Calculus II For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 4

Instant Integration: Just Add Water (And C)

In This Chapter

Calculating simple integrals as anti-derivatives

Using 17 integral formulas and 3 integration rules

Integrating more difficult functions using more than one integration tool

Clarifying the difference between integrable and nonintegrable functions

First the good news: Because integration is the inverse of differentiation, you already know how to evaluate a lot of basic integrals.

Now the bad news: In practice, integration is often a lot trickier than differentiation. I’m telling you this upfront because a) it’s true; b) I believe in honesty; and c) you should prepare yourself before your first exam. (Buying and reading this book, by the way, are great first steps!)

In this chapter — and also in Chapters 5 through 8 — I focus exclusively on one question: How do you integrate every single function on the planet? Okay, I’m exaggerating, but not by much. I give you a manageable set of integration techniques that you can do with a pencil and paper, and if you know when and how to apply them, you’ll be able to integrate ...