Please tell me where I am going wrong in this integral

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the evaluation of the integral related to the wave function probability density, specifically ##|\Psi|^2=\frac{1}{\sqrt{\pi b^2}}\exp(\frac{-(x-x_0)^2}{b^2})##. The user incorrectly applied the property of odd functions when substituting variables, leading to an erroneous result of ##\frac{b}{\sqrt{\pi}}+x_0## instead of the correct value of ##x_0##. The mistake was identified as failing to recognize that the first integral, being odd, evaluates to zero over symmetric limits. The user acknowledged the oversight regarding the even and odd nature of the integrands involved.

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Homework Statement
Given the wavefunction, determine the expectation value of the particle's position
Relevant Equations
##\Psi=\frac{1}{\sqrt{\pi}(b)^{1/4}}\exp(\frac{ip_0x}{\hbar}-\frac{(x-x_0)^2}{2b^2})##
##|\Psi|^2=\frac{1}{\sqrt{\pi b^2}}\exp(\frac{-(x-x_0)^2}{b^2}).##
##\braket{x}=\frac{1}{\sqrt{\pi b^2}}\int_{-\infty}^{\infty}dx\,x\exp(-\frac{(x-x_0)^2}{b^2}).##
##y=x-x_0 \quad x=y+x_0 \quad dy=dx.##
The boundaries remain infinite, I believe.
##\frac{1}{\sqrt{\pi b^2}}\int_{-\infty}^{\infty}dy(y+x_0)\exp(\frac{-y^2}{b^2}).##
##\frac{2}{\sqrt{\pi b^2}}\int_0^{\infty}dy\,y\exp(\frac{-y^2}{b^2})+\frac{2x_0}{\sqrt{\pi b^2}}\int_0^{\infty}dy\,\exp(-\frac{y^2}{b^2}).##
I then resolved the two integrals separately using the relations for Gaussian integrals in the back cover of Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by Griffiths.
##\frac{b}{\sqrt{\pi}}+x_0.##
This is not correct. The result should be ##x_0##. I have retraced my steps multiple times and have redone the calculation using a different substitution but get the same result. Would appreciate someone pointing out the problem.
 
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bluepilotg-2_07 said:
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In the second line, the first integral has an integrand that is odd in ##y##. You cannot replace ##\int_{-\infty}^{\infty}## by ##2\int_{0}^{\infty} ##.
 
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Hello, thank you for the response! I should have known better, but wasn't considering even and oddness. I realize now that the first integral goes to zero since it is odd and being integrated over symmetric boundaries and the rest is trivial.
Thanks again!
 
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