What is the odd/even function in integral for trigonometric functions?

In summary, the two integrals in the example give zero when m=1, 2, 3, ... 30 individually and manually. However, the similar reasoning fails in this case since all the even function. My note written that this integral should be zero but I cannot tell why.
  • #1
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I am reviewing some basic calculus with basic trigonometric functions. I remember for periodic function, one can use the feature of odd/even function to help computing some integral. I got two integrals from a book some times ago (I can't recall which book are they from). I expect those integrals to give zero from my note.

##
\int_{-\pi}^\pi \frac{\cos[(m+1)(x+\pi/2)]\sin[m(x+\pi/2)]\sin(x)}{\cos(x)}dx
##

Here ##m## is positive integer. On this integral, I think ##\sin[m(x+\pi/2)]## is even function because it shifts by ##\pi/2##, the ##\cos(x)## and ##\cos[(m+1)(x+\pi/2)]## are also even functions except that ##\sin(x)## is an odd function, so the integrand is an odd function, the integral gives zero. I cannot find the result from the integral table and mathematica won't give me any number. So is my logic correct to get the zero?

##
\int_{-\pi}^\pi \frac{\cos[(m+1)(x+\pi/2)]\sin[m(x+\pi/2)]}{\cos(x)}dx
##

However, the similar reasoning fails in this case since all the even function. My note written that this integral should be zero but I cannot tell why.

I verify that those two integrals gives zero when m=1, 2, 3, ... 30 individually and manually. I didn't check the number after 30 since I am looking for a way to provide the general case for any m.
 
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  • #2
##\sin[m(x+\pi/2)]## and ##\cos[(m+1)(x+\pi/2)]## are both only even if ##m## is odd, otherwise the functions are even.
 
  • #3
andrewkirk said:
##\sin[m(x+\pi/2)]## and ##\cos[(m+1)(x+\pi/2)]## are both only even if ##m## is odd, otherwise the functions are even.
Thanks. Do you mean ##\sin[m(x+\pi/2)] \cdot \cos[(m+1)(x+\pi/2)]## will be odd function if ##m## is odd, the cosine part will be even and the sine part will be even too so their multiplication is odd; when ##m## is even, the cosine part is odd but the sine part is still odd, so their multiplication is always even.So it is possible to have even or odd function for the integrand. Even though we get the even one, it is not saying that the integration will be nonzero, we need to do more analysis for different m.
 
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  • #4
I am still looking for a way to prove hat those two integral gives zero. Following andrewkirk's comment, I am trying to break my proof into 4 integral by taking care of 4 different ##m## such that the following identities can be used

I1: ##m=4t+1, \sin[m(x+\pi/2)] = \sin(mx+\pi/2) = \cos(mx); \cos[(m+1)(x+\pi/2)] = \cos[(m+1)x + \pi] = -\cos[(m+1)x] ##
I2: ##m=4t+2, \sin[m(x+\pi/2)] = \sin(mx+\pi) = -\sin(mx); \cos[(m+1)(x+\pi/2)] = \cos[(m+1)x + 3\pi/2] = \sin[(m+1)x] ##
I3: ##m=4t+3, \sin[m(x+\pi/2)] = \sin(mx+3\pi/2) = -\cos(mx); \cos[(m+1)(x+\pi/2)] = \cos[(m+1)x]##
I4: ##m=4t+4, \sin[m(x+\pi/2)] = \sin(mx+2\pi) = \sin(mx); \cos[(m+1)(x+\pi/2)] = \cos[(m+1)x + \pi/2] = -\sin[(m+1)x] ##

The integral about I1, I2 and I3 are proved to be zero by using the trigonometric identities and odd/even features. But I have a hard time to get the very last one proved. Here is what I did.

##
\begin{eqnarray*}
\int_{-\pi}^\pi \frac{\sin[m(x+\pi/2)]\cos[(m+1)(x+\pi/2)]}{\cos x}dx &=& -\int_{-\pi}^\pi \frac{\sin(mx)\sin[(m+1)x]}{\cos x}dx \\
&=& -\int_{-\pi}^\pi \frac{\sin(mx)[\sin(mx)\cos x + \cos(mx)\sin x]}{\cos x}dx\\
&=& -\int_{-\pi}^\pi \sin^2(mx)dx -\int_{-\pi}^\pi \frac{\sin(mx)\cos(mx)\sin x}{\cos x}dx
\end{eqnarray*}
##

In the first part of the very last expression, the integral is ##-\pi##. To get the integral of the second part, I apply

##
\sin(mx) = 2\cos x \sin[(m-1)x] - \sin[(m-2)x]
##

##
\begin{eqnarray*}
\int_{-\pi}^\pi \frac{\sin(mx)\cos(mx)\sin x}{\cos x}dx &=& \int_{-\pi}^\pi \frac{\{2\cos x \sin[(m-1)x] - \sin[(m-2)x]\}\cos(mx)\sin x}{\cos x}dx \\
&=& 2{\int_{-\pi}^\pi \sin[(m-1)x]\sin x dx } - \int_{-\pi}^\pi \frac{\sin[(m-2)x]\cos(mx)\sin x}{\cos x}dx
\end{eqnarray*}
##

The first term is zero; apply the

##
\cos(mx) = 2\cos x \cos[(m-1)x] - \cos[(m-2)x]
##

to the second term, we can prove with similar trick that the integral is also zero. So it comes to my question, if that integral is zero, and ##\int sin^2(mx)dx = \pi##, so I4 is not zero. But the book said it should be zero. What's wrong with my computation?
 
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1. What is an odd/even function in an integral?

An odd/even function in an integral is a type of mathematical function that has special properties when being integrated. An odd function is symmetric with respect to the origin, meaning that for every input x, the output is equal to the negative of the output for -x. An even function is symmetric with respect to the y-axis, meaning that for every input x, the output is equal to the output for -x.

2. How can I identify if a function is odd or even?

To identify if a function is odd or even, you can use the symmetry property mentioned in the previous question. If the function remains unchanged when its input is replaced by its negative, it is an odd function. If the function remains unchanged when its input is replaced by its opposite, it is an even function.

3. Why are odd/even functions important in integrals?

Odd/even functions are important in integrals because they have special properties that make integration easier. For example, when integrating an odd function over a symmetric interval, the integral will always equal zero. Similarly, when integrating an even function over a symmetric interval, the integral will always equal twice the integral over half the interval. This allows for simpler and more efficient calculations.

4. Can a function be both odd and even?

No, a function cannot be both odd and even. This is because the definitions of odd and even functions are mutually exclusive. A function can only be either odd or even, or neither.

5. How do odd/even functions relate to the concept of symmetry?

Odd/even functions relate to the concept of symmetry because they exhibit symmetrical properties, as mentioned before. This means that they have a specific type of symmetry (odd functions with respect to the origin, even functions with respect to the y-axis) that can be visually represented on a graph. Understanding the symmetry of a function can also help in determining if it is odd or even.

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