Indefinite Integral Primitives? (1 Viewer)

Finx

Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2008
Messages
375
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Find ∫x³(x^4 - 1)^8 dx

I know the rule for finding ∫(ax+b)^n etc, but the x³ really throws me off. I could expand, but that'd be extremely tedious and most likely the wrong approach for the question.

Thanks in advance!
 

Trebla

Administrator
Administrator
Joined
Feb 16, 2005
Messages
8,393
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
Remember the chain rule in differentiation:

Therefore we can say that:

Here f(x) = x9 giving f'(x) = 9x8 and g(x) = x4-1 giving g'(x) = 4x3
 
Last edited:

tommykins

i am number -e^i*pi
Joined
Feb 18, 2007
Messages
5,730
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
Remember the chain rule in differentiation:

Therefore we can say that:

Here f(x) = x9 giving f'(x) = 9x8 and g(x) = x4-1 giving g'(x) = 4x3
I used to do that during that during HSC but there was something somewhere that a teacher said you can't do that cause technically it's wrong.

Forgot what it was though.
 

Trebla

Administrator
Administrator
Joined
Feb 16, 2005
Messages
8,393
Gender
Male
HSC
2006
There is nothing technically wrong with that. It's a method even encouraged in first year uni integration, not to mention quicker if you're good at recognising the form...If anything your substitution has a small technical issue because you have x's and u's in the same integrand when you're not supposed to...lol

Also, I forgot to mention that since 2 unit students do not learn integration by substitution, they are expected to know how to use the reverse chain rule instead lol
 
Last edited:

Finx

Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2008
Messages
375
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Fight fight fight fight fight

(Thanks for your input too Trebla =D)
 

tommykins

i am number -e^i*pi
Joined
Feb 18, 2007
Messages
5,730
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
There is nothing technically wrong with that. It's a method even encouraged in first year uni integration, not to mention quicker if you're good at recognising the form...If anything your substitution has a small technical issue because you have x's and u's in the same integrand when you're not supposed to...lol

Also, I forgot to mention that since 2 unit students do not learn integration by substitution, they are expected to know how to use the reverse chain rule instead lol
Yeah fair enough hey :)
 

Sarah182

Herpes Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2008
Messages
851
Location
Somewhere over the rainbow
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
Hmmm Intergration by substitution is a 3 unit topic??
You shouldn't get any intergration questions this hard in the HSC, cause really you shouldn't have learned how to do them?
 

x.Exhaust.x

Retired Member
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Messages
2,058
Location
Sydney.
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Hmmm Intergration by substitution is a 3 unit topic??
You shouldn't get any intergration questions this hard in the HSC, cause really you shouldn't have learned how to do them?
LOL this is hard? It's simple integration by substitution.
 

lolokay

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2008
Messages
1,015
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2009
^ the point is, in 2 unit you apparently don't do substitution at all
 

Aerath

Retired
Joined
May 10, 2007
Messages
10,169
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Yeah, I don't think I needed substitution in 2U at all.
 

arjungamer123

Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2008
Messages
179
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
The best way to do it is to pretend it's the actual derivative outside the brackets, then multiply or divide on the outside to get it back to the actual variable given, e.g:
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top