First year:

(I) Integration: areas

b

Basic integration

The symbol

f ( x)dx
a

means area of the set situated between the graph of f , the line of e uation x = a and the line of e uation x = b !" It#s easier to understand this notion through an example:

x axis, the

( x 1)(3 x)dx
1

is the area of the set situated between the

x axis, the

graph of f and the $ertical lines of e uation x = 1 , x = 2 "

(II)

Basic %ules

Integration is, intuiti$ely, the opposite of differentiation" &athematically, we say that if there exists a function F such that
d F ( x) = f ( x ) dx

then

f ( x)dx = F (b) F (a) "

a

The result abo$e is sometimes called the fundamental theorem of calculus"

'hen you are as(ed to integrate a function f , the tric( is to find this function F" If such a function F exist, then instead of saying a function F such that
d F ( x) = f ( x ) !, we usually say dx
F ( x ) = f ( x ) dx

)et#s ha$e a loo( at an example: *alculate:

2 xdx "
1

The first step is to find

xdx "

'e (now that the deri$ati$e of x 2 is 2 x , so that we ha$e It remains now to calculate the actual $alue of the integral:

2 xdx = x

2 xdx = [ x
1

2 2 1

] = 2 2 12 = 3.

+o far so good, -ow try to calculate the following integral:

xdx "
1

.ere are a few examples: 3 x dx =

x4 4
3 0

5dx = [5 x]
0

= 5 3 5 0 = 15.
x8 = 20 .

2 7 2 x8 x dx = 5 5 8

The general rule is

n x dx =

x n +1 " n +1

(III)

/xercises

Find the following integrals: -

dx
4

3 x

dx

x
1

dx