Integral of this exponential function: does it have a solution?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the definite integral of an exponential function, specifically the integral of the form exp(a*x^2 + b*x + c) / (1 + exp(m*x + n)) from 0 to infinity, where a, b, c, m, and n are real numbers with the condition that a is negative to ensure convergence. Participants explore potential methods for solving this integral, including special cases and series expansions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty in finding a solution to the integral and requests help, noting that they have no reasonable work to share.
  • Another participant suggests examining a special case of the integral, specifically the integral of exp(-x^2) / (1 + exp(x)).
  • A third participant reiterates the suggestion to consider the same special case and mentions that Mathematica is unable to solve it.
  • A later reply proposes that if the basic case cannot be solved, it may indicate that the general case is also unsolvable.
  • Another participant shares that if m < 0 and n < 0, the denominator can be expanded using a Maclaurin series, leading to integrals of the form exp(a*x^2 + b*x + c), which have known solutions in terms of the error function.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the solvability of the integral. There are competing views regarding the feasibility of solving both the general and special cases, with some suggesting that the inability to solve the special case may reflect on the general case.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the parameters m and n, as well as the convergence condition for the integral. There are unresolved mathematical steps regarding the application of the Maclaurin series and the implications for the general case.

fchopin
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Hi all,

I'm trying to solve the definite integral between 0 and inf of:

exp(a*x^2 + b*x + c)
--------------------- dx
1 + exp(m*x + n)

with a,b,c,m,n real numbers and a < 0 (negative number so it converges).

I've read in the forum's rules that I have to post the work that I have done to get an answer but I have nothing reasonable to post (I have tried many alternatives but I didn't suceed, sorry)

A way to obtain the exact solution would be perfect but an approximate result, even an upper/lowerbound would be fine as well.

Any idea or help, please?

Thanks in advance,
FC.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Can you do the special case...
[tex] \int _{0}^{\infty }\!{\frac {{{\rm e}^{-{x}^{2}}}}{1+{{\rm e}^{x}}}}{d<br /> x}[/tex]
 
g_edgar said:
Can you do the special case...
[tex] \int _{0}^{\infty }\!{\frac {{{\rm e}^{-{x}^{2}}}}{1+{{\rm e}^{x}}}}{d<br /> x}[/tex]

Mathematica can't...
 
Maybe he's alluding to the idea that if you can't do one of the basic cases you wouldn't be able to do the general case either.
 
Hi guys,

thank you for your answers. I have found that if m<0 and n<0 then 1/(1 + exp(m*x + n)) can be expanded into Maclaurin series, which yields something like 1 + e^() - e^2*(). The terms can be multiplied by the numerator of the original integral, thus finally obtaining three integrals of the form exp^(a*x^2 + b*x + c), which have closed-form solutions in terms of the error function.

Thank you for your interest!
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
4K
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
4K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
3K