∫Calc Practice

Integrals giving inverse trig functions

Problem 4.339 · medium

Evaluate \( \displaystyle \int \frac{2}{x^{2} - 6 x + 10}\, dx \).
  1. \[ x^{2} - 6 x + 10 = \left(x - 3\right)^{2} + 1 \]
    Complete the square.✓ Proved
  2. With u = x − 3 and a = 1, this is c·∫ du/(u² + a²)
  3. \[ \frac{d}{d x} 2 \operatorname{atan}{\left(x - 3 \right)} = \frac{2}{x^{2} - 6 x + 10} \]
    An antiderivative is 2*atan(x - 3); differentiate to confirm.✓ Proved
Answer \( 2 \operatorname{atan}{\left(x - 3 \right)} + C \)

Lines: 2 proved, 1 not checked. The answer was also checked a second way, without looking at the solution. The reviewers disagree about how one step is explained; every verdict is in the receipt.

The full receipt
LineStatusChecked byDetail
1✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(lhs - rhs) reduced to 0
2Not checked—a sentence; read, not computed
3✓ Provedsympy 1.14.0simplify(lhs - rhs) reduced to 0
answer, a second way✓ Checked independentlysympy 1.14.0 + mpmath 1.3.0difference quotient of the answer at x = -4.0

Reviewers

  • gpt-oss:20b: fail (misleading) — The sentence “With u = x − 3 and a = 1, this is c·∫ du/(u² + a²)” omits the constant factor c (which is 2). It also does not explicitly state that the integral becomes 2∫du/(u²+1). This omission could mislead a student into thinking the constant factor is arbitrary or missing.
  • qwen3.6:27b-mlx: pass — The solution correctly completes the square, identifies the standard arctangent integral form, and verifies the result by differentiation. The logic is sound.
Every verdict on record (4)
  • qwen3.6:27b-mlx: pass 2026-10-04 — The solution correctly completes the square, identifies the standard arctangent integral form, and verifies the result by differentiation. The logic is sound.
  • gpt-oss:20b: fail (misleading) 2026-10-04 — The sentence “With u = x − 3 and a = 1, this is c·∫ du/(u² + a²)” omits the constant factor c (which is 2). It also does not explicitly state that the integral becomes 2∫du/(u²+1). This omission could mislead a student into thinking the constant factor is arbitrary or missing.
  • qwen3.6:27b-mlx: pass 2026-10-04 — The solution correctly completes the square, identifies the standard arctangent integral form, and verifies the result by differentiation. The logic is sound and complete.
  • gpt-oss:20b: pass 2026-10-04

Proved: SymPy reduced the difference between the two sides to zero. Checked independently: a separate method, named above, confirmed it. Checked numerically: the two sides agree at every sampled point, which is evidence, not proof. Reviewed: a model or a person read it; that is all a sentence can have. Solution by generator:structured/inverse_trig_integral, checked 2026-10-04 with SymPy 1.14.0.