Integral Calc: Find My Mistake - 4.75

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers around identifying a calculation mistake in integral calculus, specifically leading to the answer of 4.75. Participants emphasize the importance of using LaTeX for clarity in mathematical expressions, recommending specific commands such as \int_a^b for integrals and \frac{numerator}{denominator} for fractions. They also highlight the use of the "\begin{cases} ... \end{cases}" command for piecewise functions and the distinction between in-line and displayed results in LaTeX formatting. Proper use of subscripts and superscripts is also discussed, with a focus on enclosing multi-symbol scripts in curly brackets.

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mikel29129
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Hi,

I believe I have a calculation mistake but I don't know where.
The correct answer is: 4.75
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Sorry, but I can't read that clearly. Try typing up the problem along with your work. Use the \#\# (without the slashes) to begin and end latex code, \frac{numerator}{denominator} for fractions, \int_a^b for ##\int_a^b##.
 
BiGyElLoWhAt said:
Sorry, but I can't read that clearly. Try typing up the problem along with your work. Use the \#\# (without the slashes) to begin and end latex code, \frac{numerator}{denominator} for fractions, \int_a^b for ##\int_a^b##.

In LaTeX/TeX you can also use the "\ begin{\ cases } ... \ end{\ cases }" (with no spaces inside the { } pair or after the "\") command to get things like
f(x) = \begin{cases} f_1(x) &amp; a \leq x &lt; b\\<br /> f_2(x) &amp; b \leq x &lt; c<br /> \end{cases}

To get a "displayed" result (rather than an in-line result), use "[ t e x] ... [/ t e x] " (with no spaces between /, t, e, x). If you use "# # ... # #" (no space) between the two initial and two final #) you will get an in-line result, like this: ##f(x) = a x^2/(b^2+x^2)##. Some things do not look very good in-line, such as ##f(x) = \frac{a x^2}{b^2 + x^2}##, but look just fine in displayed mode:
f(x) = \frac{a x^2}{b^2 + x^2}
However, the last issue is basically one of style, not clarity. The results generally look OK if you use ##A/B## in-line instead of ##\frac{A}{B}##.

Finally, "_" and "^" work properly only for single-symbol subscripts and superscripts. To get multi-symbol scripts, enclose the script in curly brackets, so you will get ##x^{2n}## instead of ##x^2n##.

You can see the commands for the above by right-clicking on the screen image of an equation or formula and asking for a display as tex commands.
 

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