Integrals giving me a hard time

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around an integral inequality involving a function \( f(t) \) defined on the interval \( (0, 1) \). The original poster is trying to determine whether the inequality \( \int^x_0 tf(t)dt \leq x^2 \) holds under the condition that \( 0 \leq f(x) \leq 3 \) for \( 0 < x < 1 \).

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss rewriting \( x^2 \) as an integral and comparing it to the original integral. There are questions about the validity of the inequality for different forms of \( f(x) \) and whether specific values of \( f(t) \) can satisfy the inequality.

Discussion Status

Some participants have suggested specific functions for \( f(t) \) to test the inequality, while others are questioning the assumptions and the clarity of the problem statement. There is an acknowledgment of a counterexample that challenges the initial inequality, indicating that the discussion is exploring various interpretations and implications of the problem.

Contextual Notes

There are indications of confusion regarding the problem's wording and the assumptions that need to be verified. Participants are also navigating language barriers, which may affect their understanding of the problem.

Rectifier
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Hey!
It is the first time I post on this subform. Please forgive me if I do something wrong.

Homework Statement


[tex]F(x)=\int^x_0f(t)dt[/tex]
for
[tex]R \in t \rightarrow f(t)[/tex]

Homework Equations


Is it true that

[tex]0 \leq f(x)\leq 3[/tex] for [tex]0<x<1[/tex]

[tex]\int^x_0 tf(t)dt \leq x^2[/tex]

for all [tex]x \in (0, 1)[/tex]? "

The Attempt at a Solution


[tex]\int^x_0 tf(t)dt \leq x^2 \Leftrightarrow t \int^x_0 f(t)dt \leq x^2 \Leftrightarrow t F(x) \leq x^2[/tex]
I don't know how to continue from here.
 
Last edited:
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If I'm understanding this correctly, you could start by writing [itex]x^{2}[/itex] as [itex]\int^{x}_{0}2tdt[/itex] and then comparing this to the original integral. Will the inequality be valid for any value of [itex]f(x)[/itex] on [itex]x\in (0,1)[/itex]?
 
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kontejnjer said:
If I'm understanding this correctly, you could start by writing [itex]x^{2}[/itex] as [itex]\int^{x}_{0}2tdt[/itex] and then comparing this to the original integral. Will the inequality be valid for any value of [itex]f(x)[/itex] on [itex]x\in (0,1)[/itex]?

Thank you for your reply!

[tex]\int^x_0 tf(t) dt \leq \int^x_0 2t dt[/tex]

Should I insert x=1(I can't insert x=0 since integrals must have bounds that are not equal)? What should I do with the f(t)?

EDIT:
Sorry, I just started this chapter and I am not so sure what to do.
 
Last edited:
You could rewrite the inequality as

[itex]\int^{x}_{0}[f(t)-2]tdt\leq0[/itex]

Now, since [itex]x \in (0,1)[/itex], the [itex]t[/itex] will clearly not be negative on the interval, meaning [itex]f(t)-2[/itex] will either oscillate between positive and negative values, or will just be negative (since their product must be negative on at least one subset of (0,1) for the whole integral to be negative or zero). Now, since [itex]f(t)[/itex] can be ANY function (as long as [itex]f(t)\in(0,3)[/itex]), you can sometimes pick it to be the simplest one, in this case a constant. Can you then choose a constant f to simultaneously satisfy the above inequality and the initial assumption?
 
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Thank you for your reply once again!

I could pick f(t)=2 that will satisfy the inequality. But if I choose f(t)=3 it will mean that the inequality is wrong since the integral will be postitive. I guess that means that the initial inequality is wrong.

Is that right?
 
Rectifier said:
Hey!
It is the first time I post on this subform. Please forgive me if I do something wrong.

Homework Statement


[tex]F(x)=\int^x_0f(t)dt[/tex]
for
[tex]R \in t \rightarrow f(t)[/tex]
I don't understand what the above is supposed to mean. Can you explain in words what you're trying to convey here?
Rectifier said:

Homework Equations


Is it true that

[tex]0 \leq f(x)\leq 3[/tex] for [tex]0<x<1[/tex]

[tex]\int^x_0 tf(t)dt \leq x^2[/tex]

for all [tex]x \in (0, 1)[/tex]? "
The wording here is somewhat confusing, IMO. What part is given (or we are supposed to assume) and what part are we to show? IOW, are we supposed to verify that 0 ≤ f(x) ≤ 3 when 0 < x < 1?

And then show that the inequality is true?
Rectifier said:

The Attempt at a Solution


[tex]\int^x_0 tf(t)dt \leq x^2 \Leftrightarrow t \int^x_0 f(t)dt \leq x^2 \Leftrightarrow t F(x) \leq x^2[/tex]
I don't know how to continue from here.
You can't pull t outside the integral like you have done above.

You are giv
 
Rectifier said:
Thank you for your reply once again!

I could pick f(t)=2 that will satisfy the inequality. But if I choose f(t)=3 it will mean that the inequality is wrong since the integral will be postitive. I guess that means that the initial inequality is wrong.

Is that right?

Yup, you found a counterexample, so the initial theorem doesn't hold, that's all there is to it.
 
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Mark44 said:
I don't understand what the above is supposed to mean. Can you explain in words what you're trying to convey here?

The wording here is somewhat confusing, IMO. What part is given (or we are supposed to assume) and what part are we to show? IOW, are we supposed to verify that 0 ≤ f(x) ≤ 3 when 0 < x < 1?

And then show that the inequality is true?

You can't pull t outside the integral like you have done above.

You are giv

Thank you for your post.
I am having a hard time translating the problem to English from Swedish. We were supposed to verify if the inequality is true having (0 ≤ f(x) ≤ 3 when 0 < x < 1) as our starting conditions.
 
kontejnjer said:
Yup, you found a counterexample, so the initial theorem doesn't hold, that's all there is to it.

Thank you :)
 

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