Don't forget the first method we learned to find integrals: "thinking backwards." Sometimes you don't need substitution, parts, or partial fractions—you can simplify the integral and immediately see what to do with it.
Sample Problem
We don't need anything fancy to find
Simplify the integral by squaring the integrand and then separating it out:
Then integrate each term:
Sample Problem
Depending on how comfortable you are with thinking backwards, you might be able to do this one in your head:
However, you're still doing substitution behind the scenes, letting u = 2x + 3.
Sample Problem
There's no reasonable way to think backwards from
That's what we learned integration by parts for.