Introduction of Differential Equations

Any equation which contains derivatives, either ordinary derivatives

or partial derivatives is known as differential equation. A differential
equation in Mathematics is an equation that relates one or more
than one functions and their derivatives. Physical quantities are
represented by the functions in differential equations and the
derivatives represent their rates of change, and the differential
equation defines a relationship between the two.
In Mathematics, a differential equation is an equation that contains
one or more functions with its derivatives. The derivatives of the
function define the rate of change of a function at a point. It is
mainly used in fields such as physics, engineering, biology and so
on. The primary purpose of the differential equation is the study of
solutions that satisfy the equations and the properties of the
solutions. Learn how to solve differential equations here.
One of the easiest ways to solve the differential equation is by using
explicit formulas. In this article, let us discuss the definition, types,
methods to solve the differential equation, order and degree of the
differential equation, ordinary differential equations with real-
world examples and a solved problem.
A differential equation is an equation that relates one or more
unknown functions and their derivatives. In applications, the
functions generally represent physical quantities, the derivatives
represent their rates of change, and the differential equation defines
a relationship between the two. Such relations are common;
therefore, differential equations play a prominent role in many
disciplines including engineering, physics, economics, and biology.
Mainly the study of differential equations consists of the study of
their solutions (the set of functions that satisfy each equation), and
of the properties of their solutions. Only the simplest differential
equations are solvable by explicit formulas; however, many
properties of solutions of a given differential equation may be
determined without computing them exactly.
Classification of Differential Equations

The differential equations can be classified into the following-

1. Ordinary Differential Equations.
2. Partial Differential Equations.
3. Linear Differential Equations.
4. Non-linear Differential Equations.

5. Homogeneous Differential Equations.

6. Non-homogenous Differential Equations.
However, the Ordinary Differential Eq uations and the Partial Differential
Equations are the most important and common differential Equations.

Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations

 "Ordinary Differential Equations" also known as (ODEs) have a single

independent variable (like y).
 "Partial Differential Equations" also known as (PDEs) have two or more
independent variables.

Order of Differential Equations:

 The Order of any differential equation can be defined as the highest
derivative.
 The order can be the first derivative, second derivative, etc.
Here are a Few Examples:

Example 1) dydx + y = 2x 2

The above equation has only the first derivative dydx, therefore it is said to be
in "First Order".

Example 2) d ydx + xy = cos(x)

2 2

This equation has a second derivative d ydx , therefore we can say that the
2 2

differential equation is in "Order 2".

Example 3) d ydx + xdydx + y = e

3 3 x

This equation has a third derivative d ydx which outranks the dydx, so we can
3 3

say that the differential equation is of “Order 3”.

Degree of a Differential Equation -

The degree of a differential equation can be defined as the exponent of the

highest derivative.
Example 1)
(dy dx) + y = 6x
2 2

The highest derivative in the given equation is just dy/dx, and it has an
exponent of 2, so we can say that it is "Second Degree".
We can say that the given equation above is First Order Second Degree
Ordinary Differential Equation.

Example 2)
d ydx + (dydx) + y = 6x
3 3 2 2

The highest derivative in the above equation is d y/dx , but it has no

3 3

exponents, so the above equation is "First Degree".

Note: The exponent of 2 on dy/dx does not count, because it is not the highest
derivative).

We can say that the given equation above is the Third Order First Degree
Ordinary Differential Equation.
General and Particular Solution of a Differential Equation

The general solution of the differential equation is one that contains arbitrary
constants.

Whereas a particular solution of the differential equation is defined as a

differential equation that is solution free from arbitrary constants obtained from
the general solution by giving particular values to the arbitrary constants.

The methods of Solving First Order and First Degree Differential

Equations are

Here are the three methods that are used to solve the first-order and the first-
degree differential equations.

Here they are -

Linear differential equations

Differential equations with variables
separable.
Homogeneous(same) differential
equations
1. What is Linear Differential Equation?
A linear differential equation can be defined as an equation where P(x) and
Q(x) are two continuous functions in the domain of validity of the differential
equation.
If P(x) or Q(x) is equal to 0, we can reduce the differential equation to a
variable separable form which can be easily solved.
dydx + P(x)y = Q(x)

where P(x) and Q(x) are the functions of x.

Applications of Differential Equations

Differential equation plays an important role in science and other subjects.

Here are few applications of Differential Equations –

 Differential equations generally describe various exponential

growths and decays.
 They are also used to describe the rate of change in
investment return over time.
 We can describe the movement of electricity with the help of
it.
 Differential Equations help economists in finding optimum
investment strategies.
 We can describe the motion of waves or a pendulum using
these equations.
 It is also used in Physics for heat conduction analysis.

 Population Growth and Decay

 Newton’s Law of Cooling

 Glucose absorption by the body

 Spread of Epidemics

 Newton’s second law of motion.

 Interacting species: Competition.

 Falling Object.

 RL circuits.

and so on....
Real - Life Examples of the Application of Differential Equation

If the number of rabbits we have is more the more baby rabbits we get. Then
these rabbits grow up and have babies too. The population will grow faster.

The important parts of this growth in population are:

 population N at any time t
 growth rate r
 Rate of change of population
Now let us assume some actual values:
 Let the population N =1000

 Let the growth rate r = 0.01 new rabbits per week for every current
rabbit

The population's rate of change is (d/dt )N then 1000 × 0.01 which is equal to
10 new rabbits per week.

This is true at a specific time and doesn't show that the population is
constantly increasing.

So we can say that the rate of change (at any instant) is the growth rate times
the population at that instant:

dN/dt= rN

And that is a Differential Equation because it has a function which is equal

to N(t) and its derivative.

We can say that differential Equations can describe how populations change.
They are a natural way to describe how many things change in the universe.
Questions to be Solved:
Question 1) Find out the degree and the order of the given Differential
Equation:
dy/dx - sin x = 0
Solution) The highest order derivative present in the given differential equation
is dy/dx, so the differential order is order one. The highest power dy/dx is
raised to is one, so the degree is one.

Question 2) Find the particular solution of a differential equation which

satisfies the below condition
dy/dx = 1/x2; y(1)=4
Solution: We will first find the general solution of a differential equation. To do
this, we will integrate both sides to find y

dy/dx = 1/x2;

y(1)=4

y=−1/x+c

y=∫ (1/x2) dx

y=∫ (1/x2) dx

y= x−1/-1+c
Now, we apply our initial conditions (x = 1, y = 4) and solve for C, which will
give us our particular solution:

4=−1+c
Now, we will solve for
4=−1+c
5=C
y=−1/x+5
Hence, the particular solution of a differential equation is y = -1/x + 5
Question 3) Find the general solution of the following differential equation

dt/dx = (1 + x²) ( 1+ t²)

Solution: The given differential equation is dt/dx = (1 + x²) ( 1+ t² )

dt/( 1+ t²) = (1 + x²)/dx
By integrating both sides of the above equation, we ge t
∫ dt /( 1+ t²) = ∫ (1 + x²) /dx
tan-1t = ∫ dx +∫ dx²

tan-1t = x + x³/3 + C
The above equation is the required general solution of the differential
equation.

Question 4) Find the general solution of the differential equation given

below

dt/dx = ez+t

Solution: We have,

dt/dx = ez+t

Using the law of exponent, we get dt/dz =

ez + et

By separating variables by variable separable procedure, we get

e−tdt = ezdz

Now taking integration of both the side, we get

e−tdt = ezdz
On integrating, we get

−e−t = ez + C
ez + e−t = −Corez + e−t = C
Conclusion:
The study of differential equations is a wide field
in pure and applied mathematics, physics, and engineering. All
of these disciplines are concerned with the properties of
differential equations of various types. Pure mathematics
focuses on the existence and uniqueness of solutions, while
applied mathematics emphasizes the rigorous justification of
the methods for approximating solutions. Differential equations
play an important role in modeling virtually every physical,
technical, or biological process, from celestial motion, to bridge
design, to interactions between neurons. Differential equations
such as those used to solve real-life problems may not
necessarily be directly solvable, i.e. do not have closed
form solutions. Instead, solutions can be approximated
using numerical methods.

Ordinary differential equations are used in the real world to

calculate the movement of electricity, the movement of an item
like a pendulum, and to illustrate thermodynamics concepts.
Graphic representations of disease development are another
common usage for them in medical terminology.
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