# Integral $\int \frac{\sqrt{\sin x}}{\sqrt{\sin x} + \sqrt{\cos x}} dx$

We have to evaluate the following integral:

$$\int \frac{\sqrt{\sin x}}{\sqrt{\sin x} + \sqrt{\cos x}} dx$$

I tried this:

I multiplied both the numerator and denominator by $\sec x$
And substituted $\tan x = t$.

But after that I got stuck.

The book where this is taken from gives the following as the answer: $$\ln(1+t)-\frac14\ln(1+t^4)+\frac1{2\sqrt2}\ln\frac{t^2-\sqrt2t+1}{t^2+\sqrt2t+1}-\frac12\tan^{-1}t^2+c$$ where $t=\sqrt{\cot x}$

• Are you sure it is not a definite integral?
– user371838
Jan 8 '17 at 6:00
• @Rohan It doesn't have limits, so it must be indefinite Jan 8 '17 at 6:01
• The indefinite integral is not nice to calculate, the answer if far too large, and involves many elliptic functions. Even Wolfram alpha won't calculate it: wolframalpha.com/input/… Jan 8 '17 at 6:02
• It's possible with elementary functions. Jan 8 '17 at 6:04
• @Rohan the answer given in my book as i.imgur.com/qHhVFpe.jpg Jan 8 '17 at 6:04

$\displaystyle \mathcal{I} = \int\frac{\sqrt{\sin x}}{\sqrt{\sin x}+\sqrt{\cos x}}dx = \int \frac{\sqrt{\tan x}}{1+\sqrt{\tan x}}dx$

substitute $\tan x= t^2$ and $\displaystyle dx = \frac{1}{1+t^4}dt$

$\displaystyle \mathcal{I}= \int\frac{t}{(1+t)(1+t^4)}dt = \frac{1}{2}\int\frac{\bigg((1+t^4)+(1-t^4)\bigg)t}{(1+t)(1+t^4)}dt$

$\displaystyle = \frac{1}{2}\int\frac{t}{1+t}dt+\frac{1}{2}\int\frac{(t-t^2)(1+t^2)}{1+t^4}dt$

$\displaystyle = \frac{1}{2}\int \frac{(1+t)-1}{1+t}dt+\frac{1}{2}\int \frac{t+t^3-(t^2-1)-t^4-1}{1+t^4}dt$

$\displaystyle =-\frac{t}{2}+\frac{1}{2}\ln|t+1|+\frac{1}{4}\int\frac{2t}{1+t^4}+\frac{1}{2}\int\frac{t^3}{1+t^4}dt-\frac{1}{2}\int \frac{t^2-1}{1+t^4}dt-\frac{1}{2}t+\mathcal{C}$

all integrals are easy except $\displaystyle \mathcal{J} = \int\frac{t^2-1}{1+t^4}dt = \int\frac{1-t^{-2}}{\left(t+t^{-1}\right)^2-2}dt = \int\frac{(t-t^{-1})'}{(t-t^{-1})^2-2}dt$

• if we substitute $\tan x= t^2$ then $\displaystyle dx = \frac{2t}{1+t^4}dt$
– Jane
Jun 9 '20 at 13:46

We rationalise the denominator to get $$I =\int \frac {\sin x-\sqrt {\cos x\sin x}}{\sin x-\cos x} dx$$ Writing everything in terms of $\cot x$, we get $$I =\int \mathrm{csc}^2 x\left(\frac {\sqrt {\cot x}-1}{\cot^3 x-\cot^2 x+\cot x-1}\right) dx$$ Now substituting $u=\cot x$ and further $v=\sqrt {u}$ gives us $$I = -\int\frac {2v }{v^5+ v^4 + v+1} dv$$ Performing a partial fraction decomposition we have $$I = \frac {2}{4-4\sqrt {2}}\int \frac {v +\sqrt {2}-1}{v^2 +\sqrt {2}v +1} dv +\frac {2}{4+4\sqrt {2}}\int \frac {v-\sqrt {2}-1}{v^2-\sqrt {2 }v+1} dv+\int \frac {1}{1+v} dv =I_1 +I_2 +I_3$$ Hope you can take it from here.

HINT multiply nominator and denominator by $\frac{1}{\sqrt{sin(x)}}$, then $t = \sqrt{cot(x)}$ after all you'll have $\displaystyle\frac{2t}{(t^4 + 1)(t+1)}$

• After that does we have to substitue t = sin k Jan 8 '17 at 6:10
• @koolman I have no this substitution in my hint. Jan 8 '17 at 6:12
• I mean what we have to after$\displaystyle\frac{2t}{(t^4 + 1)(t+1)}$ Jan 8 '17 at 6:14
• @koolman we could represent this as sum of polynomials with denominators $t^4 + 1$ and $t + 1$ Jan 8 '17 at 6:16