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Integrals

The Hook

Area under the curve.

What is it?

The accumulation of quantities; the reverse of differentiation.

Time Travel (History)

Used by Archimedes to estimate the value of Pi by adding up the areas of many tiny polygons.

Cheat Code

Add 1 to the exponent, divide by the new exponent. Don't forget + C!

Practice This Now!

The Field Guide

In Plain English: If the Derivative slices a shape into infinite tiny lines to see the slope, the Integral glues them back together to see the whole area. It sums up change over time to give you a total.

In The Real World: Digital Photography. A camera sensor collects (integrates) photons (light particles) over a split second to form a total image brightness.

How To Do It

  1. Identify the Power Rule for integrals.
  2. Add 1 to the exponent (x^2 becomes x^3).
  3. Divide the coefficient by that new exponent.
  4. Add '+ C' at the end for indefinite integrals.

Booby Trap!

Forgetting '+ C'. When you reverse a derivative, you don't know if there was a constant number attached, so you must add a generic placeholder 'C'.

Real World Challenge
"Water flows into a tank at a rate of 2t liters per minute. How much water is in the tank after 5 minutes?"
The Logic: We need the total (Integral) of the rate 2t. Integral of 2t is t². Evaluate from 0 to 5. 5² - 0² = 25 liters.

Training Drills

Reverse Power
∫ x^2 dx = (x^3)/3 + C
Power up, divide down.