Chapter 9: Problem 19
Find a scries expansion for \(\int_{0}^{x} e^{-t^{2}} d t\) for \(x \in \mathbb{R}\).
Short Answer
Expert verified
The series expansion of \(\int_{0}^{x} e^{-t^{2}} dt\) is \(\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{(-1)^{n}}{n!(2n+1)} x^{2n+1}\) for \(x \in \mathbb{R}\).
Step by step solution
01
Power series of \(e^{x}\)
The exponential function \(e^{x}\) can be expanded as a power series: \(e^{x} = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{x^{n}}{n!}\). Now, simply substitute \(x\) with \(-t^{2}\) to get the power series of \(e^{-t^{2}}\): \(e^{-t^{2}} = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{(-t^{2})^{n}}{n!}.\)
02
Integrate the power series
Now, integrate the power series term by term from 0 to \(x\): \(\int_{0}^{x} e^{-t^{2}} dt = \int_{0}^{x} \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{(-t^{2})^{n}}{n!} dt = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{(-1)^{n}}{n!} \int_{0}^{x} t^{2n} dt\).
03
Find the integral of \(t^{2n}\)
The integral of \(t^{2n}\) from 0 to \(x\) is \(\int_{0}^{x} t^{2n} dt = \frac{x^{2n+1}}{2n+1}\).
04
Substitute Step 3 into Step 2
Substitute the integral of \(t^{2n}\) from Step 3 into the formula from Step 2: \(\int_{0}^{x} e^{-t^{2}} dt = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{(-1)^{n}}{n!(2n+1)} x^{2n+1}\).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Power Series
A power series is a way of expressing a function as an infinite sum of terms. Each term is in the form of a constant multiplied by a variable raised to a successive power. Power series can represent complex functions in simpler polynomials, which makes them extremely useful for analysis and calculations.
- A power series centered at a point \( a \) generally looks like this: \( \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} c_n (x-a)^n \), where \( c_n \) are coefficients.
- Power series converge to the function within a certain range (radius of convergence), meaning the series accurately represents the function within this interval.
- The exponential function \( e^x \) is a classic example of a power series: \[ e^x = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{x^n}{n!} \]
- By substituting values into the variable, you can manipulate the power series to fit specific needs, like in this problem, where \( x \) was replaced with \( -t^2 \) to obtain the power series for \( e^{-t^2} \).
Exponential Function
The exponential function, denoted by \( e^x \), is a mathematical constant raised to the power of a variable. It plays a significant role in mathematics, particularly in calculus, differential equations, and complex analysis.
- The base \( e \) is an irrational number approximately equal to 2.71828.
- The exponential function has a few notable properties: it is always greater than zero, its rate of growth increases with the value of \( x \), and it has a constant rate of proportional increase.
- One of the main features of the exponential function is its power series expansion: \( e^x = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{x^n}{n!} \). This series expansion converges for all real numbers \( x \) due to the factorial \( n! \) in the denominator, which grows very quickly.
- In our exercise, we explore a special case where the exponential function is composed with a quadratic function (\(-t^2\)). The power series approach allows us to evaluate integrals involving \( e^{-t^2} \), which do not have elementary antiderivatives.
Integration of Series
Integrating a series involves evaluating the integral term by term. This is particularly useful when dealing with functions that cannot be easily integrated using standard calculus techniques.
- When a function is expressed as a power series, you can integrate it by integrating each term of the series individually.
- For a power series \( \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} a_n x^n \), its integral from 0 to \( x \) is \( \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{a_n}{n+1} x^{n+1} \).
- This technique is applicable as long as the series converges uniformly on the interval of integration.
- In our exercise, the series for \( e^{-t^2} \) is integrated from 0 to \( x \), providing \( \int_{0}^{x} \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{(-t^{2})^{n}}{n!} dt = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{(-1)^n}{n!(2n+1)} x^{2n+1} \).
- Term-by-term integration simplifies calculations and helps construct series solutions for integrals that are otherwise intractable using elementary functions.