Tricky Integral ( with substitution)

In summary: In the present problem, of course, the integral is pretty easy to solve without a trig substitution of any kind, by just using the simple substitution u = s^2 + d^2. You can learn a bit about the use of hyperbolic functions in calculus if you consult the Wikipedia web site. (However, I should warn you that a lot of the "mathematics" articles there are not very well written, and are often full of mistakes, so you have to be careful when you go there for information. If you are unsure about something, you can always ask about it
  • #1
PFStudent
170
0

Homework Statement



[tex]
{\int_{}^{}}{ \frac{ds}{{({s}^{2}+{d}^{2})}^{\frac{3}{2}}}}
[/tex]

[itex]s[/itex] [itex]\equiv[/itex] variable

[itex]d[/itex] [itex]\equiv[/itex] constant

Homework Equations



u-substitution techniques for integration.

The Attempt at a Solution



This integral is particularly tricky as I have already made several attempts using conventional u-substitution, however this integral is not coming out right.

Below is my best attempt,

If I split the denominator and multiply the top and bottom by [itex]s[/itex],

[tex]
{\frac{sds}{{s{({s}^{2}+{d}^{2})}^{\frac{1}{2}}}{{({s}^{2}+{d}^{2})}^{1}}}}
[/tex]

And let,

[tex]
u = {s}^{2}+{d}^{2}
[/tex]

[tex]
du = 2sds
[/tex]

With the substitution yields,

[tex]
{\frac{1}{2}}{\int_{}^{}}{\frac{du}{{{u}^{\frac{3}{2}}}{\sqrt{{u}-{d}^{2}}}}}
[/tex]

However, this seems to get me no where.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,

-PFStudent

P.S.: I do realize I can look this up in the integraion tables, however I would like to know how to do this on my own without using a table.
 
Last edited:
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  • #2
Let s= d tan x, so ds = d sec^2 x dx. Then the integral becomes [tex]\int \frac{d \sec^2 x}{ ( d^2 \tan^2 x + d^2)^{3/2}} dx. Shouldn't be too hard from there.
 
  • #3
PFStudent said:
[tex]
{\int_{}^{}}{ \frac{ds}{{({s}^{2}+{d}^{2})}^{\frac{3}{2}}}}
[/tex]

As a bit of advice, when you see a term in your integrand that looks like

[tex]{{({s}^{2}+{d}^{2})}^{\frac{1}{2}}}[/tex] ,

[tex]{{({s}^{2}-{d}^{2})}^{\frac{1}{2}}}[/tex] , or

[tex]{{({d}^{2}-{s}^{2})}^{\frac{1}{2}}}[/tex] ,

it is an immediate candidate for the "trigonometic substitution" method when there is no (s ds) term outside the radical.
 
  • #4
try letting s = d*tan(s)
 
  • #5
Make the substitution [itex]s=d\sinh t [/itex] and you'll get 1/d^2 times

[tex]\int \frac{dt}{\cosh^2 t}=\tanh t +C [/tex]
 
  • #6
Hey,

Thanks for the help guys.

Yea, I forgot that I could use the technique of Trigonometric substitution for Integrals.

Yea, so what I did was the following,

[tex]
{\int_{}^{}}{ \frac{ds}{{({s}^{2}+{d}^{2})}^{\frac{3}{2}}}}
[/tex]

[tex]
{\int_{}^{}}{\frac{ds}{\left[{\left({\frac{{d}^{2}}{1}}{\frac {1}{{d}^{2}}}\right)}{\left({s}^{2}+{d}^{2}\right)\right]^{\frac{3}{2}}}}}
[/tex]

[tex]
{\int_{}^{}}{\frac{ds}{{d^3}{\left({\left(\frac{s}{d}\right)}^{2}+{1}^{}\right)}^{\frac{3}{2}}}}
[/tex]

Letting,

[tex]
{tan}{\theta} = {\frac{s}{d}}
[/tex]

and considering the trigonometric identity,

[tex]
{{tan}^{2}}{\theta} + 1 = {sec}^{2}{\theta}
[/tex]

[tex]
{\int_{}^{}}{\frac{ds}{{d^3}{\left({sec}^{2}{\theta}\right)}^{\frac{3}{2}}}}
[/tex]

Rewriting,

[tex]
{s} = {d}{tan}{\theta}
[/tex]

[tex]
{ds} = {d}{sec}^{2}{\theta}{d{\theta}}
[/tex]

[tex]
{\int_{}^{}}{\frac{\left({d}{sec}^{2}{\theta}{d{\theta}}\right)}{{d^3}{\left({sec}^{2}{\theta}\right)}^{\frac{3}{2}}}}
[/tex]

Simplifying and factoring out all constants,

[tex]
{\frac{1}{{d}^{2}}}{\int_{}^{}}{{cos}{\theta}{d\theta}}
[/tex]

Integrating and noting that,

[tex]
{sin}{\theta} = {\frac{s}{\sqrt{{s}^{2}+{d}^{2}}}}
[/tex]

Yields,

[tex]
{\frac{1}{{d}^{2}}}\left[{\frac{s}{\sqrt{{s}^{2}+{d}^{2}}}}+{C_{1}}\right]
[/tex]

Reducing to,

[tex]
{\frac{s}{{{d}^{2}}{\sqrt{{s}^{2}+{d}^{2}}}}+{C}
[/tex]

Thanks for the help Gib Z, dynamicsolo, JonF. Also, I did not know I could do the subsititution with hyperbolic trigonometric functions, thanks dextercioby.

-PFStudent
 
Last edited:
  • #7
You may have noticed that dextercioby always prefers hyperbolic trig substitutions!
 
  • #8
HallsofIvy said:
You may have noticed that dextercioby always prefers hyperbolic trig substitutions!

Yes, I was going to say that, while the hyperbolic trig substitutions are certainly elegant, a lot of people in first-year calculus are not even shown those functions. Indeed, outside of physics and some branches of engineering, hardly anyone even uses them, so they are usually discussed or even introduced only in courses for students majoring in those fields...
 

1. What is a tricky integral with substitution?

A tricky integral with substitution is a type of integral where the substitution method must be used to solve it. This method involves substituting a variable in the integral with a new variable in order to simplify the integral and make it easier to solve.

2. How do I know when to use substitution for a tricky integral?

Substitution should be used when the integrand (the expression being integrated) contains a nested function, such as a trigonometric or exponential function, or when the integrand is a product of two functions that can be simplified using substitution.

3. What are the steps for solving a tricky integral with substitution?

The steps for solving a tricky integral with substitution are as follows:

  1. Identify the appropriate substitution to make based on the integrand.
  2. Apply the substitution by replacing the original variable with the new variable.
  3. Simplify the integral using algebraic manipulation and the substitution.
  4. Integrate the simplified integral using the standard integration rules.
  5. Substitute the original variable back in to the final result.

4. Are there any common mistakes to avoid when using substitution to solve a tricky integral?

One common mistake to avoid is forgetting to substitute the differential, dx, when making the substitution. Another mistake is incorrectly choosing the substitution, which can lead to a more complex integral instead of simplifying it.

5. Can substitution be used for all types of integrals?

No, substitution cannot be used for all types of integrals. It is most useful for integrals involving nested functions or products of functions that can be simplified using substitution. For other types of integrals, other methods such as integration by parts or partial fractions may be more effective.

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