

That's the idea.
 
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...
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