Integrate sqrt ( 4 -x^2)dx

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the integration of the function sqrt(4 - x^2) with various proposed methods and substitutions. Participants explore trigonometric substitutions, integration by parts, and alternative approaches to solve the integral, while discussing the implications and correctness of each method.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests using the substitution x = 2cos(theta) or 2sin(theta) for integration.
  • Another participant points out that the double angle identity cannot be applied without the appropriate substitution.
  • Several participants propose integration by parts, defining u = sqrt(4 - x^2) and dv = dx, leading to a series of integrals that need further evaluation.
  • There is a discussion about the correctness of the derivatives and the presence of negative signs in the integration process.
  • One participant mentions using the Halls of Ivy method, leading to a result involving arcsin and cos terms.
  • Another participant questions the validity of the Halls of Ivy method, asserting that different methods can yield equivalent results.
  • Participants discuss the implications of constants in the final results and how different substitutions affect the integral's evaluation.
  • There is confusion regarding the transformation of sin(2t) and its relation to arcsin(x/2), with requests for clarification on the mathematical steps involved.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the best method to integrate the function, with no consensus reached on a single approach. Multiple competing views remain regarding the validity and correctness of various proposed methods.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note limitations in their approaches, such as missing assumptions or unresolved steps in the integration process. The discussion reflects a range of mathematical reasoning without definitive conclusions.

Naeem
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Hi,

Can anyone help me integrate :

Integral sqrt ( 4 - x^2) dx

Some ideas:

Make a subsitution x2 = cos (theta)

Taking the derivative of both sides:

2x = - sin (theta).d(theta)

or...

Double angle identity:

(Cosx)^2 = 1 + cos2x / 2


Can anybody give some ideas.
 
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Trigonometrically: x = 2cos(theta), or 2sin(theta), not [tex]x^2 = 2cos(theta)[/tex]

You can't use the double angle identity without making that substitution, so its not really 'or' is it :)

You might be able to do it by parts with u = sqrt(4-x^2) and dv = dx.
 
By parts will work.

[tex]\int udv = uv - \int{vdu}[/tex]

Let u = [itex]\sqrt{4-x^2}[/itex]
And du = [tex]\frac{2x}{2\sqrt{4-x^2}}[/tex]

Let dv = dx
And v = x

[tex]\int \sqrt{4-x^2}dx = x\sqrt{4-x^2} - \int\frac{2x^2}{2\sqrt{4-x^2}}dx[/tex]

Hope that helps.
 
I don't see any reason for a double angle. If you factor out that 4 you get
[tex]\sqrt{4- x^2}= 2\sqrt{1- \frac{x^2}{4}[/tex]. And anytime you see something like that you should think "[tex]\sqrt{1- cos^2x}= sin x[/tex]" (or "[tex]\sqrt{1- sin^2x}= cos x[/tex]").

Let [tex]cos(\theta)= \frac{x}{2}[/tex] or [2 cos(\theta)= x[/tex] so that
[tex]-2sin(\theta)dx= dx[/tex]. Then [tex]\integral \sqrt{4-x^2}dx= 2\integral \sqrt{1- (\frac{x}{2})^2}dx= -4\integral\sqrt{1- cos^2\theta}sin \theta d\theta= -4\integral sin^2 \theta d\theta[/tex].

That last integral you can do using [tex]sin^2 \theta= \frac{1}{2}(1- cos \theta)[/tex].
Well, by golly, you do need a double angle!
 
Jameson said:
By parts will work.

[tex]\int udv = uv - \int{vdu}[/tex]

Let u = [itex]\sqrt{4-x^2}[/itex]
And du = [tex]\frac{2x}{2\sqrt{4-x^2}}[/tex] $
Let dv = dx
And v = x

[tex]\int \sqrt{4-x^2}dx = x\sqrt{4-x^2} - \int\frac{2x^2}{2\sqrt{4-x^2}}dx[/tex]

Hope that helps.

U missed a "-" (=minus) when computing the marked differential.Not to mention the "dx".

Daniel.
 
You're right. The "dx's" aren't as critical as the minus was... here's the corrected integral.
------------------
[tex]\int udv = uv - \int{vdu}[/tex]

Let u = [itex]\sqrt{4-x^2}[/itex]
And du = [tex]\frac{-2x}{2\sqrt{4-x^2}}dx[/tex]

Let dv = dx
And v = x

[tex]\int \sqrt{4-x^2}dx = x\sqrt{4-x^2} + \int\frac{x^2}{\sqrt{4-x^2}}dx[/tex]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Apparently u forgot about it,again.It should have been

[tex](...)+\int \frac{x^{2}}{\sqrt{4-x^{2}}} \ dx[/tex]

,where the 2-s got simplified through.

Daniel.
 
Oh, alright. Sorry I didn't see it before. I didn't catch what you were referring to. I'll edit my previous post... hope I get it right this time.
 
And the last integral can be calculated again by parts...

Daniel.
 
  • #10
Right. I was hoping the original poster would comment again before I did too many steps.
 
  • #11
I did this problem using Halls of Ivy idea, i.e substitution, and I got

Integral sqrt( 4 -x^2)dx = -2 Integral ( 1-cos ( theta ) dtheta =
= -2[ Integral dtheta - Integral cos(theta)dtheta ]
= -2 ( theta - sin (theta) + C
= -2 ( cos-1 (x/2) - sin ... what do I put theta as here)...
 
  • #12
Naeem said:
= -2 ( cos-1 (x/2) - sin ... what do I put theta as here)...

You know that [tex]\sin{\theta}=\sqrt{1-\cos^2{\theta}}[/tex], right? Does that help?
 
  • #13
then. theta for the second part would be

theta = arcsin sqrt ( 1- x^2/4)...
 
  • #14
[tex]\int \sqrt{4-x^2}dx[/tex]

[tex]u = \sqrt{4-x^2}, du = \frac{-x}{\sqrt{4-x^2}}dx, v = x, dv = dx[/tex]

[tex]\int \sqrt{4-x^2}dx = x\sqrt{4-x^2} + \int\frac{x^2}{\sqrt{4-x^2}}dx[/tex]

x = 2sin(t)
dx = 2cos(t) dt

The integral on the RHS becomes:

[tex]\int \frac{8cos(t)sin^2(t)}{\sqrt{4-4sin^2(t)}}dt = \int \frac{8cos(t)sin^2(t)}{2\sqrt{cos^2(t)}}dt = \int \frac{8cos(t)sin^2(t)}{2cos(t)}}dt = 4\int{sin^2(t)}{dt}[/tex]

From there use the trig identity[tex]sin^2(t) = \frac{1-2cos(t)}{2}[/tex]

[tex]2\int{1-cos(2t)}{dt} = 2t - 2\int{cos2t}{dt} = 2t - sin(2t)[/tex]

From x = 2sin(t), t = arcsin(x/2).

[tex]2(arcsin(x/2)-sin(2))[/tex]

Since sin(2) is constant it can be omitted and

[tex]\int \sqrt{4-x^2}dx = x\sqrt{4-x^2} + 2arcsin(x/2)[/tex]
 
  • #15
Is Halls of Ivy method wrong then
 
  • #17
[tex]\int \sqrt{4-x^2}dx = x\sqrt{4-x^2} + 2arcsin(x/2)[/tex]

When I evaluate the integral on the LHS on maple it tells me that the first term on the RHS should be divided by 2.

Can anyone figure this out?
 
  • #18
Maple is correct (up to a constant he never considers :wink:).

[tex]\int \sqrt{4-x^{2}} \ dx =2 \arcsin\left(\frac{x}{2}\right)+2\frac{x}{2}\sqrt{1-\left(\frac{x}{2}\right)^{2}} + C =2 \arcsin\left(\frac{x}{2}\right)+\frac{1}{2}x\sqrt{4-x^{2}} + C[/tex]

Daniel.
 
  • #19
So you square the 1/2 and put it inside making it 1-(x/2)^2. But why does it still have 4 - x^2?

You lost me.
 
  • #20
Well,when reversing the substitution u end up with

[tex]2\frac{x}{2}\sqrt{1-\left(\frac{x}{2}\right)^{2}}[/tex]

which used to stand for [itex]\sin 2u =2 \sin u \ \cos u [/tex]<br /> <br /> U know algebra,so how about work that square & square roots...?<br /> <br /> Daniel.[/itex]
 
  • #21
The fact that there are different ways of doing a problem does not mean that any of them is wrong!

The original problem was Integral sqrt ( 4 - x^2) dx [tex]\integral \sqrt{4-x^2}dx[/tex]

Let [tex]2 sin(\theta)= x[/tex] so that 2 cos(\theta)= dx. [tex]\sqrt{4- x^2}= \sqrt{4- 4sin^2(\theta)}= 2 cos(\theta)[/tex]. The integral becomes [tex]4 \int cos^2(\theta)d\theta= 2 \int (1+ cos(2\theta))d\theta = 2\theta+ sin(2\theta)[/tex].
Now, go back to x.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #22
No, it's fine.

Here:

[tex]\int \sqrt{4-x^2} \ dx = \int -2\sin \theta \sqrt{4 - 4\cos^2 \theta} \ dx = -4 \int \sin^2 \theta \ dx = -2\int 1 - \cos 2\theta \ d\theta = -2\theta + \sin 2\theta + C = -2\arccos \left( \frac{x}{2} \right) + 2\sin \theta \cos \theta+C[/tex]

[tex]= \frac{x}{2}\sqrt{4-x^2} - 2\arccos \left( \frac{x}{2} \right)+C[/tex]

this is an equivalent answer (it differs only from those above by a constant). Note that here [itex]2\cos \theta = x[/itex].
 
Last edited:
  • #23
oops, didn't notice the second page!
 
  • #24
Here's another way to do it,if u have the patience (:-p).A mathematician should.

Make the obvious substitution

[tex]\frac{x}{2}=\tanh u[/tex]

and go from there...

Daniel.
 
  • #25
whozum said:
[tex]\int \sqrt{4-x^2}dx[/tex]

[tex]u = \sqrt{4-x^2}, du = \frac{-x}{\sqrt{4-x^2}}dx, v = x, dv = dx[/tex]

[tex]\int \sqrt{4-x^2}dx = x\sqrt{4-x^2} + \int\frac{x^2}{\sqrt{4-x^2}}dx[/tex]

x = 2sin(t)
dx = 2cos(t) dt

The integral on the RHS becomes:

[tex]\int \frac{8cos(t)sin^2(t)}{\sqrt{4-4sin^2(t)}}dt = \int \frac{8cos(t)sin^2(t)}{2\sqrt{cos^2(t)}}dt = \int \frac{8cos(t)sin^2(t)}{2cos(t)}}dt = 4\int{sin^2(t)}{dt}[/tex]

From there use the trig identity[tex]sin^2(t) = \frac{1-2cos(t)}{2}[/tex]

[tex]2\int{1-cos(2t)}{dt} = 2t - 2\int{cos2t}{dt} = 2t - sin(2t)[/tex]

From x = 2sin(t), t = arcsin(x/2).

[tex]2(arcsin(x/2)-sin(2))[/tex]

Since sin(2) is constant it can be omitted and

[tex]\int \sqrt{4-x^2}dx = x\sqrt{4-x^2} + 2arcsin(x/2)[/tex]


at the very end, how come sin2t becomes a sin2?
If you substitute t=arcsin(x/2) into sin2t, don't we get sin(2arcsin(x/2))?
how could that come out to be sin2?

Can someone please help me? THX!
 

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