TITLE: Evaluate the integral $\int \frac{1}{\sqrt[3]{(x+1)^2(x-2)^2}}\mathrm dx$
QUESTION [7 upvotes]: What substitution is useful for this integral?
$$\int \frac{1}{\sqrt[3]{(x+1)^2(x-2)^2}}\mathrm dx$$
Substitutions $u=x^{\frac{2}{3}},u=(x+1)^{\frac{2}{3}},u=(x-2)^{\frac{2}{3}}$ are not working. 
Can't find useful trigonometric substitution.

REPLY [2 votes]: What substitution is useful for this integral ?

None. The integrand does not possess any elementary anti-derivative. See Liouville's theorem 
and the Risch algorithm for more information. However, all definite integrals of the following 
form: $\displaystyle\int_a^b\Big[(x-x_1)(x-x_2)\Big]^r~dx,$ with $a,b\in\{x_1,x_2,\pm\infty\},$ can be evaluated in terms of the 
beta and $\Gamma$ functions, assuming, of course, that they converge in the first place. This should 
come as no surprise, given the fact that Mufasa has already been able to rewrite the original 
expression as a Wallis integral, whose relation to the aforementioned special functions is well 
known. Not to mention the fact that Claude Leibovici's hypergeometric series can also be 
expressed in terms of the incomplete beta function. Thus, for $x_{1,2}=\{-1,2\}$ and $r=-\dfrac23,$ 
we have the following result:

$$\begin{align}
\int_{-\infty}^\infty\Big[(x+1)(x-2)\Big]^{-\tfrac23}~dx
~&=~3\int_{-\infty}^{-1}\Big[(x+1)(x-2)\Big]^{-\tfrac23}~dx~=~
\\\\
~&=~3\int_{-1}^2\Big[(x+1)(x-2)\Big]^{-\tfrac23}~dx~=~
\\\\
~&=~3\int_2^\infty\Big[(x+1)(x-2)\Big]^{-\tfrac23}~dx~=~
\\\\
~&=~3\cdot\frac{B\Big(\tfrac13~,~\tfrac16\Big)}{\sqrt[3]{12}}
\end{align}$$