THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

Semester l

Semester II

Supplemental/Summer School

/April/May /July 2010

Mona

St. Augustine
By Distance

Examinations of December
Originating Campus:

Cave Hill

Mode:

On Campus

Course Code and Title: M32Q Solutions of differential equations

Date:

May 6, 2010

Duration:

Time:
Hours.

1.00pm-3.00pm

Paper No: 1

Materials required:
Answer booklet:
Calculator:
(where applicable)
Multiple Choice answer sheets:

Programmable

numerical

Normal

Non Programmable

alphabetical

1-20 1-100

Special

Not required

Auxiliary/Other material(s) Please specify:

Candidates are permitted to bring the following items to their desks: Non Programmable Calculator

Instructions to Candidates:
This paper has 3 pages (including this one) & 4 questions.
The weight of the paper is 60%.
You must answer ALL questions.
The use of calculators is not permitted.
Marks will be lost for an approximate answer where a precise answer is possible.
Candidates are reminded that the examiners shall take into account the proper use of the English
Language in determining the mark for each response.

SEMESTER II 2009/2010
The University of the West Indies

Course Code

20././

DO NOT WRITE OR TYPE ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET: USE ONE SIDE ONLY INSTRUCTIONS: Each page must be
signed by the First and Second Examiners, and where applicable the University and External Examiners. Completed forms
should be handed to the Senior/Assistant Registrar (Examinations). Where applicable, the EXTERNAL EXAMINER is
required to sign the question paper and return it with comments, if any, (on a separate sheet), to the Senior/Assistant
Registrar (Examinations).
.........
First Examiner

..
University Examiner (where applicable)

.
Second Examiner

..
External Examiner (where applicable)

Date: 20../../

Date: 20../../

Question 1 (10 points)

Find the explicit solution of the following initial value problem
y ' +ty=t 3 , y ( 0 )=0

[3 points]

Find the general solutions of the following ordinary differential equations

t 2 ' + e y =0 for
points]

t> 0 ;

[2

''
'
y 2 y +2 y=0 ;

[2 points]

''
'
t
y 4 y +4 y=2 e ;

[3 points]

Do not leave complex numbers in your answers.

Problem 2 (10 points)

The motion of a simple rigid pendulum without friction can be described by the differential
equation
d2
+ K sin=0
dt2
where K >0 and is the angle the pendulum makes with the downward vertical.
a) Let =d /dt . Show that
points]

[3
d2
d
=
2
d
dt

b) It follows from (a) that the pendulum equation can be written as

[7 points]

d
+ K sin=0
d

Solve this equation.

Semester II 2009/2010
The University of the West Indies

Course Code

20././

DO NOT WRITE OR TYPE ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET: USE ONE SIDE ONLY INSTRUCTIONS: Each page must be
signed by the First and Second Examiners, and where applicable the University and External Examiners. Completed forms
should be handed to the Senior/Assistant Registrar (Examinations). Where applicable, the EXTERNAL EXAMINER is
required to sign the question paper and return it with comments, if any, (on a separate sheet), to the Senior/Assistant
Registrar (Examinations).
.........
First Examiner

..
University Examiner (where applicable)

.
Second Examiner

..
External Examiner (where applicable)

Date: 20../../

Date: 20../../

You may leave the solution in the implicit form.

Problem 3 (20 points)

Let t 0 . Solve the following initial value problem

y ' ' y=g(t ) ,

y ( 0 )=1, y ' ( 0 ) =2

with

[20 points]

g ( t )= 1t , 0 t 1
0, ot h erwise
by means of the Laplace transform method.

Problem 4 (20 points)

Consider the third order homogeneous differential equation with constant coefficients
d3 y
d2 y
dy
+
2
4 8 y=0
3
2
dt
dt
dt

(1)

a) (5 points) Transform the above equation into a system of first order differential
equations of the form
x ' =A x .
points]

[5

where A is a 3x3 matrix.

b) What is the general solution of the system derived in (a)?

[10 points]

c) What is the general solution of equation (1)?

[5 points]
Semester II 2009/2010

The University of the West Indies

Course Code

20././

DO NOT WRITE OR TYPE ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET: USE ONE SIDE ONLY INSTRUCTIONS: Each page must be
signed by the First and Second Examiners, and where applicable the University and External Examiners. Completed forms
should be handed to the Senior/Assistant Registrar (Examinations). Where applicable, the EXTERNAL EXAMINER is
required to sign the question paper and return it with comments, if any, (on a separate sheet), to the Senior/Assistant
Registrar (Examinations).
.........
First Examiner

..
University Examiner (where applicable)

.
Second Examiner

..
External Examiner (where applicable)

Date: 20../../

Date: 20../../

END OF PAPER
Page 3 of 3

Page 2 of 4

Semester II 2009/2010
The University of the West Indies

Course Code

20././

DO NOT WRITE OR TYPE ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET: USE ONE SIDE ONLY INSTRUCTIONS: Each page must be
signed by the First and Second Examiners, and where applicable the University and External Examiners. Completed forms
should be handed to the Senior/Assistant Registrar (Examinations). Where applicable, the EXTERNAL EXAMINER is
required to sign the question paper and return it with comments, if any, (on a separate sheet), to the Senior/Assistant
Registrar (Examinations).
.........
First Examiner

..
University Examiner (where applicable)

.
Second Examiner

..
External Examiner (where applicable)

Date: 20../../

Date: 20../../

Page 3 of 4

Semester II 2009/2010
The University of the West Indies

Course Code

20././

DO NOT WRITE OR TYPE ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET: USE ONE SIDE ONLY INSTRUCTIONS: Each page must be
signed by the First and Second Examiners, and where applicable the University and External Examiners. Completed forms
should be handed to the Senior/Assistant Registrar (Examinations). Where applicable, the EXTERNAL EXAMINER is
required to sign the question paper and return it with comments, if any, (on a separate sheet), to the Senior/Assistant
Registrar (Examinations).
.........
First Examiner

..
University Examiner (where applicable)

.
Second Examiner

..
External Examiner (where applicable)

Date: 20../../

Date: 20../../

Page 4 of 4

Semester II 2009/2010
The University of the West Indies

Course Code

20././

DO NOT WRITE OR TYPE ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET: USE ONE SIDE ONLY INSTRUCTIONS: Each page must be
signed by the First and Second Examiners, and where applicable the University and External Examiners. Completed forms
should be handed to the Senior/Assistant Registrar (Examinations). Where applicable, the EXTERNAL EXAMINER is
required to sign the question paper and return it with comments, if any, (on a separate sheet), to the Senior/Assistant
Registrar (Examinations).
.........
First Examiner

..
University Examiner (where applicable)

.
Second Examiner

..
External Examiner (where applicable)

Date: 20../../

Date: 20../../