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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
TO
Concepts
A differential equation is an equation involving one or more derivatives of an unknown
function.
Classification of differential equations
(a) Ordinary differential equation (ODE) - Contain derivatives of one or more
dependent variables with respect to a single independent variable.
du d 2u
dy
0.
Example:
y 2x ,
dx dx
dx
(b) Partial differential equation (PDE) - Contain derivatives of one or more
dependent variables with respect to two or more independent variables.
y y
u u
Example:
rs .
y,
r s
x y
The order of a differential equation is the order of the highest derivative that it contains.
The degree of a differential equation is the power of the highest derivative that it
contains.
A linear differential
equation can be written in
the form
of
(n)
( n 1)
y pn1 ( x) y
p1 ( x) y p0 ( x) y r ( x) . (Note: a linear differential equation
2
dy
should not contain terms in powers of derivatives of y, such as , y 2 or product of
dx
dy
dy
functions in y and its derivatives, such as y ,sin( y) )
dx
dx
Differential equation
dy
3y
dx
d2y
dy
6 8y 0
2
dx
dx
3
d y dy
t (t 2 1) y et
3
dx
dt
y y e2x
y y cos t
y y y 2 cos t
Order
Degree Linearity
Differential equation
dy
y sin x 0
dx
Order
Degree Linearity
dy
x sin( x) y 0
dx
2
dy
4 d y
x
ex
0
2
dx
dx
2
d2y
dy
x 2 ex
0
dx
dx
4
d2y
dy
x 2 ex 0
dx
dx
3
2
dy d y
x 2 0
dx dx
2
A
x
(d) y A cos 2 x B sin 2 x
(b) y x 2
Answer:
(a)
(c)
(b) x
d 2 y dy
2y 0
dx 2 dx
dy
y 3x 2
dx
(d)
Example 2:
d 2 y dy
2y 0 .
dx 2 dx
(b) y 2e2 x 3e x
Example 3:
Determine whether the given y
4 x2
is the solution of x2 yy 1 xy 2 .
2x