1. ## intergrating cos(x/3) ?

I wanted to know why cos (x/3) intergrates to 3sin (x/3) instead of just sin (x/3)??
Thank you!!

2. ## Re: intergrating cos(x/3) ?

use the chain rule

3. ## Re: intergrating cos(x/3) ?

Originally Posted by katiethegreat
I wanted to know why cos (x/3) intergrates to 3sin (x/3) instead of just sin (x/3)??
Thank you!!
For solving your integral substitute x/3=u, dx/3=du.

$\int\cos(\frac{x}{3}) \ dx$

$\frac{x}{3}=u$

$\frac{dx}{3}=du$

$\int\cos(\frac{x}{3}) \ dx = \int\cos(u) \ (3du)=3\int\cos(u) \ du=3sin(u)+C$

Returning to $x$, by putting $u=\frac{x}{3}$, and we get:

$\int\cos(\frac{x}{3}) \ dx=3sin(\frac{x}{3})+C$

4. ## Re: intergrating cos(x/3) ?

When boromir said "use the chain rule", he was referring to the fact that integration is the reverse of differentiating. Differentiating sin(x/3), using the chain rule, you get cos(x/3) times the derivative of x/3, which is 1/3. That is, the derivative of sin(x/3) would be (1/3)cos(x/3). To get just cos(x/3) as the derivative, you need to multiply by 3 to cancel that 1/3: the derivative of 3sin(x/3) is 3(cos(x/3))(1/3)= cos(x/3).

5. ## Re: intergrating cos(x/3) ?

Originally Posted by katiethegreat
I wanted to know why cos (x/3) intergrates to 3sin (x/3) instead of just sin (x/3)??
Thank you!!
When you differentiate 3sin (x/3) and sin (x/3) (and I assume that you know how to correctly do this), which one gives you cos(x/3)?

6. ## Re: intergrating cos(x/3) ?

the chain rule says: (fog)'(x) = f'(g(x))(g'(x)).

so if you are going to integrate something of the form f'(g(x)), you need the g'(x) factor in with the integrand (the thing you're integrating).

in the case of integrating cos(x/3), "f" is the sine funtion, "g" is the function g(x) = x/3. so we need the factor g'(x) = 1/3 under the integral to

make it work. the only way to do this, is to write cos(x/3) = 3[cos(x/3)](1/3), and take the 3 outside the integral.

then [cos(x/3)](1/3) is the desired form f'(g(x))(g'(x)) = (fog)'(x), so integrating THAT will give us (fog)(x), that is sin(x/3).

since the 3 outside the integral is just "along for the ride", we multiply it afterwards. in symbols:

$\int \cos(x/3) dx = \int 3(\cos(x/3))(1/3) dx = 3\int (cos(x/3))(1/3) dx = 3\int (sin(x/3))' dx$

$= 3sin(x/3) + C$