Evaluating $ \int_{a}^{b} \frac{\mathrm{d}{x}}{x^{2}} $ using Riemann sums only. How does one evaluate the following Riemann integral by using Riemann sums only?
$$
\int_{a}^{b} \frac{\mathrm{d}{x}}{x^{2}}.
$$

Compute the integral as the limit of a Riemann sum:
$$S_n =\frac{b-a}{n}\sum_{k=1}^n \left(a + \frac{b-a}{n}k\right)^{-2}.$$
We have 
$$\frac{b-a}{n}\sum_{k=1}^n \left(a + \frac{b-a}{n}k\right)^{-1}\left(a + \frac{b-a}{n}(k+1)\right)^{-1} \leqslant S_n \\ \leqslant \frac{b-a}{n}\sum_{k=1}^n \left(a + \frac{b-a}{n}k\right)^{-1}\left(a + \frac{b-a}{n}(k-1)\right)^{-1},$$
and decomposing into partial fractions,
$$\sum_{k=1}^n \left\{\left(a + \frac{b-a}{n}k\right)^{-1}-\left(a + \frac{b-a}{n}(k+1)\right)^{-1}\right\} \leqslant S_n \\\leqslant \sum_{k=1}^n \left\{\left(a + \frac{b-a}{n}(k-1)\right)^{-1}-\left(a + \frac{b-a}{n}k\right)^{-1}\right\}. $$
The sums are telescoping. Hence,
$$\left(a + \frac{b-a}{n}\right)^{-1}-\left(a + \frac{b-a}{n}(n+1)\right)^{-1} \leqslant S_n \leqslant a^{-1} - b^{-1}.$$
By the squeeze theorem, we get the value of the integral as
$$\lim_{n \to \infty}S_n = a^{-1} - b^{-1}.$$
