Integration by using partial
fractions
• Sometimes expressions may look impossible to integrate at
first sight using standard techniques of integration.
However, these expression may first be re-written using
partial fraction and then use integration techniques to find
the integrals.
• Resolving a complicated fraction into partial fractions is
often needed by electrical and mechanical engineers for not
only determining certain integrals in calculus, but for
determining inverse Laplace transforms, and for analysing
linear differential equations like resonant circuits and
feedback control systems.
Introduction
By addition:
3 5 3 𝑥 − 3 + 5(𝑥 + 4) 8𝑥 + 11
+ = = 2
𝑥+4 𝑥−3 (𝑥 + 4)(𝑥 − 3) 𝑥 + 𝑥 − 12
8𝑥+11 3 5
The reverse process of moving from to + is
𝑥 2 +𝑥−12 𝑥+4 𝑥−3
called resolving into partial fractions.
Example
Resolve the following into partial fractions:
4𝑥 − 5
𝑥2 − 𝑥 − 2
Solution:
4𝑥 − 5 4𝑥 − 5
2
=
𝑥 − 𝑥 − 2 (𝑥 − 2)(𝑥 + 1)
𝐴 𝐵
= +
𝑥−2 𝑥+1
𝐴 𝑥+1 +𝐵(𝑥−2)
Then, =
(𝑥−2)(𝑥+1)
4𝑥−5 𝐴 𝑥+1 +𝐵(𝑥−2)
Therefore, =
(𝑥−2)(𝑥+1) (𝑥−2)(𝑥+1)
From the above equation the denominator is the same. Hence,
4𝑥 − 5 = A 𝑥 + 1 + 𝐵(𝑥 − 2)
Choose values of 𝑥 in order to eliminate either term in A or term in B.
When 𝑥 = −1
4 −1 − 5 = A 0 + 𝐵 −1 − 2
−9 = −3𝐵
𝐵=3
When 𝑥 = 2
4 2 − 5 = 𝐴 2 + 1 + 𝐵(0)
3 = 3𝐴
𝐴=1
4𝑥−5 1 3
Therefore, = +
𝑥 2 −𝑥−2 𝑥−2 𝑥+1
11−3𝑥
Now, if we are to determine 𝑥 2+2𝑥−3 𝑑𝑥, we should first resolve the fraction into Partial fractions
Example 1
11−3𝑥
Determine 𝑥 2+2𝑥−3 𝑑𝑥
Solution
11 − 3𝑥 11 − 3𝑥
=
𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 − 3 (𝑥 + 3)(𝑥 − 1)
𝐴 𝐵 𝐴 𝑥 − 1 + 𝐵(𝑥 + 3)
+ =
𝑥+3 𝑥−1 (𝑥 + 3)(𝑥 − 1)
So
11 − 3𝑥 = 𝐴 𝑥 − 1 + 𝐵(𝑥 + 3)
When 𝑥 = 1
11 − 3(𝟏) = 𝐴 0 + 𝐵(1 + 3)
8 = 4𝐵
𝐵=2
When 𝑥 = −3
11 − 3(−𝟑) = 𝐴 −3 − 1 + 𝐵(0)
20 = −4𝐴
𝐴 = −5
11−3𝑥 2 −5
Thus, 𝑥 2+2𝑥−3 𝑑𝑥 = 𝑥[+3 + 𝑥−1]𝑑𝑥
2 5
න[ − ]𝑑𝑥
𝑥+3 𝑥−1
2 5
𝑥 +3 𝑑𝑥 − 𝑥 −1 𝑑𝑥 = 2 ln 𝑥 + 3 − 5 ln 𝑥 − 1 + 𝑐
Example 2
𝑥 2 +9𝑥+8
Determine 𝑥 2 +𝑥−6
𝑑𝑥
Solution
1. Use long division method to divide 𝑥 2 + 𝑥 − 6 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑥 2 + 9𝑥 + 8 as in the following
𝑥 2 + 9𝑥 + 8 8𝑥 + 14
= 1 +
𝑥2 + 𝑥 − 6 𝑥2 + 𝑥 − 6
8𝑥+14 8𝑥+14 𝐴 𝐵 𝐴 𝑥+3 +𝐵(𝑥−2)
Thus,𝑥 2+𝑥−6 = (𝑥−2)(𝑥+3) = 𝑥−2 + 𝑥+3 = (𝑥−2)(𝑥+3)
Equating the numerators, we then have
8𝑥 + 14 = 𝐴(𝑥 + 3) + 𝐵(𝑥 − 2)
When 𝑥 = 2
8(2) + 14 = 𝐴(2 + 3) + 𝐵(0)
30 = 5𝐴
𝐴=6
When 𝑥 = −3
8 −3 + 14 = 𝐴 0 + 𝐵 −3 − 2
−10 = −5𝐵
𝐵=2
𝑥 2 +9𝑥+8 8𝑥+14 6 2
Hence, = 1 + 𝑥 2+𝑥−6 = 1 + 𝑥−2 + 𝑥+3
𝑥 2 +𝑥−6
𝑥 2 +9𝑥+8 8𝑥+14 6 2
So 𝑥 2 +𝑥−6 𝑑𝑥 = [1 + 𝑥 2+𝑥−6]𝑑𝑥 = [1 + 𝑥−2 + 𝑥+3]𝑑𝑥
= 𝑥 + 6ln |𝑥 − 2| + 2 ln|𝑥 + 3| +𝐶 = 𝑥 + ln| 𝑥 − 2 6 𝑥 + 3 2| + 𝑐
Example 3
5𝑥 2 −2𝑥−19
Determine 𝑑𝑥
(𝑥+3)(𝑥−1)²
Solution
5𝑥 2 − 2𝑥 − 19 𝐴 𝐵 𝐶 𝐴(𝑥 − 1)2 +𝐵 𝑥 + 3 𝑥 − 1 + 𝐶(𝑥 + 3)
න 𝑑𝑥 = න + + 𝑑𝑥 = න 𝑑𝑥
(𝑥 + 3)(𝑥 − 1)² 𝑥 + 3 𝑥 − 1 (𝑥 − 1)2 (𝑥 + 3)(𝑥 − 1)2
Therefore,
5𝑥 2 − 2𝑥 − 19 = 𝐴(𝑥 − 1)2 + 𝐵 𝑥 + 3 𝑥 − 1 + 𝐶(𝑥 + 3)
When 𝑥 = −3
5(−3)2 − 2(−3) − 19 = 𝐴(−3 − 1)2 + 𝐵 0 −3 − 1 + 𝐶(0)
32 = 16𝐴
𝐴=2
When 𝑥 = 1
5(1)2 − 2(1) − 19 = 𝐴(0)2 + 𝐵 1 + 3 0 + 𝐶(4 + 3)
−16 = 4𝐶
𝐶 = −4
So, when 𝑥 = 0
−19 = 𝐴 − 3𝐵 + 3𝐶
−19 = 2 − 3𝐵 − 12
−9 = −3𝐵 ∴ 𝐵 = 3
Thus,
5𝑥 2 − 2𝑥 − 9 2 3 4
න 𝑑𝑥 = න[ + − ] 𝑑𝑥
(𝑥 + 3)(𝑥 − 1)² 𝑥+3 𝑥−1 𝑥−1 2
4
= 2 ln 𝑥 + 3 + 3ln 𝑥 − 1 − +𝑐
𝑥−1
2
4
= ln | 𝑥 + 3 𝑥 − 1 3| − +𝑐
𝑥−1
Exercises
Determine;
12 𝑥 2 +7𝑥+3
a) 𝑥 2−9 𝑑𝑥 f) 𝑥 ²(𝑥+3) 𝑑𝑥
4𝑥−16 4𝑡 2 +9𝑡+8
b) 𝑥 2−2𝑥−3 𝑑𝑥 g) 𝑡( +2)(𝑡+1)² 𝑑𝑡
𝑥 2 +1 3+6𝑥+4𝑥 2 −2𝑥³
c) 𝑥 2−3𝑥+2 𝑑𝑥 h) 𝑥 ²(𝑥 2+3) 𝑑𝑥
𝑥 2 −3𝑥+6
d)𝑥(𝑥 −2)(𝑥−1) 𝑑𝑥
4𝑡−3
e) 𝑡( +2)² 𝑑𝑡
