Integral of ln(1+tanx) from 0 to pi/4 | Homework Equations

  • Thread starter Thread starter XtremePhysX
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Integration
Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around evaluating the integral of ln(1 + tan(x)) from 0 to π/4, a problem situated in the context of advanced calculus and integration techniques.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore various methods for tackling the integral, including substitution and numerical evaluation. Some express confusion over the original poster's attempts to manipulate the integral, while others suggest identities and transformations that could simplify the problem.

Discussion Status

The conversation includes attempts to clarify the integral's complexity, with some participants providing partial guidance while others share their own experiences and results. There is a mix of interpretations regarding the final value of the integral, with no clear consensus reached.

Contextual Notes

Some participants question the validity of the original poster's calculations and suggest sketching the integrand to assess the reasonableness of the results. There are mentions of potential arithmetic mistakes and the complexity of the integral, indicating a challenging problem for those involved.

XtremePhysX
Messages
92
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement



Evaluate the following integral:

Homework Equations



\int_{0}^{\frac{\pi }{4}}ln(1+tanx)dx

The Attempt at a Solution



I tried to split is into ln(1) times ln(tanx) but didnt work.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Because you can't split it up like that perhaps?

Use this identity of integrals: Substituting x=a-t, dx=-dt:

\int_{0}^{a}f(a-t)\,dt=-\int_{a}^{0}f(x)\,dx=\int_{0}^{a}f(x)\,dx
 
can u please show me how to do it, i tried it this way but i messed it up.
 
That is a pretty difficult integral. If you really wrote it down correctly, the best approach is likely to evaluate it numerically.
 
I'll give you a headstart, but you should solve it yourself.
Applying the result I gave above to your problem, we get that your integral is equal to
\int_{0}^{\pi/4}\log(1+\tan(\pi/4-x))dx
Now, note that \displaystyle \tan(x)=\frac{\sin(x)}{\cos(x)} so that
\tan(\pi/4-x)=\frac{\sin(\pi/4-x)}{\cos(\pi/4-x)}=\frac{\sin(\pi/4)\cos(x)-\cos(\pi/4)\sin(x)}{\cos(\pi/4)\cos(x)+\sin(\pi/4)\sin(x)}=\frac{\cos(x)-\sin(x)}{\cos(x)+\sin(x)}
This is easily seen to be equal to
\frac{1-\tan(x)}{1+\tan(x)}
Now, please take it from there.
 
clamtrox said:
That is a pretty difficult integral. If you really wrote it down correctly, the best approach is likely to evaluate it numerically.

The indefinite integral is in terms of the logarithmic integral function but the definite integral has a solution.
 
Thank u a lot.

great forum.
 
What does that mean? Do you have the answer??
 
I don't have the answer but thanks to u, i solved it, the answer is pi/4 ln(2)
 
  • #10
guys, I am learning harder integration so can anyone give me an example of an extremely difficult integral?
 
Last edited:
  • #11
\int_{0}^{\infty}\frac{\cos(x)\,dx}{1+x^2}
Good luck!
 
  • #12
wow that's a hard one
do you have so really big, difficult and intimidating integrals that looks almost impossible to solve
 
  • #13
Discussion here is not really appropriate, I shall send some to you via PM.
 
  • #14
thank you
im new here so excuse me please :)
 
  • #15
XtremePhysX said:
I don't have the answer but thanks to u, i solved it, the answer is pi/4 ln(2)

Is it? You might want to sketch the integrand and see if your result is reasonable for the area under the curve ;0).
 
  • #16
Your really close, you probably made a simple arithmetic mistake in your work. The graph of that is very close to a triangle and the area you found wouldn't fit in the bounds of a triangle. That was fun integral though!
 
  • #17
XtremePhysX said:
I don't have the answer but thanks to u, i solved it, the answer is pi/4 ln(2)

Wrong. If we let J = \int_0^{\pi/4} \, \ln(1 + \tan(x))\, dx, your claim is that J = \pi/4\ln(2). If you mean J = (\pi/4) \ln(2) \doteq 0.5443965, that is wrong. If you mean J = \pi/(4 \ln(2)) \doteq 1.1330900, that is also wrong. The correct answer is
J = \frac{i}{2}\text{dilog}\left(\frac{1+i}{2}\right) - \frac{i}{2}\text{dilog}\left(\frac{1-i}{2}\right) + \frac{\pi \ln(2)}{4} - C,
where C is Catalan's constant
C = \sum_{i=0}^{\infty} \frac{(-1)^i}{(2i+1)^2}
and
\text{dilog}(w) = \int_1^w \frac{\ln(t)}{1-t} \, dt
and i = \sqrt{-1}. The numerical value of the correct answer is
J \doteq 0.27219826. (All this courtesy of Maple11).


RGV
 
  • #18
J≐0.27219826 looks like \frac{\pi}{8}\ln{2} which is why I think it likely he made a simple arithmetic mistake.
 
  • #19
He probably made the same mistake I did when I worked it out and got the same answer as him :blushing: but I did eventually get\frac{\pi}{8}\ln2
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
3K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 54 ·
2
Replies
54
Views
16K