Calculating Areas Under Curves
Definite integrals are absolutely brilliant for finding areas under curves. The process is straightforward: integrate the function, pop it in square brackets with the limits, then substitute the upper and lower values before subtracting.
Here's where it gets interesting - if your curve dips below the x-axis, the integral becomes negative. Since area can't actually be negative in real life, you'll need to make it positive. This happens because the maths treats "below the axis" as negative area.
To find where a curve crosses the x-axis, set the function equal to zero and solve. These crossing points often become your integration limits when calculating total areas. It's like finding the boundaries of the region you're measuring.
When calculating total area that includes regions both above and below the x-axis, you'll need to split your integral at the crossing points and add the absolute values together.
Remember: Negative integrals just mean the area is below the x-axis - make them positive for actual area calculations