Chapter 5.10: Antiderivatives
Learning Objectives
- Find the general antiderivative of a given function.
- Explain the terms and notation used for an indefinite integral.
- State the power rule for integrals.
- Use antidifferentiation to solve simple initial-value problems.
At this point, we have seen how to calculate derivatives of many functions and have been introduced to a variety of their applications. We now ask a question that turns this process around: Given a function how do we find a function with the derivative
and why would we be interested in such a function?
We answer the first part of this question by defining antiderivatives. The antiderivative of a function is a function with a derivative
Why are we interested in antiderivatives? The need for antiderivatives arises in many situations, and we look at various examples throughout the remainder of the text. Here we examine one specific example that involves rectilinear motion. In our examination in Derivatives of rectilinear motion, we showed that given a position function
of an object, then its velocity function
is the derivative of
—that is,
Furthermore, the acceleration
is the derivative of the velocity
—that is,
Now suppose we are given an acceleration function
but not the velocity function
or the position function
Since
determining the velocity function requires us to find an antiderivative of the acceleration function. Then, since
determining the position function requires us to find an antiderivative of the velocity function. Rectilinear motion is just one case in which the need for antiderivatives arises. We will see many more examples throughout the remainder of the text. For now, let’s look at the terminology and notation for antiderivatives, and determine the antiderivatives for several types of functions. We examine various techniques for finding antiderivatives of more complicated functions in the second volume of this text (Introduction to Techniques of Integration).
The Reverse of Differentiation
At this point, we know how to find derivatives of various functions. We now ask the opposite question. Given a function how can we find a function with derivative
If we can find a function
derivative
we call
an antiderivative of
Definition
A function is an antiderivative of the function
if

for all in the domain of
Consider the function Knowing the power rule of differentiation, we conclude that
is an antiderivative of
since
Are there any other antiderivatives of
Yes; since the derivative of any constant
is zero,
is also an antiderivative of
Therefore,
and
are also antiderivatives. Are there any others that are not of the form
for some constant
The answer is no. From Corollary 2 of the Mean Value Theorem, we know that if
and
are differentiable functions such that
then
for some constant
This fact leads to the following important theorem.
General Form of an Antiderivative
Let be an antiderivative of
over an interval
Then,
- for each constant
the function
is also an antiderivative of
over
- if
is an antiderivative of
over
there is a constant
for which
over
In other words, the most general form of the antiderivative of over
is
We use this fact and our knowledge of derivatives to find all the antiderivatives for several functions.
Finding Antiderivatives
For each of the following functions, find all antiderivatives.
Show Answer
a. Because
then is an antiderivative of
Therefore, every antiderivative of
is of the form
for some constant
and every function of the form
is an antiderivative of
b. Let For
and
For and
Therefore,
Thus, is an antiderivative of
Therefore, every antiderivative of
is of the form
for some constant
and every function of the form
is an antiderivative of
c. We have
so is an antiderivative of
Therefore, every antiderivative of
is of the form
for some constant
and every function of the form
is an antiderivative of
d. Since
then is an antiderivative of
Therefore, every antiderivative of
is of the form
for some constant
and every function of the form
is an antiderivative of
Find all antiderivatives of
Show Answer
Indefinite Integrals
We now look at the formal notation used to represent antiderivatives and examine some of their properties. These properties allow us to find antiderivatives of more complicated functions. Given a function we use the notation
or
to denote the derivative of
Here we introduce notation for antiderivatives. If
is an antiderivative of
we say that
is the most general antiderivative of
and write

The symbol is called an integral sign, and
is called the indefinite integral of
Definition
Given a function the indefinite integral of
denoted

is the most general antiderivative of If
is an antiderivative of
then

The expression is called the integrand and the variable
is the variable of integration.
Given the terminology introduced in this definition, the act of finding the antiderivatives of a function is usually referred to as integrating
For a function and an antiderivative
the functions
where
is any real number, is often referred to as the family of antiderivatives of
For example, since
is an antiderivative of
and any antiderivative of
is of the form
we write

The collection of all functions of the form where
is any real number, is known as the family of antiderivatives of
(Figure) shows a graph of this family of antiderivatives.




For some functions, evaluating indefinite integrals follows directly from properties of derivatives. For example, for

which comes directly from

This fact is known as the power rule for integrals.
Power Rule for Integrals
For

Evaluating indefinite integrals for some other functions is also a straightforward calculation. The following table lists the indefinite integrals for several common functions. A more complete list appears in Appendix B.
Differentiation Formula | Indefinite Integral |
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From the definition of indefinite integral of we know

if and only if is an antiderivative of
Therefore, when claiming that

it is important to check whether this statement is correct by verifying that
Verifying an Indefinite Integral
Each of the following statements is of the form Verify that each statement is correct by showing that
Solution
- Since
the statement
is correct.
Note that we are verifying an indefinite integral for a sum. Furthermore,and
are antiderivatives of
and
respectively, and the sum of the antiderivatives is an antiderivative of the sum. We discuss this fact again later in this section.
- Using the product rule, we see that
Therefore, the statement
is correct.
Note that we are verifying an indefinite integral for a product. The antiderivativeis not a product of the antiderivatives. Furthermore, the product of antiderivatives,
is not an antiderivative of
since
In general, the product of antiderivatives is not an antiderivative of a product.
Verify that
Solution
Hint
Calculate
In (Figure), we listed the indefinite integrals for many elementary functions. Let’s now turn our attention to evaluating indefinite integrals for more complicated functions. For example, consider finding an antiderivative of a sum In (Figure)a. we showed that an antiderivative of the sum
is given by the sum
—that is, an antiderivative of a sum is given by a sum of antiderivatives. This result was not specific to this example. In general, if
and
are antiderivatives of any functions
and
respectively, then

Therefore, is an antiderivative of
and we have

Similarly,

In addition, consider the task of finding an antiderivative of where
is any real number. Since

for any real number we conclude that

These properties are summarized next.
Properties of Indefinite Integrals
Let and
be antiderivatives of
and
respectively, and let
be any real number.
Sums and Differences

Constant Multiples

From this theorem, we can evaluate any integral involving a sum, difference, or constant multiple of functions with antiderivatives that are known. Evaluating integrals involving products, quotients, or compositions is more complicated (see (Figure)b. for an example involving an antiderivative of a product.) We look at and address integrals involving these more complicated functions in Introduction to Integration. In the next example, we examine how to use this theorem to calculate the indefinite integrals of several functions.
Evaluating Indefinite Integrals
Evaluate each of the following indefinite integrals:
Solution
- Using (Figure), we can integrate each of the four terms in the integrand separately. We obtain
From the second part of (Figure), each coefficient can be written in front of the integral sign, which gives
Using the power rule for integrals, we conclude that
- Rewrite the integrand as
Then, to evaluate the integral, integrate each of these terms separately. Using the power rule, we have
- Using (Figure), write the integral as
Then, use the fact that
is an antiderivative of
to conclude that
- Rewrite the integrand as
Therefore,
Evaluate
Solution
Hint
Integrate each term in the integrand separately, making use of the power rule.
Initial-Value Problems
We look at techniques for integrating a large variety of functions involving products, quotients, and compositions later in the text. Here we turn to one common use for antiderivatives that arises often in many applications: solving differential equations.
A differential equation is an equation that relates an unknown function and one or more of its derivatives. The equation

is a simple example of a differential equation. Solving this equation means finding a function with a derivative
Therefore, the solutions of (Figure) are the antiderivatives of
If
is one antiderivative of
every function of the form
is a solution of that differential equation. For example, the solutions of

are given by

Sometimes we are interested in determining whether a particular solution curve passes through a certain point —that is,
The problem of finding a function
that satisfies a differential equation

with the additional condition

is an example of an initial-value problem. The condition is known as an initial condition. For example, looking for a function
that satisfies the differential equation

and the initial condition

is an example of an initial-value problem. Since the solutions of the differential equation are to find a function
that also satisfies the initial condition, we need to find
such that
From this equation, we see that
and we conclude that
is the solution of this initial-value problem as shown in the following graph.




Solving an Initial-Value Problem
Solve the initial-value problem

Solution
First we need to solve the differential equation. If then

Next we need to look for a solution that satisfies the initial condition. The initial condition
means we need a constant
such that
Therefore,

The solution of the initial-value problem is
Solve the initial value problem
Solution
Hint
Find all antiderivatives of
Initial-value problems arise in many applications. Next we consider a problem in which a driver applies the brakes in a car. We are interested in how long it takes for the car to stop. Recall that the velocity function is the derivative of a position function
and the acceleration
is the derivative of the velocity function. In earlier examples in the text, we could calculate the velocity from the position and then compute the acceleration from the velocity. In the next example we work the other way around. Given an acceleration function, we calculate the velocity function. We then use the velocity function to determine the position function.
Decelerating Car
A car is traveling at the rate of 88 ft/sec mph) when the brakes are applied. The car begins decelerating at a constant rate of 15 ft/sec2.
- How many seconds elapse before the car stops?
- How far does the car travel during that time?
Solution
- First we introduce variables for this problem. Let
be the time (in seconds) after the brakes are first applied. Let
be the acceleration of the car (in feet per seconds squared) at time
Let
be the velocity of the car (in feet per second) at time
Let
be the car’s position (in feet) beyond the point where the brakes are applied at time
The car is traveling at a rate ofTherefore, the initial velocity is
ft/sec. Since the car is decelerating, the acceleration is
The acceleration is the derivative of the velocity,
Therefore, we have an initial-value problem to solve:
Integrating, we find that
Since
Thus, the velocity function is
To find how long it takes for the car to stop, we need to find the time
such that the velocity is zero. Solving
we obtain
sec.
- To find how far the car travels during this time, we need to find the position of the car after
sec. We know the velocity
is the derivative of the position
Consider the initial position to be
Therefore, we need to solve the initial-value problem
Integrating, we have
Since
the constant is
Therefore, the position function is
After
sec, the position is
ft.
Suppose the car is traveling at the rate of 44 ft/sec. How long does it take for the car to stop? How far will the car travel?
Show Answer
Hint
Key Concepts
- If
is an antiderivative of
then every antiderivative of
is of the form
for some constant
- Solving the initial-value problem
requires us first to find the set of antiderivatives of
and then to look for the particular antiderivative that also satisfies the initial condition.
For the following exercises, show that are antiderivatives of
1.
Solution
2.
3.
Solution
4.
5.
Solution
For the following exercises, find the antiderivative of the function.
6.
7.
Solution
8.
9.
Solution
For the following exercises, find the antiderivative of each function
10.
11.
Solution
12.
13.
Solution
14.
15.
Solution
16.
17.
Solution
18.
19.
Solution
20.
21.
Solution
22.
23.
Show Answer
24.
25.
Solution
For the following exercises, evaluate the integral.
26.
27.
Show Answer
28.
29.
Solution
30.
31.
Solution
32.
33.
Solution
34.
For the following exercises, solve the initial value problem.
35.
Solution
36.
37.
Solution
38.
39.
Solution
For the following exercises, find two possible functions given the second- or third-order derivatives.
40.
41.
Solution
Answers may vary; one possible answer is
42.
43.
Answers may vary; one possible answer is
44.
45. A car is being driven at a rate of 40 mph when the brakes are applied. The car decelerates at a constant rate of 10 ft/sec2. How long before the car stops?
Solution
5.867 sec
46. In the preceding problem, calculate how far the car travels in the time it takes to stop.
47. You are merging onto the freeway, accelerating at a constant rate of 12 ft/sec2. How long does it take you to reach merging speed at 60 mph?
Solution
7.333 sec
48. Based on the previous problem, how far does the car travel to reach merging speed?
49. A car company wants to ensure its newest model can stop in 8 sec when traveling at 75 mph. If we assume constant deceleration, find the value of deceleration that accomplishes this.
Solution
13.75 ft/sec2
50. A car company wants to ensure its newest model can stop in less than 450 ft when traveling at 60 mph. If we assume constant deceleration, find the value of deceleration that accomplishes this.
For the following exercises, find the antiderivative of the function, assuming
51. [T]
Solution
52. [T]
53. [T]
Show Answer
54. [T]
55. [T]
Solution
56. [T]
For the following exercises, determine whether the statement is true or false. Either prove it is true or find a counterexample if it is false.
57. If is the antiderivative of
then
is the antiderivative of
Solution
True
58. If is the antiderivative of
then
is the antiderivative of
59. If is the antiderivative of
then
is the antiderivative of
Solution
False
60. If is the antiderivative of
then
is the antiderivative of
Glossary
- antiderivative
- a function
such that
for all
in the domain of
is an antiderivative of
- indefinite integral
- the most general antiderivative of
is the indefinite integral of
we use the notation
to denote the indefinite integral of
- initial value problem
- a problem that requires finding a function
that satisfies the differential equation
together with the initial condition
Hint
What function has a derivative of