Partial Fraction Integration: Proving the Linear Factor Rule

  • Thread starter Thread starter The Anomaly
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Linear
The Anomaly
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
I'm studying the Partial Fraction method of integration, and I believe I understand the fundamental idea of it. However, much of it is based on a rule that the book calls the Linear Factor Rule. It is the following:

For each factor of the form (ax+b)m the partial fraction decomposition contains the following sum of m partial fractions:

\frac{A_1}{(ax+b)} + \frac{A_2}{(ax+b)^2} + ... + \frac{A_m}{(ax+b)^m}

I'm assuming that the proof of this is either assumed, or was done in a Precalculus course or something. But could you help me out with proving it? It just doesn't make much sense at this point.
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
The Anomaly said:
I'm studying the Partial Fraction method of integration, and I believe I understand the fundamental idea of it. However, much of it is based on a rule that the book calls the Linear Factor Rule. It is the following:

For each factor of the form (ax+b)m the partial fraction decomposition contains the following sum of m partial fractions:

\frac{A_1}{(ax+b)} + \frac{A_2}{(ax+b)^2} + ... + \frac{A_m}{(ax+b)^m}

I'm assuming that the proof of this is either assumed, or was done in a Precalculus course or something. But could you help me out with proving it? It just doesn't make much sense at this point.

No, the proof that such numerators exist is found only in more advanced courses. But to proceed in integration you do not need that proof. Even if you have not proved that such coefficients exist in all cases, if such coefficients exist (as they always do) in the case you are doing, then you can go ahead with the integration.
 
g_edgar said:
No, the proof that such numerators exist is found only in more advanced courses. But to proceed in integration you do not need that proof. Even if you have not proved that such coefficients exist in all cases, if such coefficients exist (as they always do) in the case you are doing, then you can go ahead with the integration.

Alright, that makes sense. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing some obvious proof from precalculus.

Thanks for the reply!

EDIT: And for curiosity, when my Calculus book refers to advanced algebra (Not exactly for this example, but for others) are they referring to Precalculus algebra? Or way more advanced stuff that I have not approached yet?
 
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. In Dirac’s Principles of Quantum Mechanics published in 1930 he introduced a “convenient notation” he referred to as a “delta function” which he treated as a continuum analog to the discrete Kronecker delta. The Kronecker delta is simply the indexed components of the identity operator in matrix algebra Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/what-exactly-is-diracs-delta-function/ by...
Fermat's Last Theorem has long been one of the most famous mathematical problems, and is now one of the most famous theorems. It simply states that the equation $$ a^n+b^n=c^n $$ has no solutions with positive integers if ##n>2.## It was named after Pierre de Fermat (1607-1665). The problem itself stems from the book Arithmetica by Diophantus of Alexandria. It gained popularity because Fermat noted in his copy "Cubum autem in duos cubos, aut quadratoquadratum in duos quadratoquadratos, et...
I'm interested to know whether the equation $$1 = 2 - \frac{1}{2 - \frac{1}{2 - \cdots}}$$ is true or not. It can be shown easily that if the continued fraction converges, it cannot converge to anything else than 1. It seems that if the continued fraction converges, the convergence is very slow. The apparent slowness of the convergence makes it difficult to estimate the presence of true convergence numerically. At the moment I don't know whether this converges or not.
Back
Top