How Do You Solve an Integral with Two Variables?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on solving a double integral involving the variables x and y, specifically the integral of (1 - x^2) over the limits defined by y. The participants initially calculated the integral by integrating x first, yielding an incorrect result of 113/288, while the correct answer derived from Wolfram Alpha is 35/128. The discrepancy arises from an arithmetic error in the evaluation of the integral, particularly in the simplification of terms. The final consensus confirms that the correct evaluation of the integral results in 35/128.

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Hey there, trying to figure out how to solve this integral (see picture).

View attachment 8728

I've never seen an integral written in this way before.

I've tried to integrate the x-part first and then the y-part and vice versa but they both gave the wrong results.
 

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First \int_0^{y/2} (1- x^2) dx= \left[x- \frac{x^3}{3}\right]_0^{y/2}= \frac{y}{2}- \frac{1}{3}\frac{y^3}{8}

Then \int_0^1 (1- y^2)(\frac{y}{2}- \frac{y^3}{24} dy= \int_0^1 \frac{y}{2}- \frac{13y^3}{24}+ \frac{y^5}{24} dy= \left[\frac{y^2}{4}- \frac{13y^4}{96}+ \frac{y^6}{144}\right]_0^1= \frac{1}{4}- \frac{13}{96}+ \frac{1}{144}= \frac{72+ 39+ 2}{288}= \frac{113}{288}.

Finally, \frac{9}{4}\frac{113}{288}= \frac{113}{128}.
(Check my arithmetic.)
 
thanks for the quick reply. I re-did your calculations and get the same results as you. After using wolfram alpha (online calculator) i get different results though:

first step:
View attachment 8730

second step:
View attachment 8731

(35/288)*(9/4) = 35/128 = correct answer.

This is weird and its bugging me. Are the hand calculation wrong somewhere?
 

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goohu said:
thanks for the quick reply. I re-did your calculations and get the same results as you. After using wolfram alpha (online calculator) i get different results though:

first step:second step:(35/288)*(9/4) = 35/128 = correct answer.

This is weird and its bugging me. Are the hand calculation wrong somewhere?
That's why I deleted my post in this thread. I can't find an error in Country Boy's result, which is essentially identical to my own. I can't explain why the two are different.

-Dan
 
goohu said:
thanks for the quick reply. I re-did your calculations and get the same results as you. After using wolfram alpha (online calculator) i get different results though:

first step:second step:(35/288)*(9/4) = 35/128 = correct answer.

This is weird and its bugging me. Are the hand calculation wrong somewhere?

Country Boy said:
\ldots = \frac{1}{4}- \frac{13}{96}+ \frac{1}{144}= \frac{72+ 39+ 2}{288}= \frac{113}{288}

It's a plus-and-minus thing.
It should be \frac{1}{4}- \frac{13}{96}+ \frac{1}{144}= \frac{72 {\color{red}-} 39+ 2}{288}= \frac{35}{288}
 
heh found it.

$$\displaystyle \frac{1}{4}-\frac{13}{96}+\frac{1}{144} = \frac{72-39+2}{288}$$
while i was figuring out how to post equations klaas beat me to it. Cheers anyways!
 

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