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Exercise 103Calculus › Single-variable calculus › Integration › Riemann integralL1Added 6 Nov 2026

Limit of an integral with arctan

#mean value theorem for integrals#arctan#limit

Statement

Compute
lim⁡n→+∞∫n2+1n2+n+1arctan⁡(t2)t dt.\lim_{n\to+\infty}\int_{n^2+1}^{n^2+n+1}\frac{\arctan(t^2)}{\sqrt t}\,dt.

Hint

Apply the mean value theorem for integrals with f(t)=arctan⁡(t2)f(t)=\arctan(t^2) and g(t)=1/tg(t)=1/\sqrt t; estimate cn∈[n2+1,n2+n+1]c_n\in[n^2+1,n^2+n+1] and use arctan⁡(cn2)→π/2\arctan(c_n^2)\to\pi/2.

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Solution

Mean value theorem. On [n2+1,n2+n+1][n^2+1,n^2+n+1], f(t)=arctan⁡(t2)f(t)=\arctan(t^2) is continuous and g(t)=1/tg(t)=1/\sqrt t is continuous and positive. There exists cn∈[n2+1,n2+n+1]c_n\in[n^2+1,n^2+n+1] with
∫n2+1n2+n+1arctan⁡(t2)t dt=arctan⁡(cn2)∫n2+1n2+n+1dtt.\int_{n^2+1}^{n^2+n+1}\frac{\arctan(t^2)}{\sqrt t}\,dt=\arctan(c_n^2)\int_{n^2+1}^{n^2+n+1}\frac{dt}{\sqrt t}.

Compute the remaining integral.
∫n2+1n2+n+1dtt=[2t]n2+1n2+n+1=2n2+n+1−2n2+1.\int_{n^2+1}^{n^2+n+1}\frac{dt}{\sqrt t}=\bigl[2\sqrt t\bigr]_{n^2+1}^{n^2+n+1}=2\sqrt{n^2+n+1}-2\sqrt{n^2+1}.
Rationalize:
2n2+n+1−2n2+1=2nn2+n+1+n2+1.2\sqrt{n^2+n+1}-2\sqrt{n^2+1}=\frac{2n}{\sqrt{n^2+n+1}+\sqrt{n^2+1}}.
As n→+∞n\to+\infty, the denominator is ∼2n\sim 2n, so the quotient tends to 11. More precisely, it equals
2nn1+1n+1n2+n1+1n2=21+1n+1n2+1+1n2→21+1=1.\frac{2n}{n\sqrt{1+\frac1n+\frac1{n^2}}+n\sqrt{1+\frac1{n^2}}}=\frac{2}{\sqrt{1+\frac1n+\frac1{n^2}}+\sqrt{1+\frac1{n^2}}}\to\frac{2}{1+1}=1.

Limit of arctan⁡(cn2)\arctan(c_n^2). Since cn≥n2+1→+∞c_n\ge n^2+1\to+\infty, we have cn2→+∞c_n^2\to+\infty, so arctan⁡(cn2)→π/2\arctan(c_n^2)\to\pi/2.

Conclusion. The product of these two limits gives
lim⁡n→+∞∫n2+1n2+n+1arctan⁡(t2)t dt=π2⋅1=π2.\lim_{n\to+\infty}\int_{n^2+1}^{n^2+n+1}\frac{\arctan(t^2)}{\sqrt t}\,dt=\frac{\pi}{2}\cdot1=\frac{\pi}{2}.