Common Trig Mistake

Calculus Level 3

It's quite common that students will confuse sin ( x 2 ) \sin(x^2) with sin 2 ( x ) \sin^2(x) . If this were the case, then they would be equal, and thus sin 2 ( x ) sin ( x 2 ) \sin^2(x)-\sin(x^2) would equal 0 0 . This isn't the case however. Define this function as f ( x ) f(x) . Find

0 100 f ( x ) \displaystyle\int_{0}^{100} f(x) d x dx .

Round to the nearest whole number.


The answer is 50.

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1 solution

Jack D'Aurizio
Apr 22, 2014

By the duplication formulas we have that 0 100 sin 2 ( x ) d x = 50 1 4 200 64 π cos ( x ) d x \int_{0}^{100}\sin^2(x)dx = 50-\frac{1}{4}\int_{200}^{64\pi}\cos(x)dx is between 50 + 1 / 5 50+1/5 and 50 + 1 / 4 50+1/4 , while 0 100 sin ( x 2 ) d x \int_{0}^{100}\sin(x^2)dx differs very few from the Fresnel integral 0 + sin ( x 2 ) d x = π 8 , \int_{0}^{+\infty}\sin(x^2)dx = \sqrt{\frac{\pi}{8}}, since: 100 + sin ( x 2 ) d x = 1 2 1 0 4 + sin x x d x \int_{100}^{+\infty}\sin(x^2)dx = \frac{1}{2}\int_{10^4}^{+\infty}\frac{\sin x}{\sqrt{x}}dx is an integral of an infinitesimal sign-alternating function. The value of this integral is bounded in absolute value by the integral of 1 2 x \frac{1}{2\sqrt{x}} over an interval in [ 1 0 4 , + ) [10^4,+\infty) having length π \pi , hence it is less than π 200 \frac{\pi}{200} . This gives: 3 / 5 < 0 100 sin ( x 2 ) d x < 2 / 3 , 3/5 < \int_{0}^{100}\sin(x^2)dx < 2/3, 50 7 15 < 0 100 sin 2 ( x ) sin ( x 2 ) d x < 50 7 20 , 50-\frac{7}{15}<\int_{0}^{100}\sin^2(x)-\sin(x^2)dx<50-\frac{7}{20}, hence the answer is 50 50 .

Amazing! :D

Finn Hulse - 7 years, 1 month ago

what are duplication formulas?

Pranav Kirsur - 7 years, 1 month ago

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