What method to calculate intergration?

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    Intergration Method
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around various methods of integration, including specific integrals involving functions of x, and whether there exists a general method analogous to the chain rule in differentiation. Participants explore different integration techniques and their applicability to specific cases.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant poses several integration problems, questioning if there is a general method similar to the chain rule in differentiation.
  • Another participant suggests that integration by parts is a general method for integrating products of functions.
  • It is noted that the integral of \( u^v \, dx \) may not yield results in terms of elementary functions, indicating a lack of a general method for this case.
  • Integration by substitution is mentioned as a reverse property to the chain rule, often useful in solving integrals.
  • A participant highlights that while differentiation rules have counterparts in integration, finding antiderivatives can be more complex due to not all elementary functions having expressible antiderivatives.
  • Another participant emphasizes the usefulness of change of variables in integration, mentioning that various coordinate systems can aid in the process.
  • A formula attributed to Bernoulli for integration is presented, which involves a series expansion but is not discussed in detail.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the effectiveness and applicability of various integration techniques. There is no consensus on a singular method that encompasses all cases of integration.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge that not all integrals can be expressed in terms of elementary functions, and the discussion reflects the complexity and challenges associated with integration techniques.

HeilPhysicsPhysics
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For example
Intergrate (uv dx)=?
Intergrate (u dx/v)=?
Intergrate (u^v dx)=?
Intergrate (log_u v)=?
Where u and v are the function of x.
Is there any method in intergration just like dy/dx=(dy/du)(du/dx) in diffrentiation?
 
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HeilPhysicsPhysics said:
Intergrate (uv dx)=?

Integration by parts is the general method for this.

HeilPhysicsPhysics said:
Intergrate (u dx/v)=?

This can be seen as a special case of the first.

HeilPhysicsPhysics said:
Intergrate (u^v dx)=?

You'll probably run into problems with this one most often where there won't be an integral in terms of elementary functions. There is no general method, and I don't think I've really seen too many integrals like this.

HeilPhysicsPhysics said:
Intergrate (log_u v)=?
?

This is again a special case of the first.

HeilPhysicsPhysics said:
Is there any method in intergration just like dy/dx=(dy/du)(du/dx) in diffrentiation?

What is essentially this property in reverse is often used to solve integrals and it is usually called integration by substitution.
 
All the rules you've learned for differentiation have counterparts for integration. But integration techniques are often more difficult to use. This is because not all elementary functions have antiderivatives that are expressible in terms of elementary functions, and finding out which ones do isn't always easy. In contrast, all the elementary functions have derivatives which are also expressible in terms of elementary functions. In some way it also is usually more difficult to see what operations will allow you to find antiderivatives, even when they do exist in terms of elementary functions, than it is for derivatives, at least when you are just starting to do them (for example, when you want to integrate a product of functions, you can try to use integration by parts, but sometimes trying this will result in another integral that seems harder - and so you have to go back and try something else).

(when I talk about elementary functions, I mean things like polynomials, trig [and inverse trig] functions, exponentials, logarithms, and quotients, products, sums, differences, roots, and compositions of these)
 
Last edited:
doing a change of variables is about the most useful integration technique, I've found (though depending on your application, integration by parts might be more necessary)

You don't even need to know a lot of complex subsitutions. Polar, cylindrical, spherical coordinates all are incredibly useful.
 
The best formula ever for integration (Bernoulli)

[tex]\int dxf(x)=C+\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}(-1)^{n} x^{n+1}\frac{1}{n!} \frac{d^{n} f}{dx^{n}}[/tex] where C is a constant.
 

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