Science:Math Exam Resources/Courses/MATH101/April 2012/Question 03 (d)

MATH101 April 2012

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Question 03 (d)
Determine, with explanation, whether the improper integral $\int _{-\infty }^{\infty }{\frac {x}{x^{2}+1}}\,dx$ converges or diverges.

Make sure you understand the problem fully: What is the question asking you to do? Are there specific conditions or constraints that you should take note of? How will you know if your answer is correct from your work only? Can you rephrase the question in your own words in a way that makes sense to you?

If you are stuck, check the hints below. Read the first one and consider it for a while. Does it give you a new idea on how to approach the problem? If so, try it! If after a while you are still stuck, go for the next hint.

Hint 1
Note that this improper integral has both upper and lower limits of integration being improper. To write it as a standard Type I improper integral, one first has to split it into two integrals. Then, if both integrals converge, the original integral converges. But if at least one of the integrals diverges, then the original integral diverges.

Hint 2
Since this is a an improper integral, you can not argue that the integral should be zero (and hence converge) because the integrand is an odd function. Such an argument is only valid for proper integrals.

Checking a solution serves two purposes: helping you if, after having used all the hints, you still are stuck on the problem; or if you have solved the problem and would like to check your work. If you are stuck on a problem: Read the solution slowly and as soon as you feel you could finish the problem on your own, hide it and work on the problem. Come back later to the solution if you are stuck or if you want to check your work. If you want to check your work: Don't only focus on the answer, problems are mostly marked for the work you do, make sure you understand all the steps that were required to complete the problem and see if you made mistakes or forgot some aspects. Your goal is to check that your mental process was correct, not only the result.

Solution

Found a typo? Is this solution unclear? Let us know here. Please rate my easiness! It's quick and helps everyone guide their studies. The integral is equal to the sum of the two standard Type I integrals: $\int _{-\infty }^{0}{\frac {x}{x^{2}+1}}dx+\int _{0}^{\infty }{\frac {x}{x^{2}+1}}dx$. By the substitution u=x2+1, du = 2dx, we see that ${\begin{aligned}\int {\frac {x}{x^{2}+1}}dx&={\frac {1}{2}}\int {\frac {1}{u}}du\\&={\frac {1}{2}}\ln |u|+C\\&={\frac {1}{2}}\ln |x^{2}+1|+C\end{aligned}}$ So, we calculate ${\begin{aligned}\int _{0}^{\infty }{\frac {x}{x^{2}+1}}dx&=\lim _{a\to \infty }{\frac {1}{2}}\ln(x^{2}+1){\big |}_{0}^{a}\\&=\lim _{a\to \infty }({\frac {1}{2}}\ln(a^{2}+1)-\ln(1))\\&=\infty \end{aligned}}$ Since this part diverges the whole integral diverges also.

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