Introduction to Integration by Parts

By now we have a fairly thorough procedure for how to evaluate many basic integrals. However, although we can integrate xsin(x2)dxxsin(x2)dx by using the substitution, u=x2u=x2, something as simple looking as xsinxdxxsinxdx defies us. Many students want to know whether there is a product rule for integration. There isn’t, but there is a technique based on the product rule for differentiation that allows us to exchange one integral for another. We call this technique integration by parts.