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Derivative of an accumulation function via FTC Part 1

Let F(x)=∫1xln⁡(t) dtF(x) = \displaystyle\int_1^x \ln(t)\, dt. Find F′(4)F'(4).

Hint

By the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus Part 1, F′(x)=f(x)F'(x) = f(x) where f(t)=ln⁡(t)f(t) = \ln(t) is the integrand. You don't need to compute the integral itself — just evaluate the integrand at the upper limit.

Step-by-step solution

By FTC Part 1, since ln⁡(t)\ln(t) is continuous on the relevant interval, the accumulation function F(x)=∫1xln⁡(t) dtF(x) = \int_1^x \ln(t)\, dt satisfies F′(x)=ln⁡(x)F'(x) = \ln(x). This means differentiating FF simply recovers the integrand evaluated at xx, with no need to find an antiderivative first.

Substituting x=4x = 4 gives F′(4)=ln⁡(4)F'(4) = \ln(4). This is the exact answer, which can also be written approximately as ln⁡(4)≈1.386\ln(4) \approx 1.386.

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