integrate(sin(x)*cos(x),x) I got a solution


Doug Stewart wrote:

>My real problem was to get Maxima to show all the intermediate steps in 
>calculating an answer to a question.
>Other people have brought this up in the past and I am not asking that 
>it be visited again, I am just explaining why I am doing all this.
>
You are assuming that Maxima's intermediate steps somehow correspond to 
some useful sequence to a calculus student.
This is true only if the calculus student wants to learn how to write a 
computer program.  The steps taken by a human following the instructions 
in a calculus book would usually be quite different.

For example, if I were doing a "show all work" problem in the list of 
problems at the back of chapter 6, I would start by using methods 
explained in chapter 6.
I would assume that the result existed in closed form.  I would assume 
the answer was short.

Programs do not use this information, usually.

RJF

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