# Evaluate $\int \frac {\operatorname d\!x} {2x \sqrt{1-x}\sqrt{2-x + \sqrt{1-x}}}$

$$\int \dfrac {\operatorname d\!x} {2x \sqrt{1-x}\sqrt{2-x + \sqrt{1-x}}}$$

Hey there, I've got this complicated integral to evaluate, but I don't know how to go about. I have tried making two substitutions:

1. $t^2 = 1 - x$

2. $x = \sin^2\theta$

But both gave another complicated integral to evaluate:

$$\int \dfrac {\operatorname d\!t} {(t^2-1)\sqrt{ t^2 + t + 1 }}$$

I tried to get the answer for this one using wolfram alpha, but it gave a HUGE, simply HUGE solution. I also tried to get the solution for the original question via wolfram alpha, but it timed out.

Any ideas?

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Where does the integral come from? Do you need the full analytic solution? –  Sharkos May 8 '13 at 14:43
We had this as a test question. But now I have started doubting that there might be some error in the question, don't know though because no one had announced that there was any error in the question paper. –  Parth Thakkar May 8 '13 at 14:44
No, hints will do, as they almost always do in my questions :D (don't know what you mean by full analytic solution though!) –  Parth Thakkar May 8 '13 at 14:46
Mathematica gives for first integral this: $\frac12\left(\frac{\log(1-\sqrt{1-x})}{\sqrt3}-\log(1+\sqrt{1-x})+\log(1-\sqrt{‌​1-x}+2\sqrt{2+\sqrt{1-x}-x})-\frac{\log(3+3\sqrt{1-x}+2\sqrt3\sqrt{2+\sqrt{1-x}-x‌​})}{\sqrt3}\right)$ –  Ruslan May 8 '13 at 14:49
You are getting a log. Means : USE partial fractions. Seems absurd, though. –  Inceptio May 8 '13 at 14:53

For what it's worth, you can break things up a bit by recognizing that

$$\frac{1}{t^2-1} = \frac12 \left ( \frac{1}{t-1} - \frac{1}{t+1}\right )$$

For example, consider the $t-1$ piece; you may substitute $u=t+1/2$ and get

$$\int \frac{dt}{(t-1) \sqrt{t^2+t+1}} = \int \frac{du}{(u-3/2) \sqrt{u^2+3/4}}$$

This latter integral is relatively tame according to WA:

$$\frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} \left[\log{\left(u-\frac{3}{2}\right)}-\log{\left(\sqrt{12 u^2+9}+3 u+\frac{3}{2}\right)}\right]+C$$

where $C$ is a constant of integration. A similar expression may be found for the $t+1$ piece.

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I think that's a good way to go...! –  Parth Thakkar May 8 '13 at 15:41

The following integral

$$\int \frac{1}{x \sqrt{ax^2 + bx + c}}\text{d}x$$

can be solved by substituting $x = \frac{1}{t}$ to get

$$\int \frac{\pm 1}{\sqrt{a + bt + ct^2}}\text{d}t$$

Which can be recast as the derivative of an inverse trigonometric function (could be hyperbolic, depending on the signs taken):

$$\int \frac{\pm 1}{\sqrt{\pm 1 \pm x^2}}$$

And as noted by Ron, your integral is the sum of two such integrals.

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this is the solution from wolfram :: for the second integral. Even more complicated.