REDUCTION FORMULAE

Warmup of the basics

𝑥 3 +1
1. Integrate (𝑥 2 −4𝑥+5)2
1
2. Integrate (𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑎+𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑥)2
3. Integrate

We often come across situations where we have to evaluate some

complicated integrals , or might be some integrals which can be
made easier and simpler.
Consider the following problems:
1. Evaluate :

∫ 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑥 𝑑𝑥

2. Evaluate :
∫ 𝑠𝑖𝑛7 𝑥 𝑑𝑥

We see that we have integrals of two known functions which are

essentially the same but just a power term added to it.
 Considering the first question we see that its just the standard
integral , whose result is -cosx. But the real fun comes in the
second integral. We have the known function raised to power 7!
Now if we want to evaluate the second integral we have to do it
by the conventional method. Break it into two functions 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑥 and
𝑠𝑖𝑛6 𝑥 . Then apply by parts. Then again the powers break it into 5
and 4 and so on up to we get power 1 and use 1. .
But what we aren’t saved every time ? What if the power raised to
21? Or higher? We cant expect the by parts method applied again
and again? So we must look for a shorter method to evaluate
those.
I hope you remember what a recursive relation is . Just to remind
we take another classic example

Suppose a newly-born pair of rabbits, one male, one female,

are put in a field. Rabbits are able to mate at the age of one
month so that at the end of its second month a female can
produce another pair of rabbits. Suppose that our rabbits never
die and that the female always produces one new pair (one
male, one female) every month from the second month on. The
question is

How many pairs will there be in one year?

Solution:

We know that if we take the number of rabbits in n years to be

𝑓𝑛 then easily we get the recursion,
𝑓𝑛 = 𝑓𝑛−1 + 𝑓𝑛−2
We will use exactly the same technique for integrals.
Consider the integral

∫ 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑛 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
Motivation: A variable power we have n which is not known. We use
our basic knowledge of recursion formulaes . We try to relate it with
previous known terms , just like we do in a recursion relation.
Solution:
Break the term sinn x dx into two parts,

sinn x dx = sinn-1 x(sin x dx).

We shall let

u = sinn-1 x, v = -cosx,

du = (n - 1)sinn-2 x cosx dx, dv = sin x dx,

and use integration by parts. Then

We find that ∫ sinn x dx appears on both sides of the equation, and we solve for it,

We already know the integrals

∫ sin x dx = -cos x + C, ∫ cos x dx = sin x + C.

So we see that we can now easily formulate the above using recursion formulaes.
With the help of this formulae we can compute any integral
power of sin x .
Similar recursion formulae exists for cosx , tanx , and other
out of trig functions . It is left to the reader as a part of the
exercise to derive those.