Integration Techniques Summary

1. List of basic formulas:

Function Integrated Result

n
ax

1
1
+
+
n
ax
n

n
b ax ) ( +

( ) ) 1 (
) (
1
+
+
+
n a
b ax
n
[ ][ ]
n
x f x f ) ( ) ( '

[ ]
1
) (
1
+
+
n
x f
n

[ ]
[ ]
2 2
) (
) ( '
x f a
x f
+


1
]
1

a
x f
a
) (
tan
1
1


[ ]
[ ]
2 2
) (
) ( '
a x f
x f

a x f
a x f
a +

) (
) (
ln
2
1


[ ]
[ ]
2 2
) (
) ( '
x f a
x f

) (
) (
ln
2
1
x f a
x f a
a
+

[ ]
[ ]
2 2
) (
) ( '
x f a
x f

1
]
1

a
x f ) (
sin
1

) (
) ( '
x f
a x f

) (
ln
1
x f
a
a

) (
) ( '
x f
e x f
) ( x f
e

) (
) ( '
x f
x f

| ) ( | ln x f
Function Integrated Result
[ ] ) ( cos ) ( ' x f x f [ ] ) ( sin x f

[ ] ) ( sin ) ( ' x f x f [ ] ) ( cos x f
[ ] ) ( sec ) ( '
2
x f x f

[ ] ) ( tan x f
[ ] ) ( cos ) ( '
2
x f ec x f [ ] ) ( cot x f
[ ] [ ] ) ( cot ) ( cos ) ( ' x f x f ec x f [ ] ) ( cos x f ec
x tan

| cos | ln x

x cot

| sin | ln x


x sec

| tan sec | ln x x +

ecx cos

| cot cos | ln x ecx
2. Miscellaneous trigonometric integrals:
a.
xdx
n

sin
and
xdx
n

cos
:
If
n
is odd, separate a single x sin or
x cos
from the original function, and use the
identity 1 cos sin
2 2
+ x x .
Example:
( )( )

dx x x dx x x xdx ) )(sin cos 1 ( sin sin sin
2 2 3
= C
x
x dx x x x + +

3
cos
cos sin cos sin
3
2
(shown)
If
n
is even, use the double angle formula of either 1 cos 2 2 cos
2
x x or
x x
2
sin 2 1 2 cos for conversion.
Example: C x x dx
x
xdx + +
+

2
1
2 sin
4
1
2
1 2 cos
cos
2
(shown)
b.

xdx
n
tan
:
Separate x
2
tan from the original function, and use the identity x x
2 2
sec tan 1 + .
Example:
( )( ) ( )( )dx x x dx x x xdx


3 2 3 2 5
tan 1 sec tan tan tan
=
dx x x x

3 3 2
tan tan sec
=
dx x x x x

) (tan tan tan sec

2 3 2
=
( ) dx x x x x

) (tan 1 sec tan sec

2 3 2
=
dx x x x x x

+ tan tan sec tan sec

2 3 2
= C x x x + | cos | ln tan
2
1
tan
4
1
2 4
(shown)
c.
dx nx mx

) sin( ) sin(
or
dx nx mx

) cos( ) sin(
or
dx nx mx

) cos( ) cos(
:
Use one of the 3 identities below to transform the product to a sum or difference:
(i) ( ) [ ] ( ) [ ] { } x n m x n m nx mx + + sin sin
2
1
) cos( ) sin(
(ii) ( ) [ ] ( ) [ ] { } x n m x n m nx mx + cos cos
2
1
) sin( ) sin(
(iii) ( ) [ ] ( ) [ ] { } x n m x n m nx mx + + cos cos
2
1
) cos( ) cos(
Example:

+ + + C x x dx x x xdx x 2 sin
4
1
4 sin
8
1
2 cos 4 cos
2
1
cos 3 cos (shown)
3. Integration via substitution:
Generally, to find an integral by means of a substitution
), (u f x
(i) Differentiate
x

wrt

u
to arrive at du u f dx u f
du
dx
) ( ' ) ( '
(ii) Subsequently replace all
x
by
) (u f
and dx by
du u f ) ( '
(iii) Perform the integration and remember to convert the result back to
x
for an indefinite integral ( not needed for definite integrals)
Example: Evaluate

+ 1
2
x x
dx
by considering the substitution tan
2
3
2
1
x .
dx
x
x x
dx

+

+
2 2
2
)
2
3
( )
2
1
(
1
1
Using the substitution tan
2
3
2
1
x , the integral becomes

3
4
tan
2

3
4

3
2
sec d
=

d ) sec
2
3
(
sec
2
3
1
=

d ) (sec
=
C + + | tan sec | ln
=ln | )
2
1
(
3
2
] )
2
1
(
4
3
[
3
2
|
2
+ + x x +C (shown)


2
)
2
1
(
4
3
+ x
2
1
x


2
3
4. Integration by parts:


vdx u uv dx uv ' '
where
u
is a function which can be differentiated and
v
is
a function that can be easily reduced via integration. Note that integration by parts
is only feasible if out of the product of two functions, at least one is directly
integrable.
Example:

dx x x ) ( sin
2 1

=
dx x
x
x
x
x
) 2 )(
1
1
(
2
) (sin
2
4
2
2 1
2

=
dx
x
x
x
x
)
1
( ) (sin
2
4
3
2 1
2

=
dx
x
x
x
x
)
1
4
(
4
1
) (sin
2
4
3
2 1
2

= C x x
x
+
4 2 1
2
1 ) 2 (
4
1
) (sin
2
= C x x
x
+
4 2 1
2
1
2
1
) (sin
2
(shown)
5. Integrals of the form dx
c bx ax
d cx

+ +
+
2
(i) Rewrite dx
c bx ax
d cx

+ +
+
2
as dx
c bx ax
Q
c bx ax
b ax P
c bx ax
Q b ax P
+ +
+
+ +
+

+ +
+ +
2 2 2
) 2 ( ) 2 (
,
where b ax + 2 is clearly the derivative of c bx ax + +
2
.
(ii)

+ +
+
c bx ax
b ax P
2
) 2 (
gives | | ln
2
c bx ax P + +
(iii) dx
c bx ax
Q

+ +
2
can be easily integrated via completing the square method for
the denominator.
Example: dx
x x
dx
x x
x
dx
x x
x

+ +

+ +
+

+ +

1
1
2
3
1
1 2
2
1
1
1
2 2 2

=

,
_

,
_

+
+ + dx
x
x x
2
2
2
2
3
2
1
1
2
3
| 1 | ln
2
1
=
C
x
x x +

,
_

,
_

+ +

2
3
2
1
tan
2
3
1
2
3
| 1 | ln
2
1
1 2

=
C
x
x x +

,
_

+
+ +

3
1 2
tan 3 | 1 | ln
2
1
1 2
(shown)
6. Integrals of the form dx
c bx ax
e dx cx

+ +
+ +
2
2
(i) Rewrite
( )
dx
c bx ax
R b ax Q c bx ax P
dx
c bx ax
e dx cx

+ +
+ + + + +

+ +
+ +
2
2
2
2
) 2 (

= dx
c bx ax
R
c bx ax
b ax Q
P
+ +
+
+ +
+
+
2 2
) 2 (

dx
c bx ax
R
c bx ax
b ax Q
Px
+ +
+
+ +
+
+
2 2
) 2 (
where b ax + 2 is clearly the derivative of c bx ax + +
2
.
(ii)

+ +
+
c bx ax
b ax Q
2
) 2 (
gives | | ln
2
c bx ax Q + +
(iii) dx
c bx ax
R

+ +
2
can be easily integrated via completing the square method for
the denominator.
Example:
( )

+ +
+ + + +

+ +
+ +
dx
x x
x x x
dx
x x
x x
1
2 ) 1 2 ( 1 2
1
1 4 2
2
2
2
2

+ +

+ +
+
+ dx
x x x x
x
x
1
2
1
1 2
2
2 2

=

,
_

,
_

+
+ + + dx
x
x x x
2
2
2
2
3
2
1
1
2 | 1 | ln 2
= 2 | 1 | ln 2
2
+ + + x x x
C
x
+

,
_

+
1
1
1
1
1
]
1

,
_

2
3
2
1
tan
2
3
1
1
=
C
x
x x x +

,
_

+
+ + +

3
1 2
tan
3
4
| 1 | ln 2
1 2
(shown)