Let's apply the derivative to both sides with respect to x. We'll use the chain rule.
where W = (x^2+a^2)^(1/2) = sqrt(x^2+a^2)
Let's simplify that a bit.
This concludes the first part of what your teacher wants.
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Now onto the second part.
In this case, a = 3 so a^2 = 3^2 = 9.
Recall that if
then
We can say that f(x) is the antiderivative of g(x). The C is some constant.
So,
Now let g(x) = ln(x + sqrt(x^2+9) ) + C
Then compute
- g(0) = ln(3)+C
- g(4) = ln(9) = ln(3^2) = 2*ln(3)+C
Therefore,
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Extra info:
Interestingly, WolframAlpha says that the result is
, but we can rewrite that into ln(3) because inverse hyperbolic sine is defined as
which is the function your teacher gave you, but now a = 1.
If you plugged x = 4/3 into the hyperbolic sine definition above, then you should get