Module 3 – Method of Variation of

Parameters
Dr. T. Phaneendra

January 19, 2018

1 Method of Variation of Parameters

Consider a linear second order ordinary differential equation:

d2 y dy
a0 2
+ a1 + a2 y = f (x), (1.1)
dx dx

where a0 , a1 and a2 are constant coefficients with a0 6= 0.

Note that (1.1) is a non-homogeneous, if f (x) 6= 0. The general solution of (1.1) is

given by y = yc + yp , where

yc = c1 u1 (x) + c2 u2 (x) (1.2)

is the complementary solution (CF), corresponding to the homogeneous part

d2 y dy
a0 + a1 + a2 y = 0, (1.3)
dx2 dx

and yp is the particular solution (PI), which corresponds to the non-homogeneous

part Q(x). In the method of variation of parameters, yp is determined as follows:

Step 1. Replace the arbitrary constants c1 and c2 in (1.2) with unknown functions
A(x) and B(x), so that the trial particular integral is

yp = A(x)u1 (x) + B(x)u2 (x). (1.4)

Step 2. Since yp is a solution of (1.1), finding the derivatives yp0 and yp00 , substituting
in (1.1), using the fact that u1 (x) and u2 (x) are the solutions of (1.3), and then

1
ADDE (MAT2002) Module 3

simplifying, we obtain a pair of conditions:

A0 (x)u1 (x) + B 0 (x)u2 (x) = 0 (1.5)

0
A (x)u01 (x) +B 0
(x)u02 (x) − f (x) = 0. (1.6)

The relations (1.5) and (1.6) are two simultaneous equations in two unknowns
A0 (x) and B 0 (x). Therefore, solving these

u2 (x)f (x) u1 (x)f (x)

A0 (x) = − and B 0 (x) = , (1.7)
W (u1 , u2 ) W (u1 , u2 )

where
 
u u2 
 1
W (u1 , u2 ) =  0  = u1 u02 − u01 u2 (1.8)
u1 u02 

is known as the Wronskian of the fundamental solutions u1 and u2 .

Step 3. Integrating each of the fractions in (1.7), we get

Z Z
u2 (x)f (x) u1 (x)f (x)
A(x) = − dx and B(x) = dx (1.9)
W (u1 , u2 ) W (u1 , u2 )

and hence yp of (1.4) follows.

Dr. T. Phaneendra 2 511, A10, SJT