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18.01 Single Variable Calculus

Fall 2006

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Lecture 32: Exam 4 Review 18.01 Fall 2006

Exam 4 Review

1. Trig substitution and trig integrals.

2. Partial fractions.
3. Integration by parts.
4. Arc length and surface area of revolution
5. Polar coordinates

6. Area in polar coordinates.

Questions from the Students

• Q: What do we need to know about parametric equations?
• A: Just keep this formula in mind:
�� �2 � �2
dx dy
ds = +
dt dt

Example: You’re given

x(t) = t4
and
y(t) = 1 + t
Find s (length). �

ds = (4t3 )2 + (1)2 dt

Then, integrate with respect to t.

• Q: Can you quickly review how to do partial fractions?

• A: When finding partial fractions, first check whether the degree of the numerator is greater
than or equal to the degree of the denominator. If so, you first need to do algebraic long-
division. If not, then you can split into partial fractions.
Example.
x2 + x + 1

(x − 1)2 (x + 2)

We already know the form of the solution:

x2 + x + 1 A B C
= + +
(x − 1)2 (x + 2) x − 1 (x − 1)2 x+2

There are two coefficients that are easy to find: B and C. We can find these by the cover-up
method.
12 + 1 + 1 3
B= = (x → 1)
1+2 3

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Lecture 32: Exam 4 Review 18.01 Fall 2006

To find C,
(−2)2 − 2 + 1 1
C= = (x → −2)
(−2 − 1)2 3
To find A, one method is to plug in the easiest value of x other than the ones we already used
(x = 1, −2). Usually, we use x = 0.

1 A 1 1/3
= + +
(−1)2 (2) −1 (−1)2 2

and then solve to find A.

The Review Sheet handed out during lecture follows on the next page.

2
Lecture 32: Exam 4 Review 18.01 Fall 2006

Exam 4 Review Handout

1. Integrate by trigonometric substitution; evaluate the trigonometric integral and work
backwards to the original variable by evaluating trig(trig−1 ) using a right triangle:
a) a2 − x2 use x = a sin u, dx = a cos u du.
b) a2 + x2 use x = a tan u, dx = a sec2 u du

c) x2 − a2 use x = a sec u, dx = a sec u tan u du

2. Integrate rational functions P/Q (ratio of polynomials) by the method of partial fractions:
If the degree of P is less than the degree of Q, then factor Q completely into linear and quadratic
factors, and write P/Q as a sum of simpler terms. For example,

3x2 + 1 A B1 B2 Cx + D
2 2
= + + 2
+ 2
(x − 1)(x + 2) (x + 9) x − 1 (x + 2) (x + 2) x +9

Terms such as D/(x2 + 9) can be integrated using the trigonometric substitution x = 3 tan u.
This method can be used to evaluate the integral of any rational function. In practice, the
hard part turns out to be factoring the denominator! In recitation you encountered two other steps
required to cover every case systematically, namely, completing the square1 and long division.2
3. Integration by parts:
�b �
� b � b
�
uv dx = uv � − u� vdx
�
a � a
a

This is used when u v is simpler than uv � . (This is often the case if u� is simpler than u.)
�
�
4. Arclength: ds = dx2 + dy 2 . Depending on whether you want to integrate with respect to
x, t or y this is written
� � �
ds = 1 + (dy/dx)2 dx; ds = (dx/dt)2 + (dy/dt)2 dt; ds = (dx/dy)2 + 1 dy

5. Surface area for a surface of revolution:

�
a) around the x-axis: 2πyds = 2πy 1 + (dy/dx)2 dx (requires a formula for y = y(x))
�
b) around the y-axis: 2πxds = 2πx (dx/dy)2 + 1 dy (requires a formula for x = x(y))
�
6. Polar coordinates: x = r cos θ, y = r sin θ (or, more rarely, r = x2 + y 2 , θ = tan−1 (y/x))
a) Find the polar equation for a curve from its equation in (x, y) variables by substitution.
b) Sketch curves given in polar coordinates and understand the range of the variable θ (often
in preparation for integration).
7. Area in polar coordinates:
� θ2
1 2
r dθ
θ1 2
(Pay attention to the range of θ to be sure that you are not double-counting regions or missing
them.)
1 For example, we rewrite the denominator x2 + 4x + 13 = (x + 2)2 + 9 = u2 + a2 with u = x + 2 and a = 3.
2 Long division is used when the degree of P is greater than or equal to the degree of Q. It expresses P (x)/Q(x) =
P1 (x) + R(x)/Q(x) with P1 a quotient polynomial (easy to integrate) and R a remainder. The key point is that the
remainder R has degree less than Q, so R/Q can be split into partial fractions.

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Lecture 32: Exam 4 Review 18.01 Fall 2006

The following formulas will be printed with Exam 4

sin2 x + cos2 x = 1; sec2 x = tan2 x + 1

1 1 1 1
sin2 x = − cos 2x; cos2 x = + cos 2x

2 2 2 2
cos 2x = cos2 x − sin2 x; sin 2x = 2 sin x cos x

d d d 1 d 1

tan x = sec2 x; sec x = sec x tan x; tan−1 x = ; sin−1 x = √

dx dx dx 1 + x2 dx 1 − x2
� �
tan x dx = − ln(cos x) + c; sec x dx = ln(sec x + tan x) + c

See the next page for a review on integration of rational functions.

Lecture 32: Exam 4 Review 18.01 Fall 2006

Postscript: Systematic integration of rational functions

For a general rational function P/Q, the first step is to express P/Q as the sum of a polynomial
and a ratio in which the numerator has smaller degree than the denominator.
For example,
x3 3x − 2
=x+2+ 2
x2 − 2x + 1 x − 2x + 1
(To carry out this long division, do not factor the denominator Q(x) = x2 − 2x + 1, just leave it
alone.) The quotient x + 2 is a polynomial and is easy to integrate. The remainder term
3x − 2
(x − 1)2
has a numerator 3x − 2 of degree 1 which is less than the degree 2 of the denominator (x − 1)2 .
Therefore there is a partial fraction decomposition. In fact,
3x − 2 (3x − 3) + 1 3 1
= = +
(x − 1)2 (x − 1)2 x − 1 (x − 1)2
In general, if P has degree n and Q has degree m, then long division gives
P (x) R(x)
= P1 (x) +
Q(x) Q(x)
in which P1 , the quotient in the long division, has degree n − m and R, the remainder in the long
division, has degree at most m − 1.
Evaluation of the “simple” pieces
The integral
−1
�
dx
= (x − a)1−n + c
(x − a)n n−1
� 1 and ln |x − a| + c if n = 1. On the other hand the terms
if n =
� �
xdx dx
and
(Ax2 + Bx + C)n (Ax2 + Bx + C)n
are handled by first completing the square:
B2
� �
2 2
Ax + Bx + C = A(x − B/2A) + C −
4A
√
Using the variable u = A(x − B/2A) yields combinations of integrals of the form
� �
udu du
2 2 n
and
(u + k ) (u + k 2 )n
2

The first integral is handled by the substitution w = u2 + k 2 , dw = 2udu. The second integral can
be worked out using the trigonometric substitution u = k tan θ du = k sec2 θdθ. This then leads to
sec-tan integrals, and the actual computation for large values of n are long.
There are also other cases that we will not cover systematically. Examples are below:
1. If Q(x) = (x − a)m (x − b)n , then the expression is
A1 A2 Am B1 B2 Bn
+ + ··· + + + + ··· +
x − a (x − a)2 (x − a)m x − b (x − b)2 (x − b)n

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Lecture 32: Exam 4 Review 18.01 Fall 2006

2. If there are quadratic factors like (Ax2 + Bx + C)p , one gets terms

a1 x + b1 a2 x + b2 x ap x + bp
+ + ··· +
Ax2 + Bx + C 2
(Ax + Bx + C) 2 (Ax + Bx + C)p
2

for each such factor. (To integrate these quadratic pieces complete the square and make a
trigonometric substitution.)