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Mechanical Integration
Stage: 5
Challenge Level:
Taking $q(x)=1$, $q(x)=x$ and $q(x)=x^2$ in equation (1) and working out the integral (easy!) will give you three equations which you can solve to find $\lambda_1,\ \lambda_2$ and $\lambda_3$.
The key to showing that the same formula works for other polynomials is to show that if it works for $1,\ x$ and $x^2$ it works for any linear combination of them and so for any quadratic polynomial.
Finally you can go on to check out the formula for $x^3,\ x^4$ and $x^5$.
Numerical integration
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Inequality/inequalities
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Polynomials
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Mathematical reasoning & proof
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Generalising
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Dynamical systems
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Manipulating algebraic expressions/formulae
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Patterned numbers
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Number theory
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Making and proving conjectures
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