What is the Antiderivative of Secant with a Non-Integer Power?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on finding the antiderivative of the function sec(t)^(8/3). The user initially simplified the integral of cube root(1+x^2) dx using the substitution x=tan(t), leading to the expression integral of sec(t)^(8/3) dt. The user notes that the reduction formula for sec(t)^n is applicable only for integer powers, raising the question of whether the integral has an elementary antiderivative. It is concluded that Mathematica represents the integral in terms of a hypergeometric function, indicating the complexity of the problem.

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  • Understanding of integral calculus and antiderivatives
  • Familiarity with trigonometric functions, specifically secant
  • Knowledge of substitution methods in integration
  • Experience with hypergeometric functions and their applications
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  • Study the properties and applications of hypergeometric functions
  • Learn about reduction formulas for trigonometric integrals
  • Explore advanced integration techniques, including integration by parts and trigonometric substitutions
  • Investigate the use of computational tools like Mathematica for complex integrals
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Frillth
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For one of my homework assignments, I had to find the integral of a function. I got my function simplified to sec(t)^(8/3). I tried to use the reduction formula for sec(t)^n, but I believe that it only works if the power of sec is an integer. Could somebody help me out, please?

Edit: I figured that it might be a good idea if I showed how I got to sec(t)^(8/3)

My initial problem was the following: integral of cube root(1+x^2) dx.

First of all, I made the substitution x=tan(t) and dx = sec(t)^2 dt. This gave me:

integral of cube root(1+tan(t)^2) * sec(t)^2 dt.

I changed 1+tan(t)^2 to sec^2 to get the following:

integral of sec(t)^(2/3) * sec(t)^2 dt, or sec(t)^8/3.

Did I take this problem in the wrong direction, or am I on the right track?
 
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It probably doesn't have an elementary antiderivative. Mathematica expresses it in terms of a hypergeometric function.
 

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