Integration - Can't find my mistake

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around integration problems, specifically focusing on the integral of arctangent and a second integral involving a rational function. Participants are exploring their approaches to these integrals and attempting to identify errors in their reasoning.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the integration of arctan(1/x) and the application of integration by parts, questioning the simplification of derivatives and the correctness of their steps. There is also a second integral involving a substitution that participants are trying to clarify.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered guidance on the next steps for the integrals, suggesting substitutions and clarifying misunderstandings. There is an acknowledgment of mistakes made in the integration process, but no consensus has been reached on the correct solutions.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the constraints of homework guidelines, which may limit the methods they can use or the assumptions they can make. There is also a mention of the implications of definite integrals in the context of their discussions.

MathewsMD
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##\int arctan(\frac {1}{x})dx = I## when ##u = arctan(\frac {1}{x}), du = -\frac {1}{1+x^2} dx, dv = dx, v = x## and I got ##du## by chain rule since ##\frac {1}{1 + \frac {1}{x^2}} (-\frac {1}{x^2})## simplifies to ##-\frac {1}{1+x^2} dx## right?

##I = xarctan(\frac {1}{x}) + \int \frac {x}{1+x^2}dx##
##I = xarctan(\frac {1}{x}) + \int \frac {1}{x}dx + \int xdx##
##I = xarctan(\frac {1}{x}) + ln lxl + 0.5x^2 + C ##

This is not the correct answer, though, and I can't seem to find my exact error.

Any help would be great!

P.S. I have seen the identities to make arctan(1/x) = arctan(x) and using substation earlier, but am trying to use this method.

Second integration problem:

##I = \int \frac {r^3}{4+r^2}^0.5 dr## and if ##4 +r^2 = u## or ##r^2 = u - 4## then ##dr = \frac {1}{2r} du## so
##I = 0.5 \int \frac {u-4}{u}^0.5 du = 0.5 [\int u^0.5 - 4\int {1}{u}]##
##I = \frac {1}{3} u^{3/2}- 8u^{1/2}##

This is also wrong but I'm not quite sure why.
 
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MathewsMD said:
##\int arctan(\frac {1}{x})dx = I## when ##u = arctan(\frac {1}{x}), du = -\frac {1}{1+x^2} dx, dv = dx, v = x## and I got ##du## by chain rule since ##\frac {1}{1 + \frac {1}{x^2}} (-\frac {1}{x^2})## simplifies to ##-\frac {1}{1+x^2} dx## right?

##I = xarctan(\frac {1}{x}) + \int \frac {x}{1+x^2}dx##
##I = xarctan(\frac {1}{x}) + \int \frac {1}{x}dx + \int xdx##

##\frac x {1+x^2} \ne x + \frac 1 x##.
 
LCKurtz said:
##\frac x {1+x^2} \ne x + \frac 1 x##.
General case: ##\frac {d}{dy} arctan(y) = \frac {1}{1 +y^2}## right?
So replacing y with 1/x
##= \frac {1}{1 + (1/x)^2}##
##= \frac {1}{\frac {x^2 + 1}{x^2}}##
##= \frac {x^2}{1+x^2}## [1]

Then applying chain rule to ##\frac {1}{x}##
##\frac{d}{dx}\frac {1}{x} = -\frac {1}{x^2}## [2]

So I multiply [1] by [2] to get

## -\frac {1}{1 + x^2}##

Oh, never mind, just realized you stated something completely different...
 
LCKurtz said:
##\frac x {1+x^2} \ne x + \frac 1 x##.

Just a question: If this was a definite integral and did not included 0 between the upper and lower limits, would it be allowed or still no? Since you have to find the general antiderivative either way, I guess it doesn't make sense...

Just wondering, what exactly would be the next step to take here? I seem to have made the same mistake in both questions.
 
MathewsMD said:
Just wondering, what exactly would be the next step to take here? I seem to have made the same mistake in both questions.

You had$$
x\arctan(\frac 1 x) +\int\frac x {x^2+1}~dx$$Do a ##u## substitution on the second integral.
 
mathewsmd said:
second integration problem:

##i = \int \frac {r^3}{4+r^2}^0.5 dr## and if ##4 +r^2 = u## or ##r^2 = u - 4## then ##dr = \frac {1}{2r} du## so
##i = 0.5 \int \frac {u-4}{u}^0.5 du = 0.5 [\int u^0.5 - 4\int {1}{u}]##
##i = \frac {1}{3} u^{3/2}- 8u^{1/2}##

this is also wrong but I'm not quite sure why.

Your integral expression appears corrupted.

Are you perhaps trying to find

I = [itex]\int (\frac {r^3}{4+r^2})^{0.5} dr[/itex]
 
SteamKing said:
Your integral expression appears corrupted.

Are you perhaps trying to find

I = [itex]\int (\frac {r^3}{4+r^2})^{0.5} dr[/itex]

Sorry, yes. I was in a hurry and forgot to fully check my script. My problem has been solved by the above answer. Thank you for all the help!
 

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