Applications of integrals can be tricky- it can be applied to math, science, and engineering, economics etc. If you don’t have the right teacher or textbook survival guide, getting lost before exam can be easy.
In this guide you’re going to learn how integration is applied in various scenarios, the different types of integrals, and some examples.
Applications of Integrals: What does it mean?
Integrals can be applied in many different areas like math, science, and engineering, statistics,and economics.
In math, we use it to find:
- The center of mass (Centroid) of an area with curved sides
- The area between two curves
- The area under a curve
- The average value of a curve
- Integral transforms like Laplace and Fourier transforms.
When speaking about integrals, there are two different types: definite integrals (also called Riemann Integral) and indefinite integrals.
In simple terms, a definite integral has definite limits ( defined upper and lower limits/bounds) which can be represented by:
In contrast to definite integrals, an indefinite integral is an integral which has no limits. This can be represented by:
(C is the constant of integration)
Solved: Example Problem of Applications of Integrals

The given function is a type of parabola, the graph is as shown below:
First, take a look at our notes below:
We will integrate the given function to get . We know that using which we will compute the value of the constant of integration. Once we know the value of constant of integration, the next step is to find f(4).
1) Knowing all that, let’s integrate .To do that, we need to apply the power rule of integration which would be:
2) Using the power rule,
Thus we got the result of integration.
3) Now we will find the value of the constant of integration,
We know that , hence applying this value to equation(1) we get
Therefore we found the value of the constant of integration which is
(4) Now we will apply this value of integration constant to
Conclusion
This is just one example of many different scenarios. We have to remember in math alone there are numerous applications and in physics even more! Applications of integrals is a topic that takes practice with the right survival guides and experts to help you with solutions– you’ll be on the right track.