Solving Integration: No Numerical Method Needed, Answer is 1

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around an integral involving trigonometric functions, specifically the integral of \(\frac {\cos ^2\left [\frac {\pi} 2 \;\cos\;\theta\right]}{\sin \theta}\) from 0 to \(\pi\). The original poster claims to have solved it without numerical methods, arriving at an answer of 1, while a reference suggests the answer is approximately 1.218.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the validity of the original poster's u-substitution and the implications of that substitution on the integral's evaluation. Some express confusion about the cancellation of terms and the correctness of the transformation. Others mention using computational tools to verify the integral's value, suggesting it may be non-elementary.

Discussion Status

There is an ongoing exploration of the integral's evaluation methods, with some participants questioning the original poster's approach and others providing insights based on computational results. The discussion reflects a mix of interpretations and attempts to clarify the mathematical steps involved.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the complexity of the integral and the potential need for advanced techniques or resources, such as integration tables or computational software, to arrive at a solution. There is acknowledgment of mistakes made during the evaluation process, highlighting the challenges faced in solving the integral accurately.

yungman
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Please tell me what did I do wrong on this integration. The book claimed this can only be solved in numerical method and the answer is 1.218.

[tex]\int _0^{\pi} \frac {\cos ^2\left [\frac {\pi} 2 \;\cos\;\theta\right]}{\sin \theta}\;d\;\theta[/tex]

[tex]\hbox { Let }\; u=\frac {\pi} 2\; \cos \theta\;\Rightarrow\; d\theta =-\frac{2\;d\;u}{\pi\;\sin\;\theta}\; \Rightarrow\;\int _0^{\pi} \frac {\cos ^2\left [\frac {\pi} 2 \;\cos\;\theta\right]}{\sin \theta}\;d\;\theta \;=\; -\frac 2 {\pi}\int \cos^2\;u \;d\;u\;=-\frac 1 {\pi} \left[ \int d\;u \;+\; \int \cos(2u) d\;u \right ][/tex]

[tex]= -\left [\frac { \frac {\pi} 2 \cos \theta}{\pi}\right]_0^{\pi} \;-\;\frac 1 {2\pi} \int \cos v \;dv \;\;\;\;\;\;\hbox { where }\;\; \;v=2u \;\hbox { and }\;d\;u=\frac {d\;v} 2[/tex]

[tex]= 1 -\left[\frac { \sin (2\frac {\pi} 2 \;\cos \theta)}{2\pi}\right]^{\pi}_0 \;= 1[/tex]

I solve this without using numerical method and the answer is 1 instead of 1.218. Who is right?
 
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on your first u-substitution u=pi/2*cos(x)
your du=sin(x)dx
your du is not [itex]du= \frac{1}{sin(x)}[/itex]
you can't get rid of that sine in the bottom with that u substitution
 
cragar said:
on your first u-substitution u=pi/2*cos(x)
your du=sin(x)dx
your du is not [itex]du= \frac{1}{sin(x)}[/itex]
you can't get rid of that sine in the bottom with that u substitution
I really don't get it. Please explain more.Thanks

Alan
 
Last edited:
yes that's what you would have. This integral looks tricky if its even doable, I tried some stuff using trig identities and stuff and even thought about using Eulers formula .
 
yungman said:
Do you mean after the substitution, it is [itex]cos^2(\frac u {sin \theta})[/itex] instead. So I cannot cancel the one outside?

After the substitution the integrand should become

[itex]-\frac{2}{\pi}\frac{cos^2 u}{sin^2 \theta}[/itex]
 
I spent awhile on this and eventually asked Mathematica for help in calculating the integral. It confirmed the answer as [itex]\approx 1.21883[/itex], and gave that
[itex]\int^{\pi }_0{{cos}^2\left(\frac{\pi }{2}{\cos \left(x\right)\ }\right){\csc \left(x\right)\ }dx=\frac{1}{2}\left(-Ci(2\pi \right)+\gamma +{\rm ln}(2\pi ))}.[/itex]
Where Ci(x) is the cosine integral (http://mathworld.wolfram.com/CosineIntegral.html) and [itex]\gamma[/itex] is the Euler-Mascheroni constant (http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Euler-MascheroniConstant.html), which would seem to confirm this as a non-elementary integral. I don't even think it's possible to solve without the aid of a very comprehensive set of integration tables. =\
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Isak BM said:
After the substitution the integrand should become

[itex]-\frac{2}{\pi}\frac{cos^2 u}{sin^2 \theta}[/itex]

Thanks, I was so blind! No wonder! It was late last night. I don't know why I tend to make this kind of stupid mistake all the times, it is so obvious that I miss it. That's the reason I never get 100 in my ODE class, always 96 97, always have one of these mistakes to take off a few points! Kicker is I still did not see it after your first reply...and I did went through the whole thing!

Thanks.
 
akaritakai said:
I spent awhile on this and eventually asked Mathematica for help in calculating the integral. It confirmed the answer as [itex]\approx 1.21883[/itex], and gave that
[itex]\int^{\pi }_0{{cos}^2\left(\frac{\pi }{2}{\cos \left(x\right)\ }\right){\csc \left(x\right)\ }dx=\frac{1}{2}\left(-Ci(2\pi \right)+\gamma +{\rm ln}(2\pi ))}.[/itex]
Where Ci(x) is the cosine integral (http://mathworld.wolfram.com/CosineIntegral.html) and [itex]\gamma[/itex] is the Euler-Mascheroni constant (http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Euler-MascheroniConstant.html), which would seem to confirm this as a non-elementary integral. I don't even think it's possible to solve without the aid of a very comprehensive set of integration tables. =\

Thanks.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

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