Integral Trig Substitution Question

In summary, the conversation discusses the use of trig substitution and partial fractions in integration problems. One person encountered a mistake when using trig substitution for a specific problem, but another person points out that the mistake might be due to a misunderstanding of the process and provides a correct solution.
  • #1
TheRedDevil18
408
1
I just have a few questions. When using a trig substitution does it have to be under a radical ?

eg, suppose I wanted to integrate (x2)/(x2-9), I used a trig substitution of x = 3sec(t) and got the wrong answer and so apparently I had to use partial fractions
 
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  • #2
TheRedDevil18 said:
I just have a few questions. When using a trig substitution does it have to be under a radical ?

eg, suppose I wanted to integrate (x2)/(x2-9), I used a trig substitution of x = 3sec(t) and got the wrong answer and so apparently I had to use partial fractions

In the following integral,

8281587fb9879173e9f84c4aa8e7d423.png


Try using the following substitution:

1e209acbb0838b8008b7b34fb7c8ebeb.png


What do we have?
 
  • #3
TheRedDevil18 said:
When using a trig substitution does it have to be under a radical ?
No.

TheRedDevil18 said:
eg, suppose I wanted to integrate (x2)/(x2-9), I used a trig substitution of x = 3sec(t) and got the wrong answer and so apparently I had to use partial fractions
Then I'm pretty sure you made a mistake. If you use partial fractions, you need to rewrite the integrand as a proper rational expression, which you can do by polynomial long division. (There's another way, as well.)
You can also do this by trig substitution. Without seeing your work, I can't say why you got a wrong answer.
 
  • #4
Ok, I'm going to skip some of the substituting parts to this,

3*integral sec3t/tan(t) dt
= (1+tan2t)/(tan(t)) * sec(t) dt

Integrating that, I get

ln(sin(t)) + sec(t)

Is it correct so far ?, I know the last thing I must do is sub the x values, but I just want to make sure if this part is correct
 
  • #5
TheRedDevil18 said:
Ok, I'm going to skip some of the substituting parts to this,

3*integral sec3t/tan(t) dt
This part looks OK. I'll check the following work in a bit.
 
  • #6
TheRedDevil18 said:
Ok, I'm going to skip some of the substituting parts to this,

3*integral sec3t/tan(t) dt
= (1+tan2t)/(tan(t)) * sec(t) dt
You lost the factor of 3, and have omitted the integration sign.
BTW, it's easy enough to do in LaTeX - # # \int f(x)dx # # (omit the spaces between the pound signs).
TheRedDevil18 said:
Integrating that, I get

ln(sin(t)) + sec(t)
Nope. The factor of 3 is still missing on both terms. One of them should be 3 sec(t), but the other is wrong.
I suspect that you did this:
$$\int \frac{dt}{sin(t)} = ln(sin(t))$$
... which is incorrect. This is a somewhat tricky integral. Rather than deriving it here, I would advise just looking it up in a table of integrals.
TheRedDevil18 said:
Is it correct so far ?, I know the last thing I must do is sub the x values, but I just want to make sure if this part is correct
 
  • #7
My integration was wrong. Turns out I had to use integration by parts for that trig integral with the sec^3 and tan and it was very messy. I did the same problem using partial fractions and it was much easier to integrate

Thanks for the help, guys :)
 
  • #8
You don't need integration by parts. Starting from what you had in post #4
In these integrals, sec(t) = x/3.
$$\int \frac{3sec^3(t)}{tan(t)}dt$$
$$=3\int \frac{dt}{cos^2(t) sin(t)}$$
$$= 3\int sec^2(t)csc(t)dt$$
$$=3\int \frac{sec(t)(tan^2(t) + 1)dt}{tan(t)}$$
$$=3\int sec(t)tan(t)dt + 3 \int \frac{sec(t)dt}{tan(t)}$$
The first integral is very easy, and the second integral simplifies to ##3\int csc(t)dt## which isn't too bad if you look it up in a table.

After undoing the substitution, I get the same result as I got using partial fractions, after a bit of manipulation.
 

Related to Integral Trig Substitution Question

1. How does integral trig substitution work?

Integral trig substitution is a method used to solve integrals involving expressions with trigonometric functions. It involves substituting an expression in the integral with a trigonometric function and using trigonometric identities to simplify the integral.

2. When should I use integral trig substitution?

Integral trig substitution is typically used when the integral contains expressions with trigonometric functions, such as sine, cosine, tangent, or their inverse functions. It can also be used for integrals involving radicals or expressions with x^2 + a^2, where a is a constant.

3. What are the basic steps for solving an integral using trig substitution?

The basic steps for solving an integral using trig substitution are:

  • Identify the integral that can be solved using trig substitution.
  • Choose an appropriate trigonometric substitution based on the form of the integral.
  • Use trigonometric identities to simplify the integral.
  • Integrate the resulting expression and substitute the original variable back in.
  • Check the answer by differentiating it to ensure it is equivalent to the original integral.

4. What are the common trigonometric substitutions used in integral trig substitution?

The most common trigonometric substitutions used in integral trig substitution are:

  • For expressions involving √(x^2 + a^2), use x = a tanθ
  • For expressions involving √(a^2 - x^2), use x = a sinθ
  • For expressions involving √(x^2 - a^2), use x = a secθ

5. Are there any tips for solving integral trig substitution problems?

Some tips for solving integral trig substitution problems include:

  • Familiarize yourself with common trigonometric identities and their derivatives.
  • Be careful with signs and use substitution rules carefully.
  • Double check your answer by differentiating it to ensure it is equivalent to the original integral.

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