DaleSwanson
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This is the end of a triple integration problem. I can get down to what seems like it should be a simple polynomial integral of a single variable. Yet I just can't get the numbers to work out.
\int_0^5 \frac{-1}{2}x^3 + \frac{15}{2} x^2 - \frac{75}{2} x + \frac{125}{2} dx
The indefinite integral should be:
\frac{-1}{8}x^4 + \frac{5}{3} x^3 - \frac{75}{4} x^2 \frac{125}{2} x + C
At 0 that should equal 0, so we only need to worry about its value at 5, which should be:
\frac{-625}{8} + \frac{625}{3} - \frac{1875}{4} + \frac{625}{2} = \frac{-625}{24}
However, the correct answer should be 625/8. My answer is off by a factor of -6.
I'd assume I had made a mistake getting to this point, but Wolfram Alpha confirms that the definite integral above is equal to 625/8.
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=integral+from+0+to+5+of+125%2F2-%2875+x%29%2F2%2B%2815+x^2%29%2F2-x^3%2F2
Having WA do the indefinite integral gives my result, but also gives a form with -625/8 + C, which I assume can be ignored since it's a definite integral. Either way, including the -625/8 doesn't seem to help.
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=integral++of+125%2F2-%2875+x%29%2F2%2B%2815+x^2%29%2F2-x^3%2F2
So I'm pretty lost right now as to what could be going wrong. It's possible that I'm making a simple arithmetic mistake, as I'm pretty good at doing that, but I've checked and rechecked and just keep getting -625/24.
Can anyone see my problem?
\int_0^5 \frac{-1}{2}x^3 + \frac{15}{2} x^2 - \frac{75}{2} x + \frac{125}{2} dx
The indefinite integral should be:
\frac{-1}{8}x^4 + \frac{5}{3} x^3 - \frac{75}{4} x^2 \frac{125}{2} x + C
At 0 that should equal 0, so we only need to worry about its value at 5, which should be:
\frac{-625}{8} + \frac{625}{3} - \frac{1875}{4} + \frac{625}{2} = \frac{-625}{24}
However, the correct answer should be 625/8. My answer is off by a factor of -6.
I'd assume I had made a mistake getting to this point, but Wolfram Alpha confirms that the definite integral above is equal to 625/8.
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=integral+from+0+to+5+of+125%2F2-%2875+x%29%2F2%2B%2815+x^2%29%2F2-x^3%2F2
Having WA do the indefinite integral gives my result, but also gives a form with -625/8 + C, which I assume can be ignored since it's a definite integral. Either way, including the -625/8 doesn't seem to help.
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=integral++of+125%2F2-%2875+x%29%2F2%2B%2815+x^2%29%2F2-x^3%2F2
So I'm pretty lost right now as to what could be going wrong. It's possible that I'm making a simple arithmetic mistake, as I'm pretty good at doing that, but I've checked and rechecked and just keep getting -625/24.
Can anyone see my problem?