Solve Hairy Trig Integral: Find Value of 'c

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around finding the value of 'c' in a trigonometric integral problem involving positive integers a, b, c, d, and n. Participants are exploring various substitution methods and integration techniques related to the integral.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss a substitution of u = sinx + cosx and its implications on the integral limits. There are mentions of factoring terms and the challenges posed by the integration limits and the denominator. Some participants express uncertainty about their approaches and seek hints or guidance.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants sharing their attempts and seeking clarification on their methods. Some have suggested that a recurrence relation might be necessary, while others are interested in specific substitutions and their outcomes. There is no explicit consensus on the approach, but multiple lines of reasoning are being explored.

Contextual Notes

There are concerns about the clarity of the problem statement due to the use of images and the need for participants to show their work more clearly. Additionally, some participants have noted the difficulty of the problem and the lack of clear integration limits.

Saurabh
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<Moderator's note: Moved from a technical forum and thus no template.>
tex2img.png

where a, b, c, d and n, all are positive integers.
Find the value of 'c'.
-------------------------------

I don't really have a good approach for this one.
I just made a substitution u = sinx + cosx
I couldn't clear up the mess.
A hint(s) would be highly appreciated.
Peace!
 

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Saurabh said:
<Moderator's note: Moved from a technical forum and thus no template.>

https://scontent.fhyd1-1.fna.fbcdn....=1b8a98481cf7145ee977f8972836ac1b&oe=5A9C989E
My approach to the monster problem.
I set u as (sinθ + cosθ)
thus the limits vary from √2 to (√3 +1)/2
then i factored the sin^3(θ) - cos^3(θ) term.
and did stuff.
observe du = cosθ - sinθ = -(sinθ - cosθ)
and thus somehow the limits may change. and from that, i don't know, magically, 'c' can be equal to 3.
a hint would be appreciated :)

You really need to show your work; just saying "...did stuff..." is not enough.

Also, you should try to avoid posting images; the preferred mode here is typed problem statements and solutions, although to some extent those standards are relaxed if images are clear and unambiguous. Yours is a bit fuzzy: the lower integration limit is not at all clear.
 
We use latex to enter equations on PF.

There is a link to our latex help page at the bottom of my post.
 
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Ray Vickson said:
You really need to show your work; just saying "...did stuff..." is not enough.

Also, you should try to avoid posting images; the preferred mode here is typed problem statements and solutions, although to some extent those standards are relaxed if images are clear and unambiguous. Yours is a bit fuzzy: the lower integration limit is not at all clear.
Is this okay now?
Please can you figure out something?
 
@haruspex please help me with this one sir!
a little help will be appreciated.
thank you.
 
You might have something with your substitution. I am interested to see how you substituted for terms like ##cos^2x##. Could you show us how you did that and what you got for the integral in terms of u?
 
Last edited:
Saurabh said:
@haruspex please help me with this one sir!
a little help will be appreciated.
thank you.
So far it has me beat. My guess is that you need to obtain a recurrence relation. That would normally be via integration by parts, but the denominator makes that tough.
Will think about it some more.
 
Assume the indefinite integral is ##\frac 1 n (f(x))^n##. Then the integrand must be ##f'(x)(f(x))^{n-1}##.
 
Last edited:
Thanks to everyone who tried.
I got the solution :)
My teacher laughed at me for not getting such a simple one.
Anyways,
the answer is c = 8.
 
  • #10
Saurabh said:
Thanks to everyone who tried.
I got the solution :)
My teacher laughed at me for not getting such a simple one.
Anyways,
the answer is c = 8.

How did you get the answer? Many of us have tried and failed!
 

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