MA211

Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

Monday 17th Nov 2008

f(x)

x=a

f(x)

x=b

MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

x=a

x=b

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Topics of the day...

1 Improper Integrals: Type 2

2 The Comparison Test

See also Section 7.7 of Stewart.

MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

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Improper Integrals: Type 2

Last week we saw how to evaluate improper integrals of Type 1
where the limits of integration include one or both of or ,
e.g.,

Improper Integrals: Type 1

Zb

f (x)dx,

f (x)dx,
a

Z
f (x)dx

How well look at Improper Integrals of Type 2

Zb
f (x)dx,

where f (x)

at a, b or somewhere in between.

MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

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Improper Integrals: Type 2

In particular, we want to evaluate
Zb
f (x) dx
a

where f (x) may be unbounded at a or b, or at some point in

between.

f(x)
x=a

f(x)
x=a

x=b

x=b

f(x)
x=a
MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

x=b
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Improper Integrals: Type 2

f (x) unbounded at x = a
When function f (x) is defined for a < x b then evaluate
Zb
I(t) = f (x)dx and then use that:
t

f (x)dx = lim+
ta

f (x)dx.
t

Zb

So:
1

Zb

Zb

Evaluate I(t) =

f (x)dx
t

Compute the limit L = lim+ I(t)

ta
Zb
If L is finite then
f (x) dx = L, and we can say that
a
Rb
a f (x) dx converges to L.
If L is not finite, then integral is said to diverge.

MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

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Improper Integrals: Type 2

Example

Z1

Does the integral

0

1
dx converge?
x

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Improper Integrals: Type 2

Example

Z1

Evaluate the improper integral

0

MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

1
dx
x2

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Improper Integrals: Type 2

Example

Z1

Evaluate the TYPE 2 Improper Integral

0

MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

1
dx
x

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Improper Integrals: Type 2

Z1
x p dx will converge when p < 1, and diverge for p 1.
0

Proof: If p = 1 then
1
Z1
Z1

1
x p dx =
dx = ln(x) = ln(t) ln(1) = ln(t).
t
t x
t
Z1
1
dx diverges.
But lim ln(t) does not exists, so
t0
0 x
1
Z1
x 1p 
1 t 1p
If p 6= 1 then x p dx =
=
.

1p t
1p
t
If p < 1 then 1 p > 0 so the limit lim t 1p = 0. So the integral
t0
1
converges to
.
1p
If however p > 1 then 1 p < 0 and lim t 1p does not exist, so the
t0

integral diverges.
MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

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Improper Integrals: Type 2

Zt
If f is defined on [a, b) and lim
tb

and write

f (x) dx exists, call the limit L

a

Zb
f (x) dx = L.
a

Rb
Again, a f (x) dx is said to converge to L. If no such limit exists,
the integral is divergent.

MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

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Improper Integrals: Type 2

Example

Z4

Does the
0

dx
converge or diverge?
4x

MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

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Improper Integrals: Type 2

If a function f is defined on [a, b] except at some point c in (a, b)
at which f is unbounded, then use that
Zb
Zc
Zb
f (x) dx = f (x) dx + f (x) dx.
a

Zc
f (x) dx and

The integral converges if and only if

a

both converge.

Example

Z1

Does the improper integral

1

MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

Zb
f (x) dx
c

dx
converge or diverge?
x

11/19

The Comparison Test

Z
Earlier we saw how to evaluate
1

1
dx.
1 + x2

But suppose we just wanted to determine if it converges or

diverges...

MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

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The Comparison Test

Often, we just want to know if some integral converges or diverges

and not necessarily evaluate the integral.
In that case we can compare the integral with one that we know.
This is helpful because we can use the Comparison Test...

MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

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The Comparison Test

Comparison Test
Suppose f and g are defined on [a, ) and
0 f (x) g (x) for all x [a, ).
Then

Z
f (x)dx

g (x)dx.
a

Therefore
R
R
1 If a g (x) dx converges, so does a f (x) dx
R
R
2 if a f (x) dx diverges, so does a g (x) dx
There are corresponding results for the other types of improper
integrals.

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The Comparison Test

Example

Does the integral

1

dx
converge or diverge?
x2 + x3

MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

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The Comparison Test

Example

Z1

Does the improper integral

0

MA211 Lecture 20: Improper Integrals Type 2

2x 2

dx
converge or diverge?
+ 3x 3

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The Comparison Test

Example

Z1

Establish if
0

dx

is convergent or divergent.
2 x + x2

NOTE: The solution given to this one in class was wrong.

Correct answer: For 0 x 1 we know that x x 2 , so

2 x + x 2 3 x.
Thus

1 1
1
1

.
3 x
2 x + x2
x
Z1

x 1/2 dx converges, so by the Comparison

0 Z
1
dx

Principal, so too does

.
2
x
+ x2
0

But we know that

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The Comparison Test

Example
Test for convergence of the following integral:
Z
cos x dx
1 + x2
1

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The Comparison Test

Exercise (Q20.1)
For each of the following integrals, determine if they converge or
diverge
Z
Z1
| cos(x)|
dx
(i)
dx.
(ii)
dx.
3+2
5/3
x
x
1
0
Z1
Z
dx
x
(iii)
dx.
(iv)
dx.
3/5
3/2
+ 2x 2
0 x
0 x
Z2
Z
1
1

(v)
dx
(vi)
dx
2
x + x4
2 x
1

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