Porisma

Worked solution

Transform a square-root integral and reverse an exponential chain

(a) Use the substitution u=x+1u=\sqrt{x+1} to find ∫x2x+1 dx\displaystyle\int\dfrac{x^2}{\sqrt{x+1}}\,dx. marks

(b) Find ∫e5x(e5x−e)4 dx\displaystyle\int\dfrac{e^{5x}}{(e^{5x}-e)^4}\,dx. marks

[2016/MJC/Promo/7(a),(b)]

CJC · Review Problems · Question 6

Answer

(a) 25(x+1)5/2−43(x+1)3/2+2x+1+C\frac25(x+1)^{5/2}-\frac43(x+1)^{3/2}+2\sqrt{x+1}+C; (b) −1/[15(e5x−e)3]+C-1/[15(e^{5x}-e)^3]+C.

(a)

From u=x+1u=\sqrt{x+1} obtain x=u2−1x=u^2-1 and dx=2u dudx=2u\,du. The integral becomes 2∫(u2−1)2du=2∫(u4−2u2+1)du=25u5−43u3+2u+C2\int(u^2-1)^2du=2\int(u^4-2u^2+1)du=\frac25u^5-\frac43u^3+2u+C. Substituting back gives 25(x+1)5/2−43(x+1)3/2+2x+1+C\frac25(x+1)^{5/2}-\frac43(x+1)^{3/2}+2\sqrt{x+1}+C.

How did this part go?

(b)

Insert the needed factor 5: 15∫5e5x(e5x−e)−4dx=−115(e5x−e)−3+C\frac15\int5e^{5x}(e^{5x}-e)^{-4}dx=-\frac1{15}(e^{5x}-e)^{-3}+C. The original pole is x=1/5x=1/5.

How did this part go?

Common mistakes

The fourth power is on the entire denominator in (b), not on e alone.

Read the hint