Re: Sheer frustration with integration of piecewise continuous functions
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg40911] Re: Sheer frustration with integration of piecewise continuous functions
- From: bobhanlon at aol.com (Bob Hanlon)
- Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 05:24:22 -0400 (EDT)
- References: <b85m4u$ace$1@smc.vnet.net>
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
This will work much better if you use UnitStep f[x_,L_,fpeak_]:= fpeak/L(5x/3*UnitStep[x]+ (L-5x/3)*UnitStep[x-3L/5]+ (10(L-x)-L)*UnitStep[x-9L/10]- 10(L-x)*UnitStep[x-L]); Plot[f[x,1,1],{x,-0.1,1.1}, PlotStyle -> {AbsoluteThickness[2], RGBColor[1, 0, 0]}]; FullSimplify[Integrate[f[x,L,fpeak],{x,0,L}], L>=0] (-(13/20))*fpeak*L*(-1 + UnitStep[-L]) However, since Simplify[%, L==0] 0 The result is just FullSimplify[%%, L>0] (13*fpeak*L)/20 Bob Hanlon In article <b85m4u$ace$1 at smc.vnet.net>, Madhusudan Singh <spammers-go-here at yahoo.com> wrote: << Subject: Sheer frustration with integration of piecewise continuous functions From: Madhusudan Singh <spammers-go-here at yahoo.com> To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 09:24:46 +0000 (UTC) Clear["'*"]; (*ClearAttributes[Which, HoldAll];*) f[x_, L_, fpeak_] := (fpeak /L) Which[((0 <= x) && (x < 0.6 L)), x/(0.6 ),((0.6 L <= x) && (x <= 0.9 L)), L, ((0.9 L < x) && (x <= L)) , 10 (L -x)]; Plot[f[x, 1, 1], {x, 0, 1}]; Print[Integrate[f[x, L, fpeak], {x, 0, L}, Assumptions -> {L >= 0, fpeak >= 0, x >= 0, x <= L}]]; I have struggled with the above integration (believe me, its just a test case, I have a much more complicated function) for an hour now. What is missing above ? The plot evaluates but the integral does not. Why does Mathematica make it so damned difficult to work with piecewise continuous functions ? >><BR><BR>