Is that any examples that can combine function, limit, differentiation and integration into one?

1 Answer
Dec 8, 2017

I'm not sure quite what you mean, but see below for my attempt at an answer (i.e. an example which incorporates limits, functions, derivatives, and integrals).

Explanation:

Here is my example:

Let f(x) = secx. Find lim_(x rarr 0) int f(x) dx

First comes the integration, in finding int sec x dx, which isn't obvious, but the standard 'trick' is to multiple by a fraction equal to one. Let u=secx + tanx. We want to multiply f(x) by u/u (i.e. one).

Hence we are finding int secx * (secx + tanx)/(secx + tanx) dx = int (sec^2(x) + secxtanx)/(secx + tanx) dx

It just so happens that if we differentiate u, we get the numerator of our integrand:

Using the chain rule d/dx(secx) = d/dx((cosx)^-1).
This gives a derivative of -(cosx)^-2 * -sinx which is simply equal to secxtanx.

Using the product rule to differentiate tanx, we get:
d/dx(tanx) = (cosx*cosx - (-sinx*sinx)) / cos^2x = 1/cos^2x = sec^2x.

Hence d/dx(u) = sec^2(x) + secxtanx

Thus our integral becomes:

int (du)/dx * 1/(secx + tanx) dx
= int 1/u du
= log_e(u)
= log_e|secx + tanx|

(Remember int 1/x dx = log_e|x|).

Now to find lim_(x rarr 0) int f(x) dx which is simply equivalent to lim_(x rarr 0) log_e(secx + tanx).

Doing a bit of rearrangement we get:

log_e(lim_(x rarr 0) (1+sinx)/cosx)

Easily enough we can simply let x=0
:. sinx = 0 and :. cosx = 1

Hence it just becomes: log_e1

=0.

I hope this helps.