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Consider, you have $F'(x) = f(x)$ for all $x$ from $[a,b]$, where $F(x)$ is antiderivative. Does $\int_a^bf(x)\,\mathrm dx$ necessarily exist and is equal to $F(b)-F(a)$?

From condition we could conclude that $f(x)$ is integrable and continuous. It seems that definite integral exists. And I have no example, when definite integral isn't equal to $F(b) - F(a)$. Please, can you provide an example for such situation and list the properties of a function $f(x)$. I know correct answer for question(my second sentence) is "no", but I want to understand it. Also, I've read that if $f(x)$ is integrable this function can have no antiderivative. May be it's key for my question, but again, I don't understand how it possible and I don't know any examples. Any help is appreciated

Ѕᴀᴀᴅ
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Kre4
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    xsin(1/x) for the Riemann or Lebesgue integral; its derivative is not improperly Riemann integrable or Lebesgue integrable. But it is Henstock-Kurzweil(spelling?) integrable. In fact this type of integral can integrate all derivatives and the answer is always that given by FTC – Calvin Khor Jun 12 '21 at 07:41
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    https://math.stackexchange.com/a/239357/108129 – hunter Jun 12 '21 at 07:45
  • @CalvinKhor, I don't think that I understand you right. So, if I have function not Riemann integrable or Lebesgue it's Henstock-Kurzweil integrable and I ALWAYS can give an answer by F(b) - F(a)??? – Kre4 Jun 12 '21 at 08:22
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    No. What I said; Any derivative is H-K integrable. What I did not say: if it is not R or L integrable, then it is H-K integrable. – Calvin Khor Jun 12 '21 at 09:09
  • See (random link from google) https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/11862/1/The_Henstock-Kurzweil_integral.pdf – Calvin Khor Jun 12 '21 at 09:24
  • Okey, seems that I understand something. But still, what about $\int_a^bf(x)dx = F(b) - F(a)$ ? – Kre4 Jun 12 '21 at 09:57
  • The result I quoted applies because f=F’ is a derivative. – Calvin Khor Jun 12 '21 at 11:18
  • Here is a simpler example I have just thought of. The function $\dfrac{1}{x}$ has the antiderivative $\log|x|$. But $$ \int_{-1}^{1}\frac{1}{x} , dx \neq \log|1|-\log|-1| =\log(1)-\log(1)=0, . $$ In fact, $\int_{-1}^{1}\frac{1}{x} , dx$ does not mean anything, as the function $\dfrac{1}{x}$ is unbounded on $[-1,1]$. – Joe Jun 14 '21 at 21:12
  • See Counterexamples in Calculus for more details. We need $f$ to be Riemann integrable for $\int_{a}^{b}f(x) , dx = F(b)-F(a)$ to be true. If $f$ is continuous, then $f$ is Riemann integrable (but not all Riemann integrable function is continuous). – Joe Jun 14 '21 at 21:12

2 Answers2

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The correct statement is: if $F'(x)=f(x)$ for all $x\in[a,b]$, and $f$ is Riemann integrable on $[a,b]$, then $$ \int_{a}^{b}f(x) \, dx=F(b)-F(a) \, . $$ To understand why the condition "$f$ is Riemann integrable on $[a,b]$" is important, consider the function $$ F(x)=\begin{cases} x^2\sin\left(\dfrac{1}{x^2}\right) &\text{ if $x\neq0$} \\ 0 &\text{ if $x=0$} \, . \end{cases} $$ Its derivative is $$ f(x)=\begin{cases} \displaystyle{2x\sin\left(\frac{1}{x^2}\right)-\frac{2\cos\left(\frac{1}{x^2}\right)}{x}} &\text{if $x\neq0$} \\ 0 &\text{if $x=0$} \, . \end{cases} $$ We might be tempted to think that $$ \int_{-1}^{1}f(x) \, dx = F(1)-F(-1) \, , $$ but $f$ is unbounded on $[-1,1]$, and so is not Riemann integrable on $[-1,1]$. So the fact that $f$ is the derivative of another function $F$ on $[a,b]$ is by no means a guarantee that $\int_{a}^{b}f(x) \, dx$ exists. There are even 'worse' examples: consider Volterra's function.

The good news is that if $f$ is continuous on $[a,b]$, then $f$ is Riemann integrable on $[a,b]$. We tend to integrate elementary functions, and every elementary function is continuous on its domain. So in practice these problems rarely crop up.

In fact, the condition that $f$ is Riemann integrable on $[a,b]$ is equivalent to $f$ being bounded on $[a,b]$ and continuous almost everywhere. The phrase almost everywhere has a precise meaning in measure theory. Here, it is equivalent to asking that the set of discontinuities $D$ of $f$ on $[a,b]$ is a null set: for every $\varepsilon>0$, there is a sequence of open intervals whose union contains $D$, and the sum of the lengths of those intervals is less than $\varepsilon$.

Joe
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  • Oh, thank you a lot. It's all I were looking for <3 – Kre4 Jun 12 '21 at 11:51
  • @Kre4: I'm very glad I could help. If you have any questions, then let me know. – Joe Jun 12 '21 at 12:16
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    @Kre4: To summarise, if $\int_{a}^{b}f(x) , dx$ exists, and $f(x)=F'(x)$ for all $x\in[a,b]$, then $$\int_{a}^{b}f(x) , dx = F(b)-F(a) , .$$However, the fact that $f$ is the derivative of another function $F$ on $[a,b]$ is by no means a guarantee that $\int_{a}^{b} f(x) , dx$ exists. – Joe Jun 12 '21 at 12:19
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    (+1) But It should be clarified that the integral is a Riemann integral – Vivaan Daga Jun 12 '21 at 12:59
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if: $$F'(x)=f(x)$$ then: $$\int_a^bdF=\int_a^bf(x)\,dx$$ $$\implies F(b)-F(a)=\int_a^bf(x)\,dx$$ however, there is a requirement that both $F,F'$ exist and $F'$ is integrable on $[a,b]$

Henry Lee
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