Solve Integral Error: \int\frac{1+e^x}{1-e^x}dx

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
3 replies · 3K views
G01
Science Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
2,709
Reaction score
19
[tex]\int \frac{1+e^x}{1-e^x}dx =[/tex]

[tex]\int \frac{dx}{1-e^x} + \int \frac{e^x}{1-e^x}dx[/tex]

The second integral can be done by the substitution
[tex]u = 1-e^x[/tex]
[tex]du = -e^x dx[/tex]

So the second integral becomes:
[tex]\int \frac{du}{u} = \ln|u|+C[/tex]
In the first integral, you can use the substituion:
[tex]w = e^x[/tex]
[tex]dw = e^x dx[/tex]

So the first integral becomes:
[tex]\int \frac{dw}{w(1-w)}[/tex]
This can be done by parts and you get:
[tex]\int \frac{dw}{w} + \int \frac{dw}{1-w}[/tex]

These are also both natural logs so you end up with:

[tex]\ln|e^x| - 2\ln|1-e^x| + C[/tex]

[tex]x - 2\ln|1-e^x| +C[/tex]

I had http://integrals.wolfram.com/index.jsp compute this for me and it got:

[tex]x - 2\ln(e^x - 1) +C[/tex]

I think this may have something to do with the absolute value, but I always make stupid mistakes with signs so I thought I'd check...Thanks for the time I probably just wasted.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
For some reason it won't let me edit my post... on the fifth line that integral should be
[tex]-\int\frac{du}{u}[/tex]