Home / Learn / Maths / Integration technique coachTool #L308 (formerly #1471)

Integration technique coach: which method (substitution, parts, partial fractions) and why, with steps

Type a school integral and the coach says which method fits and why: power rule, standard form, substitution, integration by parts with ILATE, partial fractions, or parts twice for eˣ sin x. Then it writes the steps, checks the answer by differentiating it back, and draws f with its antiderivative.

Keep it one tap away for everyday use.

Bookmark Integration technique coach?

Press Ctrl + D now. Your browser opens its own bookmark box, where you choose the name and folder.

  1. Integrand
  2. Method
  3. Steps
  4. Check
Nothing is uploadedWorks offline once open

What do you want to integrate?

Use ^ for powers, brackets after sin, cos, tan, ln, sqrt, atan, and e^(…). 2x and x ln(x) mean multiply.

Substitution
Parts
Partial fractions
Standard

    f and its antiderivative

    Black: f(x), the thing inside the integral. Blue: F(x) + C. Dashed: the tangent to F at x; its slope is the height of f there.

    How to choose

    • Is it a sum? Split it and do each term on its own.
    • A function of something, times that something's derivative? Substitution: u = the inside.
    • A product of two different kinds (x × eˣ, x × sin x, x × ln x)? Integration by parts. ILATE picks u: Inverse trig, Log, Algebraic, Trig, Exponential.
    • A fraction of polynomials? Divide if the top is too big, factor the bottom, then partial fractions.
    • eˣ times sin or cos? Parts twice: the integral comes back, and you solve for it.

    Check yourself

    Fresh numbers every time. Type a number or a fraction such as 3/4; nothing is saved or sent.

      What it does

      The hard part of integration is not the algebra but the first decision: which method? This coach looks at the integrand the way a teacher would and tells you which method fits and why, then works it through step by step.

      • Power rule for polynomials and powers of x (with ln|x| for 1/x).
      • Standard forms, including a linear inside such as sin(3x + 1) or 1/(2x + 3), where you divide by the inside’s slope.
      • Substitution when an inside function sits there and the rest is a constant times its derivative, as in 2x cos(x²) or ln x / x.
      • Integration by parts for a product of two different kinds, such as x eˣ or x ln x, with u chosen by ILATE (Inverse trig, Log, Algebraic, Trig, Exponential). A lone ln x or tan⁻¹ x is done by parts with dv = dx.
      • Partial fractions for a fraction of polynomials: divide first if the top is too big, factor the bottom, match coefficients.
      • Parts twice, then solve for eˣ sin x and eˣ cos x, where the integral comes back.

      Every answer is checked by differentiating it back. The graph then draws f and its antiderivative F + C, with the tangent to F at a point you choose: its slope is always the height of f.

      It follows integrals in Class 12 maths (methods of integration). It is the reverse of differentiation, so derivative steps is the best warm-up; afterwards, definite integral properties turns these antiderivatives into definite integrals, and riemann sums shows what the area really is.

      How to use it

      1. Type the integrand between ∫ and dx, or tap an example. Examples are grouped by the method they need, so you can practise one method at a time.
      2. Read the method and the why. Try to guess the method first, then compare.
      3. Follow the steps. A sum is split into terms; each term’s own working folds out underneath.
      4. The answer ends in + C, and the green line confirms it differentiates back.
      5. In the graph, slide x to move the tangent, and C to slide the whole antiderivative up and down: every C gives a correct answer.

      Worked example

      ∫ x eˣ dx. There are two different kinds of factor: x is algebraic, eˣ is exponential. In ILATE, A comes before E, so u = x and dv = eˣ dx. Then du = dx and v = eˣ, and

      ∫ x eˣ dx = x eˣ − ∫ eˣ dx = x eˣ − eˣ + C.

      At x = 1.5 the graph shows F(1.5) = 1.5e^1.5 − e^1.5 = 0.5 × 4.4817 = 2.2408, and the slope of F there is 6.7225, which is exactly f(1.5) = 1.5 × 4.4817.

      Now tap (3x + 5)/(x² + 3x + 2). The bottom factors as (x + 1)(x + 2); matching coefficients gives 2/(x + 1) + 1/(x + 2), so the answer is 2 ln|x + 1| + ln|x + 2| + C.

      FAQ

      Why did it choose substitution and not parts? If an inside function and its derivative both appear, substitution is quicker. ∫ x e^(x²) dx by parts goes round in circles; with u = x² it is one line.

      What if it says no school method fits? Some integrals, such as e^(x²) or sin(x)/x, have no answer in ordinary functions at all. Others need tricks beyond this coach; the symbolic algebra tool tries a little more.

      Is this page part of NCERT? No. fibub is independent. It follows the topics of the Class 12 maths syllabus and uses none of the textbook’s text or exercises.

      Where the numbers come from

      • Standard school integration methods: the power rule, standard integrals, substitution, integration by parts with the ILATE order, partial fractions with linear and quadratic factors. Written for fibub; no textbook text, figures or exercises are used.
      • Checked against sympy 1.14 (integrate): definite integrals from 1.2 to 1.9 of 27 school integrands, plus a check that every answer differentiates back to its integrand.

      Standard scientific values, such as constants, atomic weights and melting points, are facts found in every textbook; we name where ours were checked. If you are an author or publisher and want a value, a credit or a table changed or removed, tell us and we will act quickly.

      Last updated 2026-11-09.

      Change log for Integration technique coach

      1. Add #1471 Integration technique coach Details on GitHub

      Every change to fibub

      Related tools

      Symbolic algebra #T370 Type an expression and simplify, expand or factor it, differentiate it, integrate it (with definite integrals), or substitute values. Exact fractions, answers you can copy as SymPy or LaTeX, and an honest 'could not integrate' when it is out of reach. Checked against sympy. Riemann sums #L85 See the area under a curve filled with strips. Pick left, right, midpoint or trapezium sums, slide the number of strips n and watch the sum close in on the exact integral, with the error. Then see why ∫ f dx has a + C, and shade the area between two curves with the crossing points found for you. Derivative steps #L304 Type a function such as x² sin x, (x + 1)/(x − 1), sin(x²) or xˣ and see its derivative with every step: which rule is used at each part (power, product, quotient, chain, eˣ, ln, trig, inverse trig, logarithmic differentiation), worked from the inside out, then f and f′ drawn together with the tangent at any point. Definite integral properties #L307 See each property of definite integrals as a picture with the numbers worked out: swapping the limits flips the sign, splitting at any c adds up, f(a + b − x) is the same area flipped, ∫₀²ᵏ in two halves, even functions double and odd functions cancel, and the area function A(x) whose slope is f(x). Quadratic explorer #L68 Slide a, b and c and watch the parabola move: vertex, roots and the discriminant update live, completing the square is drawn with tiles, and the middle term is split for you. With fresh practice questions. Pythagoras proof playground #L69 Drag a right triangle and watch the squares on its sides add up. Slide through four visual proofs (rearrangement, Bhaskara, similar triangles, Baudhayana) with your own side lengths, and list Pythagorean triples.