How to Integrate (Cos[x])/x Using Taylor Series Expansion

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the integration of the function Cos(x)/x using Taylor series expansion. Participants are exploring the nature of the integral and its representation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss using the Taylor series expansion for Cos(x) to facilitate the integration of Cos(x)/x. There are questions regarding the validity of the resulting series and whether it represents the integral accurately.

Discussion Status

Some participants have noted that the integral leads to a non-elementary function known as Ci(x), and there is acknowledgment that no closed-form expression exists in terms of elementary functions. Others have suggested that integrating the series term by term is permissible, indicating a productive direction in the discussion.

Contextual Notes

There is a mention of constraints regarding the nature of the integral, specifically that it cannot be expressed using only elementary functions, which is a key point of discussion.

plato2000
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Homework Statement


∫[itex]\frac{Cos(x)}{x}[/itex] dx


Homework Equations



Taylor series expansion for Cos(x)

The Attempt at a Solution


I have used Taylor series to find the product of (1/x) * (cos[x]). After integration i get

In[x] - x^2/8 + x^4/96 + x^6/4320+...

I don't know what to do next, is that the answer, or there is a way of finding the function represented by the series above.
 
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plato2000 said:

Homework Statement


∫[itex]\frac{Cos(x)}{x}[/itex] dx


Homework Equations



Taylor series expansion for Cos(x)

The Attempt at a Solution


I have used Taylor series to find the product of (1/x) * (cos[x]). After integration i get

In[x] - x^2/8 + x^4/96 + x^6/4320+...

I don't know what to do next, is that the answer, or there is a way of finding the function represented by the series above.

Up to an additive constant the integral is a non-elementary function called Ci(x). There is no finite, closed-form expression for Ci(x) that involves only elementary functions such as powers, roots, exponentials, trig functions, etc. That is provable: it is not just that nobody has been smart enough to find the formula, but, rather, that it has been rigoroursly proven that no such formula can possibly exist!
 
Thank you very much.
 
Well, you are allowed to integrate the series term by term (think about why!). That shows that the integral exists. What doesn't exist is an expression in terms of elementary funktions (i.e., polynomials and exponential functions and their inverses).
 

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