Math HL May 2021

Instructions:
Carefully read through this tutorial which includes lots of explanation, three worked
examples and fifteen exercises. Answer as many of the exercises 1-12 as you can
before class on Wed 5 May (exercises 13-15 are bonus exercises). We will go over
answers in class on Wed. Please have your working for exercises 1-12 written clearly
on separate paper that I can look at during class. After you have finished this
tutorial, it will help you to carefully read through the worked examples in Section
14.2 in the textbook (it’s a short section).

Developing Integration Rules from Differentiation Rules

Integration by Parts

In developing a technique for integrating functions it is important to remember the fact that
differentiation and integration are inverse operations. You have previously learned the technique of
integration by substitution which is basically reversing the Chain Rule (i.e. the rule for
differentiating composite functions).

Hence, a good starting point for investigating another integration method is to take a look back at
some other differentiation technique. Along with the Chain Rule another very useful differentiation
rule is the Product Rule. The rule for differentiating a function that consists of the product of two
functions can be stated formally as follows.

The Product Rule

The derivative of the product of two differentiable functions f and g is itself

differentiable and is determined according to the following rule.
d
 f ( x ) g ( x )  = f ( x ) g  ( x ) + g ( x ) f  ( x )
dx
Alternatively, using differentials (Leibniz notation), the Product Rule is often stated
using two functions u and v.
d dv du  d 
u v  = u + v or
 dx  uv  = uv + vu  
dx dx dx

Maths-Analysis HL page 1 Integration by Parts

To begin developing an integration technique for products (i.e. reversing the process of
differentiation), it seems reasonable to take the Product Rule and integrate both sides.

d dv du
 uv = u + v (using the Leibniz form of the Product Rule)
dx dx dx

d   dv   du 
  dx uv dx =   u dx  dx +   v dx  dx (integrating both sides)

uv =  u dv +  v du (treating differentials algebraically)

 u dv = uv −  v du (subtracting  v du from both sides)

This formula expresses the original integral in terms of another ‘new’ integral. Depending on the
choices of u and dv, it may be easier to evaluate the ‘new’ integral,  v du , than the original one. It
quickly becomes clear that the choices of u and dv (the two ‘parts’ of the integrand) are critical for
this particular technique – hence, this integration technique is known as Integration by Parts.

Using Integration by Parts

Example 1: Evaluate  x ln x dx
Explanation / Solution:
To re-write this integral in the format required by Integration by Parts, i.e.  u dv = uv −  v du ,
there are only two possible choices for u and dv. Let’s try the choice: u = x and dv = ln x dx .
If u = x, then du = dx; and if dv = ln x dx then v =  ln x dx . But what is  ln x dx ? It certainly
cannot be done by inspection. The function ln x does not have a straightforward anti-derivative.
Hence, this choice for u and dv does not seem to be a good one. Let’s try the other possibility:
u = ln x and dv = x dx . If u = ln x, then du = dx ; and if dv = x dx, then v =  x dx = x 2
1 1
x 2

Substitute into the formula.

 u dv = uv −  v du
This produces the following result.

1  1 21 1 2 1
 x ln x dx = ( ln x )  2 x  −  x dx = x ln x −  x dx
2

 2 x 2 2

The key question at this stage is whether the ‘new’ integral can be evaluated in a straightforward
fashion – i.e. can it be found by inspection? The answer for this example is clearly ‘yes’, since the
1
anti-derivative of x is x 2 . Let’s continue:
2

Maths-Analysis HL page 2 Integration by Parts

  x ln x dx = 2 x ln x −  x 2 dx = x 2 ln x −  x dx =
1 2 1 1 1 1
2 x 2 2

1 2 11 
= x ln x −  x 2  + C
2 22 

1 1 x2
= x2 ln x − x 2 + C or with some factoring ( 2ln x − 1) + C
2 4 4

Exercise 1:
 d n 
Use the Product Rule and the Power Rule  i.e. x = nx n−1  to check the result for Example 1 by
 dx 
1 1
showing that the derivative of x 2 ln x − x 2 + C is equal to the original integrand x ln x .
2 4

Example 2: Evaluate  x sin x dx .

Explanation / Solution:
The first task is to make choices for the two ‘parts’ u and dv. Let’s try u = sin x and dv = x dx .

Then du = cos x dx and v =  x dx = x 2 . There was no problem evaluating du and v for this set of
1
2
choices. Now substituting into the formula for integration by parts  u dv = uv −  v du gives:

 x sin x dx = 2 x sin x −  x 2 cos x dx

1 2 1
2

 x cos x dx , does not look anymore friendly than the original integral.
1 2
The ‘new’ integral,
2
Hence, let’s start over and try the other possible set of choices, i.e. u = x and dv = sin x dx . Then
du = dx and v =  sin x dx = − cos x dx . Substituting into the formula gives:

 x sin x dx = x ( − cos x) −  (− cos x) dx = − x cos x +  cos x dx (‘new’ integral easily evaluated)

= − x cos x + sin x + C

Exercise 2:
Use the Product Rule to check the result for Example 2 by showing that the derivative of
− x cos x + sin x + C is equal to the original integrand x sin x .

After the first two examples it is even more clear that the key step in this integration technique is
the choices of the two parts u and dv in the integrand that is being integrated. Given this and taking
a closer look at the first two examples, provides support for forming some guidelines for making
the choices for u and dv when performing Integration by Parts.

Maths-Analysis HL page 3 Integration by Parts

 Guidelines for Integration by Parts

1. Try letting dv be the most complicated part of the integrand that fits a basic integration rule.
Then u will be the remaining factor(s) of the integrand.

2. Try letting u be the part of the integrand whose derivative is a function simpler than u.
Then dv will be the remaining factor(s) of the integrand.

Some integrals require repeated use of the Integration by Parts formula.

Example 3: Evaluate x 2
sin x dx

Explanation / Solution:
The factors x2 and sin x are equally easy to integrate. However, the derivative of x2 becomes
simpler, whereas the derivative of sin x does not. Therefore, it is best to choose u = x2 and
dv = sin x dx . Then, du = 2 x dx and v =  sin x dx = − cos x .
Substituting into the formula produces the following.

x 2
sin x dx = − x2 cos x +  2 x cos x dx

The first use of Integration by Parts has succeeded in simplifying the original integral, but the ‘new’
integral on the right side still does not fit a basic integration rule. To evaluate that integral,
Integration by Parts can be applied again. This time let u = 2x and dv = cos x dx ; and then
du = 2 dx and v =  cos x dx = sin x . Applying Integration by Parts on the ‘new’ integral produces

x 2
sin x dx = − x 2 cos x +  2 x cos x dx = − x 2 cos x + 2x sin x −  2sin x dx

= − x2 cos x + 2 x sin x + 2cos x + C

Exercise 3: Use the Product Rule to check the result for Example 3 by showing that the derivative
of − x 2 cos x + 2 x sin x + 2cos x + C is equal to the original integrand x 2 sin x .

When making repeated applications of Integration by Parts, it is important not to interchange the
substitutions in successive applications. For instance, in Example 3, the first substitution was
u = x2 and dv = sin x dx . If, in the second application, the substitutions were switched so that
u = cos x and dv = 2 x dx , the following would have been obtained

x 2
sin x dx = − x2 cos x +  2 x cos x dx

= − x2 cos x + x2 cos x +  x2 sin x dx

=  x2 sin x dx

thus undoing the previous integration and returning to the original integral.

Maths-Analysis HL page 4 Integration by Parts

When making repeated applications of Integration by Parts, it is also important to watch for the
appearance of a constant multiple of the original integral. This is when the original integral appears
on the right side so that it can be added to both sides producing a constant multiple of the original
integral on the left side. Remember this when working on the next exercise.

Exercise 4: Evaluate  e x cos 2 x dx

Hint: Let u = cos 2x and dv = e x dx in the first substitution, and let u = sin 2 x and dv = e x dx in the
second substitution.

Exercise 5: Evaluate  ln x dx
This integral was a stumbling block in Example 1. At first glance it appears that the integrand does
not have two parts – but it does.
Exercises 6 – 11: Use Integration by Parts to evaluate each indefinite integral.

e 
x ln x
6. sin x dx 7. dx
x2
8. x x − 1 dx 9. ( x 2
− 1) e x dx

10. x 2
ln x dx 11. x 2
cos x dx

Exercise 12: Use the technique of Integration by Substitution to evaluate the integral in 8. above.
Hint: Let u = x − 1 and then consider what is x in terms of u.

Exercises 13, 14 & 15 are bonus exercises. They are not required but if you would
enjoy a bit of a challenge, then give them a try.

Exercise 13:

(a) Evaluate the integral x e

n x
dx for n = 0, 1, 2, and 3.

(b) Use the results to formulate a general rule for x e

n x
dx for any positive integer n.

(c) Use Mathematical Induction to prove your general formula for x en x

dx .

Exercise 14:
Use Integration by Parts to verify the formula (assume that n is a positive integer).

x n
sin x dx = − x n cos x + n x n−1 cos x dx

Exercise 15:
Explain the ‘mistake’ in the following argument that 0 = 1 .

 and integrate by parts using u = and dv = dx; then du = − 2 and v =  dx = x .

dx 1 1
Consider
x x x
dx  1   1
0+  =   ( x ) −   − 2  ( x ) dx = 1 + 
dx
Hence, 0 = 1 .
x  x  x  x

Maths-Analysis HL page 5 Integration by Parts