In integration, what does solving an integral typically yield?

When solving an integral, particularly in the context of definite integrals, the process yields a numeric result that represents the area under a curve between specified limits. This is fundamental in calculus, where definite integrals are often used to calculate total quantities, such as distance, area, or volume.

For indefinite integrals, while the result includes a constant of integration, it can still be viewed within a numerical context, as it represents a family of functions whose derivatives yield the integrand. However, even in this case, when you evaluate it over specific intervals, you arrive at a numeric value.

Thus, the core purpose of integration in many applications is to find a numeric result that encapsulates a significant relationship defined by the integral, such as accumulated quantities over a defined range.