For any integer $n \geq 2$, let $I_n=\int \tan ^n x d x$. If $I_n=\frac{1}{a} \tan ^{n-1} x-b I_{n-2}$ for…

For any integer $n \geq 2$, let $I_n=\int \tan ^n x d x$. If $I_n=\frac{1}{a} \tan ^{n-1} x-b I_{n-2}$ for $n \geq 2$, then the ordered pair $(a, b)$ equals to
  1. $\left(n-1, \frac{n-1}{n-2}\right)$
  2. $\left(n-1, \frac{n-2}{n-1}\right)$
  3. $(n, 1)$
  4. $(n-1,1)$

Solution

Given, $I_n=\int \tan ^n x d x$ $ \begin{aligned} & =\int \tan ^{n-2} x \cdot \tan ^2 x d x \\ & =\int \tan ^{n-2}\left(\sec ^2 x-1\right) d x \\ & =\int \tan ^{n-2} \sec ^2 x d x-\int \tan ^{n-2} d x \\ & =\frac{\tan ^{n-1}}{n-1}-I_{n-2} \\ & \quad\left[\begin{array}{l} \because \text { put tan } x=t \Rightarrow \sec ^2 x d x=d t \\ \left.\therefore \int \tan ^{n-2} d t=\frac{t^{n-1}}{n-1}=\frac{\tan x^{n-1}}{n-1}\right] \end{array}\right] \end{aligned} $ But it is given $ \begin{aligned} & I_n=\frac{1}{a} \tan ^{n-1}-b I_{n-2} \\ \therefore & \quad \frac{1}{a}=\frac{1}{n-1} \text { and } b=1 \\ \Rightarrow \quad & a=n-1, b=1 \\ \therefore \quad & (a, b)=(n-1,1) \end{aligned} $

Asked in: AP EAMCET 2014

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