A drowning number theorist

Calculus Level 5

Evaluate

1 ln ln x x 2 d x \int\limits_1^\infty \frac{\ln \ln x}{x^2}\,\mathrm dx


The answer is -0.5772.

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2 solutions

Jake Lai
Nov 17, 2015

(Adopted from Matteo De Zorzi's method.)


We substitute u = ln x u = \ln x to get

1 ln ln x x 2 d x = 0 ln u e 2 u d u 1 / e u = 0 e u ln u d u \int_1^\infty \frac{\ln \ln x}{x^2} \ dx = \int_0^\infty \frac{\ln u}{e^{2u}} \ \frac{du}{1/e^u} = \int_0^\infty e^{-u}\ln u \ du

Either by seeing the similarities with the integral form of the gamma function Γ ( z ) = 0 e t t z 1 d t \displaystyle \Gamma(z) = \int_0^\infty e^{-t}t^{z-1} \ dt , or by noting with experience using differentiation through the integral (which often produces logarithms), we introduce a u z 1 u^{z-1} factor into the integral to get

0 e u ln u d u = 0 e u u z 1 ln u d u z = 1 = d d z 0 e u u z 1 d u z = 1 = d d z Γ ( z ) z = 1 = ψ ( 1 ) Γ ( 1 ) = γ \begin{aligned} \int_0^\infty e^{-u}\ln u \ du &= \left. \int_0^\infty e^{-u}u^{z-1}\ln u \ du \ \right|_{z=1} \\ &= \left. \frac{d}{dz} \int_0^\infty e^{-u}u^{z-1} \ du \ \right|_{z=1} \\ &= \left. \frac{d}{dz} \Gamma(z) \ \right|_{z=1} \\ &= \psi(1)\Gamma(1) \\ &= \boxed{-\gamma} \end{aligned}

where ψ \psi is the digamma function, defined as ψ = ( ln Γ ) \psi = (\ln \Gamma)' , and ψ ( 1 ) = γ 0.5772 -\psi(1) = \gamma \approx 0.5772 is the Euler-Mascheroni constant.

Hey what was the significance of the name of this question?

Aditya Kumar - 5 years, 5 months ago

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The joke goes: What does a drowning number theorist say? "Log log log log..."

Jake Lai - 1 year, 6 months ago

Another extremely neat solution. Thanks again!

Pi Han Goh - 5 years, 6 months ago
Matteo De Zorzi
Nov 16, 2015

Sorry not able to use latex... Anyway take x=e^t then integral becomes the integral of (e^(-t)lnt) from 0 to infinity.. This is the derivative of "gamma integral" that gives the digamma calculated in 1 that gives eulero mascheroni costant hence result

Nice solution, exactly as intended!

To learn some basic LaTeX, check out this handy note by a fellow Brilliantian. It has all the essentials of LaTeX, and will help your solutions become easier to digest.

Jake Lai - 5 years, 6 months ago

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