[Sonntag]

Hi everyone,

I would like to solve this integral. I need an analytical solution for the problem, but I don't know how to do.

Thank you!

[curiouscat]

wolfram alpha link

[Corribus]

curiouscat, I think you missed the e^(-kx²) part, no?

@OP

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_integrals_of_exponential_functions

About halfway down under definite integrals you'll find a more general version of the one you're interested in.  Your function is symmetric about the y axis so don't forget to multiply by two because you want to go from negative infinity to infinity.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see the whole link didn't get incorporated into your hyperlink.

[Borek]

Link corrected.

I wonder if we did someones homework.

[Corribus]

I don't think so.  Solving integrals like that by hand aren't in my experience a typical part of p-chem curriculem.  Besides, all we did was link to integral tables already available online. 

[curiouscat]

Link corrected.

I wonder if we did someones homework.

I think we did. Sometimes it's just so hard to not get tempted. Sigh.

[Sonntag]

Thank you for your help. It was a part of my homework including determining expectation values. Looking integrals up is allowed. Ususally I use Wolfram Alpha, too, for looking up indefinite integrals. Another page for definite ones, hadn't know that Wolfram has the same function. The other page proposed something with an error function.

I have no big idea about these, my feeling just was I can't solve it this way analytically, but maybe I just don't know enough about. Do you know an easy introductory for that, by the way?

So, I'm glad that this (last) gap in my homework problem was filled - I am not very patient - and I will remember the definite integral function of Wolfram.