Finding Arc Length of f(x) = (4-x^2)^(1/2)

ruri
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Homework Statement



What is the arc length of f(x) = (4-x^2)^(1/2)?

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The Attempt at a Solution

 
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Just use the formula for arc length. And take note of the endpoints of the arc. You can get those from inspection.
 
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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