YAHWT: How do you integrate absolute value functions?

[pray4mojo]

Lets just say f(x) = |x| for the sake of simplicity. What is the method in solving it? Yes I have checked my book and it isn't very clear or I'm too stupid to understand it.

 

[wfbberzerker]

solving that you would get +/-x

 

[LordMorpheus]

break it into two peices, one for x<0 and the other for x>0

for x<0 |x| = -x, for x>0 |x| = x

 

[pray4mojo]

Originally posted by: LordMorpheus
break it into two peices, one for x<0 and the other for x>0

for x<0 |x| = -x, for x>0 |x| = x

So I would break them into two pieces and integrate them separately?

 

[JJChicken]

Was looking on google for something similar, and came across this thread!

How do I integrate (2|x| + y)dy?

 

[TecHNooB]

i find drawing pictures helps a lot with the setup.

 

[Shadow Conception]

Are you trying to do a definite integral or an indefinite integral?

If you're doing a definite integral, just graph the function and find the area bounded by the x-axis. Otherwise, restate the function as a piecewise and go from there.

Remember that f(x) = |x| = x, if x > 0, or -x, if x < 0.