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What Are Integrals? How Can We Find Them?

Integrals are used to find the area under a curve and are the inverse of derivatives. The integral of a function from one limit to another is defined as the limit of Riemann sums, which estimate the area by dividing it into rectangles. Integrals can be found either manually using antiderivatives or by using an online integral calculator that determines the antiderivative function. Integrals have various applications in fields like physics and engineering.

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Osamah Ashraf
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56 views

What Are Integrals? How Can We Find Them?

Integrals are used to find the area under a curve and are the inverse of derivatives. The integral of a function from one limit to another is defined as the limit of Riemann sums, which estimate the area by dividing it into rectangles. Integrals can be found either manually using antiderivatives or by using an online integral calculator that determines the antiderivative function. Integrals have various applications in fields like physics and engineering.

Uploaded by

Osamah Ashraf
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What Are Integrals? How Can We Find Them?

Integrals are the basic part of Calculus formulated by Issac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. The
basic definition of integrals explains it as the area under the curve as an infinite sum of rectangles of
minuscule width. Integrals are the inverse of derivatives so are called anti-derivative. The process of
finding integrals is called integration. The symbol used for integration is “⌠.” Integral calculators and
antiderivative calculators help us to determine the integrals.

Derivation of integrals:

suppose we wish to determine the area under the function. Divide the region into four segments. And to
draw a rectangle inside each segment such that the upper right corner of the rectangle touches the
function. The sum of the area of rectangles is an estimated area under the function. The estimate is poor
in this case because the rectangles do not fit under the curve. It is because they are too wide as shown
in the figure below.
Now if we want to find the exact area under the curve of a specific function we have to limit the width
of each rectangle. We can do this by limiting their width 6 times. As it is shown in the graph below.

These narrower rectangles fit under the curve better than the wider ones. Now the sum of the area is a
much better estimate of the area under the curve. You can do this differently by placing rectangles into
four segments such the left edge of each rectangle touches the curve.

Riemann Sum And Integrals:


Now we are going to translate the whole concept into a mathematical explanation. Let’s imagine we
want to find the area under the same curve between these two x-coordinates. We will estimate the area
inside three equally sized regions to translate it into maths we need d labels for x-coordinates. X-
coordinates labels define the range of each of these regions from left to right. Let the coordinates be x 0,
x1, x2, x3. As the figure shows.
Now place a rectangle between x 0 and x1 such that the upper right corner touches the curve x 1. The area
of this rectangle is its height which is the value of the function at x 1 multiplied by its width which is ( x 1 –
x0). In this way add the area of all three rectangles that exactly fit in the upper shown graph. Let's call
the area of all three rectangles S and give it a subscript three as it is a sum of the area of three
rectangles.

S3 = f(x1)( x1 – x0) + f(x2)(x2 – x1) + f(x3)(x3 – x2)

This can be written more compactly by using summation notation with variable J serving as the subscript
and taking values from 1 to 3. The argument to the sum is the height of each rectangle the value of the
function xj multiplied by the width of each rectangle x j for the x-coordinate of the right side of the j 3
angle minus the x-coordinate of the left side of the same rectangle which is x j-1. The width can also be
written as ∆ xj.
3
S3 = ∑ f ( xj ) ¿ ¿ )]
J =1

Three rectangles do not provide a very good estimate of the area under the curve. We can increase the
precision by adding n rectangles i.e. by lowering the width. In this way, the equation may be written as
n
Sn = ∑ f ( xj ) (∆ xj) (Reimann Sum).
j=1

The upper written equation is called Riemann sum or integral.

Sn only becomes a good estimate of the area under the curve if we take the limit of this quantity as the
number of rectangles, the value of n goes to infinity. In the limit of including very many rectangles, S n is
the area between the curve and the x-axis from x 0 to xn. It is written as symbolically as the integral from
x0 to xn of the function f(x) multiplied by infinitesimal width dx. This is the Reimann definition of an
integral between to fix limits. It is also called as Reimann integral.
xn
lim Sn❑= ∫ f ( x )(dx) (Reimann Integral).
n→∞
x0

In the integrand, f(X) is the height of an infinitesimally narrow rectangle dx is the infinitesimal width of
that rectangle.

Definite integrals:
The difference between the values of integral of a given function f(x) for an upper-value b and lower
value a of the independent variable x. These integrals are used to the area over, under, and between
the curves. If the area is strictly positive, the area between it and the x-axis is simply the definite
integral. If it is negative the area is -1 times the definite integral. We can determine the value of definite
integrals by antiderivative calculators and integral calculators

Indefinite integrals:
Indefinite integrals are the functions whose derivative is equal to the original function f. it is a family of
functions whose derivatives are f. Irrespective of definite integrals, the indefinite integral is a function.

How can we find integrals:


We can find integrals in two ways.

 Using the manual method.


 Using an anti-derivative or integral calculator.

Manual Method:
Most people use anti derivative calculators however, there is also a method of solving integrals by hand.
Let us suppose that we are given the following function:
4

∫ ( x 2+ x−2 ) dx
3

Where 4 is the upper limit and 3 is the lower limit.


4
x3 x2
= + – 2x ∫ ❑
3 2 3

4 4 3 3
={ + – 2(4)} – { + – 2(3)}
3 2 3 2
= 21.333- 7.5

= 13.833

The method discussed in the first example is manual. Now we are going to discuss the other method.
Integral calculators:
Anti-derivatives calculators are online software that helps you to find the value of a specific integrand
for free. It helps students to solve the most complex integration procedures in less than a minute.

Here is a short guide for using integral calculators:

 Go to your search engine. Type “integral calculator.”


 Go to the website.
 Type your upper limits and lower limits.
 Type your required variable.
 If you have a complex function then there will also be an option for that.
 Click calculate. The calculator shows the answer on your screen.

Applications:
 Integrals are of greater use in engineering and physical fields.
 By knowing the function of density we can determine the mass of an object.
 It is of greater importance in Archimida's principle.

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