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Evaluate the integral $$\int _{0}^{1}\sqrt [3] {2x^{3}-3x^{2}-x+1}~\mathrm dx.$$

FMath
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1 Answers1

1

Note firstly that:

$(2x^{3} -3x^{2}-x+1)^{1/3} =[(2(x-\frac{1}{2})((x-\frac{1}{2})^{2} -\frac{5}{4})]^{1/3}$

Thus let $u=x-\frac{1}{2}$.

The upper limit becomes $\frac{1}{2} $ and the lower limit becomes $\frac{-1}{2}$.

And so we have:

$\int^{1/2}_{-1/2} (2u^{3} -\frac{5u}{2}) du$

Note that the expression inside the integral is odd and passes through the origin, and since the integral is the sum of the signed areas bounded by the curve and the $x$ axis, the sum of these areas must be $0$. Consequently the integral is $0$.

J.Gudal
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