Chapter 9: Problem 20
Determine the integrals by making appropriate substitutions. $$\int \frac{x^{2}}{3-x^{3}} d x$$
Short Answer
Expert verified
The integral is \(-\frac{1}{3} \ln|3 - x^3| + C\).
Step by step solution
01
Identify a suitable substitution
Notice that the integrand has a function and its derivative. Let’s choose a substitution that simplifies the denominator. Choose \(u = 3 - x^3\).
02
Compute the differential
Differentiate the substitution \(u = 3 - x^3\) with respect to \(x\): \(du = -3x^2 dx\). Rearrange to express \(dx\): \(-\frac{1}{3} du = x^2 dx\).
03
Substitute in the integral
Substitute \(u\) and \(du\) into the integral: \(\int \frac{x^2}{3-x^3} dx = \int \frac{-\frac{1}{3} du}{u}\).
04
Integrate with respect to \(u\)
Now integrate with respect to \(u\): \(-\frac{1}{3} \int \frac{1}{u} du\). The integral of \(\frac{1}{u}\) is \(\ln|u|\), so the result is \(-\frac{1}{3} \ln|u| + C\).
05
Substitute back \(u\)
Replace \(u\) with the original expression \(3 - x^3\) to get the final answer: \(-\frac{1}{3} \ln|3 - x^3| + C\).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
integration by substitution
Integration by substitution is a method to simplify an integral by introducing a new variable. In this example, we use the substitution \(u = 3 - x^3\). This helps transform a complicated integral into a simpler form. Here, our new variable \(u\) replaces the expression \(3 - x^3\). The goal is to find a suitable substitution that makes the integrand easier to handle.
To use substitution, follow these steps:
To use substitution, follow these steps:
- Choose a substitution that simplifies the integrand. Identify parts of the integrand that could be replaced.
- Calculate the differential of your substitution. For this exercise, we calculate \(du = -3x^2 dx\).
- Transform the integral using your new variable and its differential. For example, substitute \(u\) and \(du\) into the integral.
- Integrate with respect to the new variable. The integral becomes simpler, letting us use basic integration techniques.
- Substitute the original expression back into the result. Convert back to the original variable to finalize the solution.
differentiation
Differentiation is the process of finding the derivative of a function. In this problem, we differentiated the substitution \(u = 3 - x^3\). This gave us \(du = -3x^2 dx\).
The derivative tells us how a function changes as its input changes. Here are key points about differentiation:
The derivative tells us how a function changes as its input changes. Here are key points about differentiation:
- The derivative of \(x^n\) is \(nx^{n-1}\).
- The derivative of a constant is zero.
- The derivative of a sum is the sum of the derivatives.
natural logarithm
The natural logarithm, denoted as \(\ln\), is the inverse function of the exponential function \(e^x\). In our solution, we ended up with an integral involving \(\frac{1}{u}\), which integrates to \(\ln|u|\).
The natural logarithm has some important properties:
The natural logarithm has some important properties:
- \(\ln(ab) = \ln(a) + \ln(b)\)
- \(\ln(a^b) = b \ln(a)\)
- The derivative of \(\ln(x)\) is \(\frac{1}{x}\)
definite integrals
Definite integrals calculate the area under a curve over a specific interval. For definite integrals, we use limits of integration. In this exercise, the integral is indefinite (no limits).
To compute a definite integral:
To compute a definite integral:
- Find the indefinite integral first.
- Apply the limits of integration to the antiderivative.
- Subtract the value of the antiderivative at the lower limit from the value at the upper limit.