Help solving an improper integral

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The assignment is to solve: $$ \int_{0}^{\infty}f(x) dx $$ where $$f(x) = \frac{4}{(x+1)^2(x+3)} $$ .

I did partial fraction on the indefinite integral of $f(x)$ and got:
$$ f(x) = \frac{A}{x+1} + \frac{B}{(x+1)^2} + \frac{C}{x+3} $$ $$ 4=(A+C)x^3 + (5A+B+3C)x^2 + (7A+4B+3C)x + (3A + 3B + C) $$ and put the last three functions inside a matrix: $$ \begin{bmatrix} 5 & 1 & 3 & 0 \\ 7 & 4 & 3 & 0 \\ 3 & 3 & 1 & 4 \\ \end{bmatrix} $$ gauss elimination: \begin{bmatrix} 1 & 0 & 0 & -9 \\ 0 & 1 & 0 & 6 \\ 0 & 0 & 1 & 13 \\ \end{bmatrix}

Replace $A$, $B$ and $C$ with the result in $f(x)$:

$$ f(x) = \frac{-9}{x+1} + \frac{6}{(x+1)^2} + \frac{3}{x+3} $$

Calculate the definite integral from 0 to $\infty$:

$$ \lim_{b \to \infty} \int_{0}^{b} f(x)dx = \lim_{b \to \infty} (-9 \log|b+1|- \frac{6}{b+1} + 13 \log|b+3| + 6 - 13\log(3)) $$

Separate into several limits: $$ \lim_{b \to \infty}(-9 \log|b+1|- \frac{6}{b+1} + 13 \log|b+3|) + 6 - 13\log(3) $$

L'Hopital: $$ \lim_{b \to \infty}(\frac{9}{b+1} + \frac{6}{(b+1)^2} + \frac{13}{b+3}) + 6 - 13\log(3) $$

All limits are zero, so we're just left with the constants: $$ 6 - 13\log(3) $$

which is not the correct answer.

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Your mistake was that this equation

$$4=(A+C)x^3 + (5A+B+3C)x^2 + (7A+4B+3C)x + (3A + 3B + C)$$

was wrong. You start from

$$\frac4{(x+1)^2(x+3)}=\frac{A}{x+1}+\frac{B}{(x+1)^2}+\frac{C}{x+3}$$

Hence, assuming that $x\neq-1$ or $x\neq-3$, you have that

$$4=A(x+1)(x+3)+B(x+3)+C(x+1)^2\\ \iff (A+C)x^2+(4A+B+2C)x+3A+3B+C=4$$

Thus the system to be solved is

$$A+C=0,\quad 4A+B+2C=0,\quad 3A+3B+C=4$$

what gives the solutions $A=-1,\, B=2$ and $C=1$.

2
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You found the partial fractions incorrectly $$\frac4{(x+1)^2(x+3)}=\frac1{x+3}-\frac1{x+1}+\frac2{(x+1)^2}$$ So the integral becomes $$\lim_{t\to\infty}\left(\ln{(t+3)}-\ln{(t+1)}-\frac2{t+1}-\ln{(3)}+2\right)=2-\ln{(3)}$$ Also, you cannot apply L'Hopitals rule unless you have an indeterminate form of $$\frac00 \text{ or } \frac{\pm\infty}{\pm\infty}$$