Proving the Riemann Sum for the Integral of x^2 from 1 to 3

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The integral of x² from 1 to 3 is proven to equal 26/3 using Riemann sums. The upper Riemann sum U(P) is defined as U(P) = ∑(xᵢΔxᵢ) and the lower sum L(P) as L(P) = ∑(xᵢ₋₁Δxᵢ). The discussion clarifies the inequalities 3x²ᵢ₋₁ ≤ x²ᵢ₋₁ + xᵢ₋₁xᵢ + x²ᵢ ≤ 3x²ᵢ, leading to the conclusion that L(P) ≤ 26/3 ≤ U(P). This confirms that the function f(x) = x² is Riemann-integrable on the interval [1, 3], resulting in the integral I = 26/3.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Riemann sums and their definitions
  • Familiarity with calculus concepts, particularly integrals
  • Knowledge of inequalities and their applications in calculus
  • Basic algebra skills for manipulating expressions
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the properties of Riemann integrability in more depth
  • Explore the concept of partitions in Riemann sums
  • Learn about the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
  • Investigate other functions and their integrals using Riemann sums
USEFUL FOR

Students of calculus, mathematics educators, and anyone interested in understanding the application of Riemann sums to definite integrals.

NATURE.M
Messages
298
Reaction score
0
So my textbook asks to show \int^{3}_{1} x^{2}dx = \frac{26}{3}.
They let the partition P = {x_{0},...,x_{n}}, and define the upper Riemann sum as U(P) = \sum^{i=1}_{n} x_{i}Δx_{i} and lower sum as
L(P) = \sum^{i=1}_{n} x_{i-1}Δx_{i}

I understand this part, but the next part is where I'm confused.

For each index i, 1\leqi\leqn,
3x^{2}_{i-1}\leq x^{2}_{i-1} + x_{i-1}x_{i}+x^{2}_{i}\leq3x^{2}_{i}

It's probably something I'm overlooking by where does the middle term come from and the 3 ??
 
Physics news on Phys.org
The inequality comes from the fact that x_{i-1} \leq x_i for all i, and therefore
x_{i-1}^2 \leq x_{i-1}^2
and
x_{i-1}^2 \leq x_{i-1}x_i
and
x_{i-1}^2 \leq x_{i}^2
so adding these all together give
3 x_{i-1}^2 \leq x_{i-1}^2 + x_{i-1} x_i + x_{i}^2
 
I think they want to express this, because we have
$$3x_{i-1}^{2}\leq x_{i-1}^{2} + x_{i-1} x_{i}^{2} +x_{i}^{2}\leq 3 x_{i}^{2}, $$
so, $$ 3x_{i-1}^{2}(x_{i}-x_{i-1})\leq (x_{i-1}^{2} + x_{i-1} x_{i} +x_{i}^{2}) (x_{i}-x_{i-1}) \leq 3 x_{i}^{2} (x_{i}-x_{i-1}) ,$$
namely,$$3 x_{i-1}^{2}\Delta{x_{i}}\leq ( x_{i}^{3} - x_{i-1}^{3} )\leq 3x_{i}^{2}\Delta{x_{i}}.$$
Then, we can get
$$\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_{i-1}^{2} \Delta x_{i} \leq \frac{1}{3}( x_{n}^{3} - x_{0}^{3} ) \leq \sum_{i=1}^{n} x_{i}^{2} \Delta x_{i} ,$$
that is to say,
$$L(P)\leq \frac{26}{3} \leq U(P).$$
Because ##f(x)=x^{2}## is Riemann-integrable on ##[1,3]##, let ##I=\int _{1}^{3}f(x)dx\, , \lambda = \max \limits_{1\leq i \leq n}(\Delta{x_{i}})\rightarrow 0 ##, so
$$\lim_{\lambda\rightarrow 0}{U(P)}=L=I=l= \lim_{\lambda \rightarrow 0}{L(P)}.$$
According to the former reasoning, both of ##L## and ##l## equal ##\frac{26}{3}##, so ##I=\frac{26}{3}##.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Replies
6
Views
3K
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 105 ·
4
Replies
105
Views
11K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
3K