How do you find the average value of the function for f(x)=sqrtx+1/sqrtx, 1<=x<=9?

1 Answer
Sep 14, 2017

Use the formula 1/(b-a)int_{a}^{b}f(x)\ dx and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (FTC) to get an average value equal to 8/3.

Explanation:

The average value is 1/(b-a)int_{a}^{b}f(x)\ dx=1/(9-1)int_{1}^{9}(x^{1/2}+x^{-1/2})\ dx.

The FTC then leads us to say this equals

1/8(2/3x^{3/2}+2x^{1/2})|_{1}^{9}=1/8((2/3*27+2*3)-(2/3*1+2*1)).

This simplifies to

1/8(24-8/3)=1/8(64/3)=8/3.