Formula for the use of Laplace Transforms to Solve Second Order Differential Equations.

Given the differential equation

ay ' ' ' g (t ), by cy

we have

y (0) y 0 , y' (0) 0' y

(as ) y 0 0 ' ( g (t )) b ay L L( y ) 2 as bs c We get the solution y(t) by taking the inverse Laplace transform.
The following table are useful for applying this technique.

Table of Laplace Transforms

Definition of Laplace transform
L{ f (t )} f (t )dt e st
0

F ( s) L{ f (t )} f (t ) L {F ( s )} Laplace transforms of elementary functions 1 1 s n n! t 1 s n a ) ( 1 ta 1 s a 1 e at s a k sin kt s2 2 k

1

cos kt sinh kt cosh kt

at

s s2 2 k k s2 2 k s s2 2 k

First translation and derivative theorems F (s ) a e f (t ) t n f (t )

f ' (t ) f ' ' (t )

dn () 1 F ( s) ds n sF ( s) f (0)
n

s 2 F ( s ) (0) f ' (0) sf

s 3 F ( s ) 2 f (0) ' (0) f ' ' (0) s sf Unit step and Dirac delta function e as u (t ) a

f ' ' ' (t )

f (t )u (t ) a f (t )u (t ) a a

as

L{ f (t )} a

as e F (s )

as t ) ( a e Convolution theorem and Laplace transform of a periodic function t F ( s)G (s) f g (t )d g f( )

0

f (t ) f (t p )

1 1 e sp

f (t )e
0

st

dt