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Re: Integral giving complex answer

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg59302] Re: Integral giving complex answer
  • From: Peter Breitfeld <phbrf at t-online.de>
  • Date: Fri, 5 Aug 2005 01:21:29 -0400 (EDT)
  • References: <200508030519.BAA06368@smc.vnet.net> <dcsc1v$pvn$1@smc.vnet.net>
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Pratik Desai schrieb:
> David Sagan wrote:
>
>>Hello:
>>
>>I am tring to do simple integrals but I am running into problems in that 
>>Mathematica gives the answer using complex numbers. For example, 
>>Integrate[1/(1 + 5x^2), x] gives a result in terms of logarithms of a 
>>complex argument instead of the usual arctan formula. If I integrate 
>>something like Integrate[1/(1 + a x^2), x] I get the answer in the form 
>>I want using the arctan.
>>
>>My question is how to avoid getting the answer to Integrate[1/(1 + 
>>5x^2), x] in terms of complex logarithms. I know I could just integrate 
>>1/(1 + a x^2) and substitute a -> 5 later but in actuality I am dealing 
>>with more complex integrals and it would be helpful if I did not have to 
>>be making such substitutions.
>>
>>            -- Thanks for any help, David Sagan
>>
>>  
>>
> I works fine on my Ver 5.1.1.0 Win Xp
> Integrate[1/(1 + 5x^2), x]
> >>\!\(ArcTan[\@5\ x]\/\@5\)
>

I get the complex solution too with Mathematica 5.0 for Macintosh.
But you cat get the arctan solution using ComplexExpand with
TargetFunctions->{Re, Im}.


Gruss Peter
-- 
==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==-==
Peter Breitfeld, Bad Saulgau, Germany -- http://www.pBreitfeld.de


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