The integrand is the function that is to be integrated. In an integral expression, it is the part that appears under the integral sign \( \int \). For example, in the integral \( \int \frac{\cos\sqrt{x}}{\sqrt{x}} \, dx \), the integrand is \( \frac{\cos\sqrt{x}}{\sqrt{x}} \).
- The process of integration involves finding the antiderivative of the integrand. This helps us compute the area under the curve represented by the integrand.
- In indefinite integrals, like our example, we find a general form of the antiderivative that includes a constant \( C \), representing a family of functions.
Because the derivative of the antiderivative yields the original function (integrand), verification through differentiation confirms correctness.