Finding the value of the integral on this t-shirt

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    Integral Value
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around evaluating an integral presented on a t-shirt worn by Dr. Ben Goertzel. Participants explore the mathematical aspects of the integral, including potential substitutions and the implications of different limits of integration. The conversation includes attempts to verify the integral's value and the humor associated with the result.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant reports an initial calculation yielding a value of 0.38 for the integral, expressing surprise at the result.
  • Another participant suggests that trigonometric substitution might be a useful approach to solve the integral.
  • A participant claims to have computed the integral and asserts that the answer is not 1/2, but notes that changing the upper limit to 2/√π would yield 1/2.
  • There is a mention of a possible typo on the t-shirt that could affect the integral's evaluation.
  • Another participant proposes that altering the sign in the integral could also lead to a value close to 0.5.
  • A later post provides a numerical approximation of 0.5273 for the integral's value.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the correctness of the integral's value and the potential for a typo in the t-shirt's expression. No consensus is reached regarding the final value of the integral, as multiple interpretations and calculations are presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants note various assumptions regarding the limits of integration and the form of the integral, which may influence the results. The discussion highlights the complexity of the integral and the potential for different approaches to yield different outcomes.

rugerts
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Hello all,
I was watching some random videos on YouTube and found one of Dr. Ben Goertzel (a leading expert in the field of AI) and he was wearing the t shirt you see below. It caught my attention. I tried working it out, but I had no luck as it got messy fast. I then tried throwing it into Wolfram as well as another calculator and found an answer of 0.38. Is this correct? I would have thought that the answer would've 1/2, 1, or something along these lines to make sense of the joke.
To anyone who can work this out or explain it... thank you!
Here's Dr. Goertzel wearing the shirt as well as an enlarged view of the shirt itself.
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Hint: That looks like its begging for some trigonometric substitution ...
 
guesses anyone?
 
Hahah I believe the shirt has a typo!

I did the integral (it’s really not difficult with the right substitution) and the answer is certainly not 1/2

HOWEVER, I noticed, if the upperbound was 2/√π instead of √(2/π), then the answer would be 1/2

Kind of embarrassing! But maybe I’m just a glass ##_0\int^{\frac{2}{\sqrt{\pi}}}(...)dx## empty kind of guy. :DD
 
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Though I notice, too, that we can keep the limits as specified on the shirt, but change the left-most minus sign into a plus, and we'll again arrive at the 0.5 figure. Well, very close to it. :cool:
 
Hiero said:
Hahah I believe the shirt has a typo!

I did the integral (it’s really not difficult with the right substitution) and the answer is certainly not 1/2

HOWEVER, I noticed, if the upperbound was 2/√π instead of √(2/π), then the answer would be 1/2

Kind of embarrassing! But maybe I’m just a glass ##_0\int^{\frac{2}{\sqrt{\pi}}}(...)dx## empty kind of guy. :DD
Very nice! I think you got it. Thanks so much.
 
0.5273
 

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