7 Techniques of Integration
Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
7.5 Strategy for Integration
Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
Strategy for Integration
In this section we present a collection of miscellaneous
integrals in random order and the main challenge is to
recognize which technique or formula to use.
No hard and fast rules can be given as to which method
applies in a given situation, but we give some advice on
strategy that you may find useful.
A prerequisite for applying a strategy is a knowledge of the
basic integration formulas.
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Strategy for Integration
In the table of Integration Formulas we have collected the
integrals with several additional formulas that we have
learned in this chapter.
Most of them should be memorized. It is useful to know
them all, but the ones marked with an asterisk need not be
memorized since they are easily derived.
Formula 19 can be avoided by using partial fractions, and
trigonometric substitutions can be used in place of
Formula 20.
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Strategy for Integration
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Strategy for Integration
1. Simplify the Integrand if Possible
Sometimes the use of algebraic manipulation or
trigonometric identities will simplify the integrand and
make the method of integration obvious. Here are some
examples:
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Strategy for Integration
2. Look for an Obvious Substitution
Try to find some function u = g(x) in the integrand whose
differential du = g(x) dx also occurs, apart from a
constant factor. For instance, in the integral
we notice that if u = x2 – 1, then du = 2x dx.
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Strategy for Integration
Therefore we use the substitution u = x2 – 1 instead of
the method of partial fractions.
3. Classify the Integrand According to Its Form
If Steps 1 and 2 have not led to the solution, then we take
a look at the form of the integrand f (x).
(a) Trigonometric functions. If f (x) is a product of powers
of sin x and cos x, of tan x and sec x, or of cot x and
csc x, then we use the substitutions.
(b) Rational functions. If f is a rational function, we use
the procedure involving partial fractions.
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Strategy for Integration
(c) Integration by parts. If f(x) is a product of a power of x
(or a polynomial) and a transcendental function (such
as a trigonometric, exponential, or logarithmic
function), then we try integration by parts, choosing u
and dv.
(d) Radicals. Particular kinds of substitutions are
recommended when certain radicals appear.
(i) If occurs, we use a trigonometric
substitution.
(ii) If occurs, we use the rationalizing
substitution More generally, this
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sometimes works for .
Strategy for Integration
4. Try Again
If the first three steps have not produced the answer,
remember that there are basically only two methods of
integration: substitution and parts.
(a) Try substitution. Even if no substitution is obvious
(Step 2), some inspiration or ingenuity (or even
desperation) may suggest an appropriate
substitution.
(b) Try parts. Although integration by parts is used most
of the time on products of the form described in Step
3(c), it is sometimes effective on single functions.
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Strategy for Integration
(c) Manipulate the integrand. Algebraic manipulations
(perhaps rationalizing the denominator or using
trigonometric identities) may be useful in transforming
the integral into an easier form. These manipulations
may be more substantial than in Step 1 and may
involve some ingenuity. Here is an example:
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Strategy for Integration
(d) Relate the problem to previous problems. When you
have built up some experience in integration, you may
be able to use a method on a given integral that is
similar to a method you have already used on a
previous integral. Or you may even be able to express
the given integral in terms of a previous one.
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Strategy for Integration
For instance, ∫ tan2x sec x dx is a challenging integral,
but if we make use of the identity tan2x = sec2x – 1,we
can write
∫ tan2x sec x dx = ∫ sec3x dx – ∫ sec x dx
and if ∫ sec3x dx has previously been evaluated, then
that calculation can be used in the present problem.
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Strategy for Integration
(e) Use several methods. Sometimes two or three methods
are required to evaluate an integral. The evaluation
could involve several successive substitutions of
different types, or it might combine integration by parts
with one or more substitutions.
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Example 1
In Step 1 we rewrite the integral:
The integral is now of the form ∫ tanmx secnx dx with m odd.
Alternatively, if in Step 1 we had written
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Example 1 cont’d
then we could have continued as follows with the
substitution u = cos x:
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Can We Integrate All
Continuous Functions?
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Can We Integrate All Continuous Functions?
The functions that we have been studied here are called
elementary functions.
These are the polynomials, rational functions, power
functions (xa), exponential functions (ax), logarithmic
functions, trigonometric and inverse trigonometric functions,
hyperbolic and inverse hyperbolic functions, and all
functions that can be obtained from these by the five
operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division,
and composition.
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Can We Integrate All Continuous Functions?
For instance, the function
is an elementary function.
If f is an elementary function, then f is an elementary
function but ∫ f (x) dx need not be an elementary function.
Consider f(x) = .
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Can We Integrate All Continuous Functions?
Since f is continuous, its integral exists, and if we define the
function F by
then we know from Part 1 of the Fundamental Theorem of
Calculus that
Thus f (x) = has an antiderivative F, but it has been
proved that F is not an elementary function.
This means that no matter how hard we try, we will never
succeed in evaluating ∫ dx in terms of the functions we
know. 20
Can We Integrate All Continuous Functions?
The same can be said of the following integrals:
In fact, the majority of elementary functions don’t have
elementary antiderivatives.
You may be assured, though, that the integrals in the
following exercises are all elementary functions.
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