[Haskell-beginners] Antiderivative (indefinite integral)?

[Martin Drautzburg]

Hello all,

not strictly a Haskell question, but anyways ...

is it possible to compute the antiderivative of a function f::Int->Int ? 

I understand that you can compute the definite integral by simply summing up 
the values of f within a given interval.

My first guess would be: no this is not possible. The antiderivative F of a 
function f::Int->Int needs to have the property that F(b) - F(a) must be the 
sum of f within [a,b]. To do this I must know all values withib [a,b]. But at 
the time I compute the antiderivative I do not know this interval yet.

What is striking me is that in calculus I can often symbolically compute the 
antiderivative and I get a simple function, and I can get the value of F for a 
given x and I get a simple number. Why is that so?

-- 
Martin