The integral of the taylor expansion of any expression

In summary, the constant of integration in the indefinite integral or anti-derivative of any function is determined only up to an additive constant. For example, the integral of e^x is e^x + C, where C can be any number. However, for the integral to "come back to e^x", C would have to be 1. Integration of a power series, term by term, inside its radius of convergence always works. It should be explicitly stated that the integral of e^x is e^x + C, not just e^x.
  • #1
quietrain
655
2
ok .lets say the expression we have is ex

the taylor expansion becomes 1+x+x2/2+...

integrating becomes x+x2/2+x3/6+...+c

so how do we know that c = 1? for it to become back to ex

becos it is said that integral of ex = ex

do we just let x be 0 to find c = 1? does it work for all expressions?

thanks a lot!
 
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  • #2
hi quietrain! :smile:
quietrain said:
becos it is said that integral of ex = ex

yeees … but when we say "this is the integral of that", it's always understood that one mentally adds the words "plus a constant" :wink:
 
  • #3
hi tim, so how do we know that the constant is 1?

is it just by letting x = 0?

does it work for all expressions? because i was told it won't work for sinx
 
  • #4
We don't! I have no idea where you got the impression that the constant of integration had to be 1- it doesn't unless you are given some additional information about the integral. Again, the (indefinite) integral or "anti-derivative" of any function is determined only up to an additive constant.

[tex]\int e^x dx= e^x+ C[/tex].
In terms of the Taylor series
[tex]\int (1+ x+ x^2/2+ x^3/6+ \cdot\cdot\cdot)dx= C+ x+ x^2/2+ x^3/6+ \cdot\cdot\cdot[/tex]
where C can be any number.

Since you know that [itex]e^x= 1+ x+ x^2/2+ x^3/6+ \cdot\cdot\cdot[/itex] for that to "come back to [itex]e^x[/itex]", obviously, C would have to be 1 but, again, [itex]\int e^x dx= e^x+ C[/itex], not just [itex]e^x[/itex].

And, yes, integration of a power series, term by term, inside its radius of convergence (which for [itex]e^x[/itex], sin(x), cos(x), etc. is "all x") always works.

(I would disagree with tiny time that "one mentally adds the words "plus a constant". One should add it explicitely! "It is said that the integral of [itex]e^x[/itex] is [itex]e^x[/itex]" is simply wrong." What is said, or should be said, is "the integral of [itex]e^x[/itex] is [itex]e^x+ C[/itex] where C can be any number.")
 
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  • #5
HallsofIvy said:
We don't! I have no idea where you got the impression that the constant of integration had to be 1- it doesn't unless you are given some additional information about the integral. Again, the (indefinite) integral or "anti-derivative" of any function is determined only up to an additive constant.

[tex]\int e^x dx= e^x+ C[/tex].
In terms of the Taylor series
[tex]\int (1+ x+ x^2/2+ x^3/6+ \cdot\cdot\cdot)dx= C+ x+ x^2/2+ x^3/6+ \cdot\cdot\cdot[/tex]
where C can be any number.

Since you know that [itex]e^x= 1+ x+ x^2/2+ x^3/6+ \cdot\cdot\cdot[/itex] for that to "come back to [itex]e^x[/itex]", obviously, C would have to be 1 but, again, [itex]\int e^x dx= e^x+ C[/itex], not just [itex]e^x[/itex].

And, yes, integration of a power series, term by term, inside its radius of convergence (which for [itex]e^x[/itex], sin(x), cos(x), etc. is "all x") always works.

(I would disagree with tiny time that "one mentally adds the words "plus a constant". One should add it explicitely! "It is said that the integral of [itex]e^x[/itex] is [itex]e^x[/itex]" is simply wrong." What is said, or should be said, is "the integral of [itex]e^x[/itex] is [itex]e^x+ C[/itex] where C can be any number.")

ah i see thanks a lot!
 

1. What is the Taylor expansion of an expression?

The Taylor expansion is a mathematical approximation of a function using a polynomial. It is used to represent a function as an infinite sum of polynomial terms, with each term representing a higher degree of precision.

2. How is the Taylor expansion related to the integral of an expression?

The integral of an expression is the area under the curve of that expression. The Taylor expansion can be used to approximate the integral of an expression by summing up the polynomial terms, providing an estimate of the area under the curve.

3. Is the Taylor expansion always an accurate representation of a function?

No, the Taylor expansion is only an approximation and may not be accurate for all values of x. The accuracy of the Taylor expansion depends on the degree of the polynomial used and the interval of x values.

4. How is the accuracy of the Taylor expansion affected by the degree of the polynomial used?

The higher the degree of the polynomial used in the Taylor expansion, the more accurate the approximation will be. However, using a higher degree polynomial also means including more terms in the expansion, which can make calculations more complex.

5. Can the Taylor expansion be used for any type of expression?

The Taylor expansion can be used for any continuous function, meaning a function that has no breaks or gaps in its graph. It may not work for discontinuous functions, such as step functions, as they cannot be represented by a polynomial.

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