Worked solution
Determine a parameter from two exact integrals
Find the exact value of such that .
CJC · Discussion · Question 3
Answer
.
Evaluate the left-hand side and determine the sign of p
. The right integral is undefined for and negative for because its upper limit is then negative while its integrand is positive. Therefore any solution has .
How did this part go?
Use the inverse-sine antiderivative
For , the right integral is . Equating gives , hence .
How did this part go?
Common mistakes
Check the sign of the variable upper limit before assuming p is positive.