I thought I understood what I was doing, but my last homework grade says otherwise. It was a simple assignment, just check what would prove a given integral converges or diverges, or be able to tell from a graph.
(just work with me on the notation here, hard to get right on the board)
Here’s one question -
∞
∫f(x) dx
3
Which of the following can be used to prove [emphasis theirs] that the integral diverges?
f(x) approaches 0 as x approaches infinity.
f(x) approaches 5 as x approaches infinity.
For all b ≥ 3, [the same integral above with b substituted for infinity] = ln|b| - ln(3)
For all x ≥ 3, 0 < f(x) < 1/(sqrt(x))
none of these
Now, the way I understand it, the first two can’t be used to prove anything, neither convergence nor divergence of the integral (though, again, from how I understand it, it would prove the integral diverged if f(x) went to infinity at x = 5 or some other constant though I’m not wholly sure). This would be due to the fact that say, 1/x and 1/x^3 both act the same way near infinity (that is to say, they’re both zero), but the integral of one converges and the other diverges.
The next two confuse me. I figured that for option 3, since the lim (b -> infinity) would come out to infinity, it doesn’t converge to a definite point => divergence.
And for option 4 I thought did nothing because divergence is proven by comparison if 0 <= g(x) <= f(x), where g(x) diverges (whereas convergence is proven by 0 <= f(x) <= g(x), where g(x) converges). Where did my thinking go wrong on these options?
I can probably figure out the other one (with convergence on a different integral) I missed with the help from this question (if not I’ll post it). But need help on the graph:
http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/6006/53284.jpg
The question is basically, is the area between 1/x^2 and 1/x [though they could have been any two arbitrary functions, labeled or not, so I need to be able to figure it out from the graph, not the function itself, which is what I did to get it right] infinite or finite? And then a bunch of do h/k/g/f(x) converge, diverge, or is it impossible to tell? I was totally lost on this one and mostly just guessed.
[[And sorry, I’m tacking on a mini-rant because I can]]
Sorry for unloading basic math questions, I have an instructor who I’m sure knows what he’s doing… but he certainly can’t teach it (and, sadly, I’m not a very good book learner, I need the instructor portion). For reference, on the last test I got a 65/100 and it was still the fourth highest grade in a class of 35 people (I wouldn’t complain if this was an upper-division course, but it’s a 100 level course). Last semester I never got below an 87. Oh, and he cribbed questions from other instructor’s tests, so it wasn’t just a hard test. And he takes off half or so of the points for writing down a four instead of a two in your final answer because you brain-stupided for a second, even if you got the actual concept and calculus right. Luckily I think I have the current section (areas and volumes of shapes/solids by integral) down, hopefully.