Mathematics and Statistics Seminar
Math Department
Bear Hall 207


Friday March 26 Bear Hall 219 2:00 pm

Twenty minutes before the talk coffee and cookies will be available in Bear Hall 211.
   
Title: Elementary Integral Calculus from an Algebraic Viewpoint
Subtitle: Why one cannot express  int e^(-x^2) dx in terms of elementary functions.

Speaker: Michael Freeze

Abstract:     It is a common practice in beginning calculus courses to motivate numerical integration by asserting, without reference or proof, that one cannot express  int e^(-x^2) dx in terms of elementary functions.  We will discuss the algebraic theory behind Liouville's proof of this assertion and outline how his basic ideas are used in computer algebra systems such as Maple to evaluate indefinite integrals.