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Physics LibreTexts

3: Integrals

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If we have a function f(x) which is well-defined for some axb, its integral over those two values is defined as badxf(x)=limNNn=0Δxf(xn)wherexn=a+nΔx,Δx(baN). This is called a definite integral, and represents the area under the graph of f(x) in the region between x=a and x=b, as shown in the figure below. The function f(x) is called the integrand, and the two points a and b are called the bounds of the integral. The interval between the two bounds is divided into N segments, of length (ba)/N each. Each term in the sum represents the area of a rectangle, and as N, the sum converges to the area under the curve.

clipboard_e7268f426693b00143c2821f372f5e056.png
Figure 3.1

A multiple integral involves integration over more than one variable. For instance, when we have a function f(x1,x2) that depends on two independent variables, x1 and x2, we can perform a double integral by integrating over one variable first, then the other variable: b1a1dx1b2a2dx2f(x1,x2)b1a1dx1F(x1)whereF(x1)b2a2dx2f(x1,x2).


This page titled 3: Integrals is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Y. D. Chong via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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