TITLE: What is the easiest way to integrate $\left(\frac{1-x}{1+x}\right)^{1/2}?$
QUESTION [8 upvotes]: This is an indefinite integral that's supposed to be very easy:
$$I=\int\sqrt{\frac{1-x}{1+x}}\,dx$$
I can only think of one way of calculating it, and it's a bit complicated, that is:

substitute $x=\sin u$, and obtain $dx=(\cos u)\,du$ and $$I=\int\sqrt{\frac{1-\sin u}{1+\sin u}}(\cos u) \,du=\int\frac{1-\tan\frac{u}{2}}{1+\tan\frac{u}{2}}(\cos u)\,du.$$
substitute $t=\tan \dfrac u2$, obtaining $du=\dfrac{2\,dt}{1+t^2},$ $\cos u=\dfrac{1-t^2}{1+t^2}$ and $$I=\int \frac{1-t}{1+t}\frac{1-t^2}{1+t^2}\frac2{1+t^2}\,dt=2\int\left(\frac{1-t}{1+t}\right)^2\,dt,$$

which can be calculated. I'm not even sure if this is correct though. But even if it is, I think this way is too difficult for the place in which I found this integral, which is a set of indefinite integrals where obvious substitutions work and no knowledge is necessary beyond how substitution works in general. I think there must be an easy way to do it that I don't see.

REPLY [2 votes]: There was an alternate way you could have proceeded.
$$\int\sqrt{\frac{1-\sin u}{1+\sin u}}\cos udu=\int\sqrt{\frac{(1-\sin u)^2}{1-\sin^2u}}\cos udu=$$
$$\int(1-\sin u)du$$
Also, if you know your trig identities, making the substitution $x=\cos u$ yields
$$\int-\sqrt{\frac{1-\cos u}{1+\cos u}}\sin udu=-\int\tan\frac u2\sin udu=$$
$$-\int\left(\frac{1-\cos u}{\sin u}\right)\sin udu$$