Definition:Definite Integral/Riemann
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Definition
Let $\closedint a b$ be a closed real interval.
Let $f: \closedint a b \to \R$ be a real function.
Let $\Delta$ be a finite subdivision of $\closedint a b$, $\Delta = \set {x_0, \ldots, x_n}$, $x_0 = a$ and $x_n = b$.
Let there for $\Delta$ be a corresponding sequence $C$ of sample points $c_i$, $C = \tuple {c_1, \ldots, c_n}$, where $c_i \in \closedint {x_{i - 1} } {x_i}$ for every $i \in \set {1, \ldots, n}$.
Let $\map S {f; \Delta, C}$ denote the Riemann sum of $f$ for the subdivision $\Delta$ and the sample point sequence $C$.
Then $f$ is said to be (properly) Riemann integrable on $\closedint a b$ if and only if:
- $\exists L \in \R: \forall \epsilon \in \R_{>0}: \exists \delta \in \R_{>0}: \forall$ finite subdivisions $\Delta$ of $\closedint a b: \forall$ sample point sequences $C$ of $\Delta: \norm \Delta < \delta \implies \size {\map S {f; \Delta, C} - L} < \epsilon$
where $\norm \Delta$ denotes the norm of $\Delta$.
The real number $L$ is called the Riemann integral of $f$ over $\closedint a b$ and is denoted:
- $\ds \int_a^b \map f x \rd x$
More usually (and informally), we say:
- $f$ is (Riemann) integrable over $\closedint a b$.
Riemann Integral as Integral Operator
Let $C \closedint a b$ be the space of continuous functions.
Let $x \in C \closedint a b$ be a Riemann integrable function.
Let $\R$ be the set of real numbers.
The Riemann integral operator, denoted by $I$, is the mapping $I : C \closedint a b \to \R$ such that:
- $\ds \map I x := \int_a^b \map x t \rd t$
where $\ds \int_a^b \map x t \rd t$ is the Riemann integral.
Also denoted as
The notation:
- $\ds \int_a^b f$
can occasionally be seen to denote a Riemann integral, but this is not endorsed by $\mathsf{Pr} \infty \mathsf{fWiki}$.
Examples
Definite Integral of $2 x$ from $2$ to $3$
- $\ds \int_2^3 2 x \rd x = 5$
Definite Integral of $x^2$ from $0$ to $2$
- $\ds \int_0^2 x^2 \rd x = \dfrac 8 3$
Definite Integral of $\sqrt x$ from $0$ to $4$
- $\ds \int_0^4 \sqrt x \rd x = \dfrac {16} 3$
Definite Integral of $\cos x$ from $0$ to $\dfrac \pi 2$
- $\ds \int_0^{\pi / 2} \cos x \rd x = 1$
Definite Integral of $\dfrac 1 x$ from $1$ to $e$
- $\ds \int_1^e \dfrac {\d x} x = 1$
Definite Integral of $\dfrac 1 {1 - x}$ from $2$ to $3$
- $\ds \int_2^3 \dfrac {\d x} {1 - x} = \ln \dfrac 1 2$
Also see
- Results about Riemann integrals can be found here.
Source of Name
This entry was named for Georg Friedrich Bernhard Riemann.
Historical Note
Consider the Riemann sum:
- $\ds \sum_{i \mathop = 1}^n \map f {c_i} \Delta x_i$
Historically, the definite integral was an extension of this type of summation such that:
- The finite difference $\Delta x$ is instead the infinitely small difference $\rd x$
- The finite sum $\ds \Sigma$ is instead of the sum of an infinite number of infinitely small quantities: $\ds \int$
Hence the similarity in notation:
\(\ds \sum_a^b \map f x \Delta x\) | \(\to\) | \(\ds \int_a^b \map f x \rd x\) | as $\Delta x \to \rd x$ |
The notion of "infinitely small" does not exist in the modern formulation of real numbers.
Nevertheless, this idea is sometimes used as an informal interpretation of the Riemann integral.
Riemann established this definition in his paper Ueber die Darstellbarkeit einer Function durch eine trigonometrische Reihe of $1854$, on the subject of Fourier series.
Sources
- 1978: Garrett Birkhoff and Gian-Carlo Rota: Ordinary Differential Equations (3rd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $1$ First-Order Differential Equations: $2$ Fundamental Theorem of the Calculus
- 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): integration
- 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Riemann integral or sum
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): integration
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Riemann integral or sum
- 2011: Robert G. Bartle and Donald R. Sherbert: Introduction to Real Analysis (4th ed.): $\S 7.1$
- 2014: Christopher Clapham and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Riemann integral, Riemann sum
- 2014: Christopher Clapham and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): integral
- Riemann integral. V.A. Il'in (originator),Encyclopedia of Mathematics. URL: https://www.encyclopediaofmath.org/index.php?title=Riemann_integral