Vv256

Dr Jing Liu

Assignment 1
Due: Sep 28, 2015

Question1 (2 points)
A nonlinear ODE may sometimes have an additional solution that cannot be obtained from
the general solution and is then called a singular solution. The following first-order ODE
2

y 0 xy 0 + y = 0
is of this kind. Show by differentiation and substitution that it has the general solution
x2
y = cx c2 and the singular solution y =
.
4
Question2 (4 points)
dx
= kx2 ,
dt

where k is a constant.

(a) (1 point) Find the general solution of the differential equation.

(b) (1 point) Determine by inspection a solution of the initial value problem
x0 = kx2 ,

x(0) = 0.

(c) (1 point) Assume that k is positive, and then sketch a graph of a few solutions of
x0 = kx2 .
(d) (1 point) How would these solutions differ if the constant k were negative?
Question3 (4 points)
Consider the first-order differential equation
dy
= 2y,
y(a) = b.
dx
(a) (1 point) Find a solution for the initial value problem in terms of a and b when a 6= 0.
x

(b) (1 point) How many solutions are there for the initial value problem when a = 0, b 6= 0.
(c) (1 point) How many solutions are there for the initial value problem when a = b = 0.
(d) (1 point) Find all solutions for the initial value problem when a = 1, b = 1.
Question4 (2 points)
A high-order differential equation together with multiple conditions imposed at different
values of the independent variable is called a boundary-value problem. Solve the given
boundary-value problem.
y 00 = 2(3 + 2 ln x),

y(1) = y(e) = 0

Question5 (3 points)
For small, slowly falling objects, the assumption made about the drag force being proportional to the velocity is a good one. For large, more rapidly falling objects, it is more
accurate to assume that the drag force is proportional to the square of the velocity.
(a) (1 point) Write a differential equation for the velocity of a falling object of mass m if
the drag force is proportional to the square of the velocity.
(b) (1 point) Use Matlab to plot a slope field. Suppose m = 10kg and g = 10ms2 , and a
drag coefficient of 0.1.

Vv256
Dr Jing Liu

Assignment 1
Due: Sep 28, 2015

(c) (1 point) What does your slope field reveal regarding the motion in the long run before
the object hits the ground?
Question6 (5 points)
Another important application of differential equations involves population growth. Consider a population P (t) of animals. As likelihood of reproduction depends on the number
of animals present, it is natural to assume that the rate of change of P (t) is directly proportional to P (t). Phrased in terms of the derivative, this assumption means that
dP
= kP
dt
where k is some positive constant. It can be shown easily that the general solution is
P (t) = P0 ekt
This model exhibits unbounded growth over time, so it is not realistic beyond a relatively
short period of time. A related, but more sophisticated, model of population growth is the
logistic differential equation


dP
P
= kP 1
dt
A
where the constant k is considered the reproductive rate of the population and the constant
A is the surrounding environments carrying capacity.
Suppose a polpulation exhibits logistic growth which has k = 0.05 and A = 75.
(a) (1 point) Use Matlab to plot a slope field, and determine the value(s) of P for which
P is increasing most rapidly.
(b) (3 points) Solve the IVP explicitly for P with the initial conditon P (0) = 10.
(c) (1 point) Use Matlab to confirm your explicit solution.

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