Exercise 723Calculus › Single-variable calculus › Integration › Integration techniquesL1Added 2 Nov 2026
A reduction formula
#reduction formula#integration by parts#recurrence
Statement
Let for .
- Show that for .
- Compute .
- Show that , hence .
Hint
Integrate by parts, differentiating and integrating .
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Solution
1. With , :
2. . Then
- ,
- ,
- .
3. On , , so .
Remark. The recurrence is *numerically unstable* when run forward: any small error is multiplied by at each step. To compute one should run it backward, from a good estimate of for instance.