Question

How do you solve this integral?
Integral from 0 to 2 |x^2-1| dx

Answer 1

Can you draw the graph of it? it usually helps

Answer 2

int(x-a)= int(x)-int(a) feel free to integrate them separately, int from 0 to 2 of int(x^2)-int(1).

Answer 3

a parabola down 1 unit and the negative part flipped?

Answer 4

exactly @jojo921

Now, about the negative part, it runs from x=0 to x=1, so you can compute that integral normally and just take the absolute value of it

Answer 5

Then you maybe want to set up an additional integral that runs from x=1 to x=2

Answer 6

evaluate((x^3/3)-x) from 0 to 2

Answer 7

I've tried it that way.. but still received the wrong answer.

Answer 8

@Lost_in_Translation it's the absolute value, not the regular x^2-1 function

Answer 9

what do you get @jojo921 ?

Answer 10

and maybe post the correct answer right away too if you have it please.

Answer 11

I've got 4/3 but the correct answer is 2

Answer 12

your absolutely right i didn't catch that, sorry jojo ignore my previous answer.

Answer 13

Well your integration should become like
\[\int\limits_0^2 \left| x^2-1 \right|dx= \left| \int\limits_0^1(x^2-1)dx \right|+ \int\limits_1^2(x^2-1)dx\]

Answer 14

and yes, that turns out to be 2.

Answer 15

maybe i did my calculations wrong. let me try it again and thank you!

Answer 16

you're welcome @jojo921

Answer 17

yup i got 2

Answer 18

way to go (-;