Prepared by:

Engr. Reggie A. Dueñas

Instructor
2nd order DE General Equation:
F ( x, y, y ' , y" )  0
If the DE can be resolved for the 2nd
derivative y”, it can be represented in
explicit form:
y"  f ( x, y, y ' )

There are 5 cases of reduction of order:

CASE 1: y"  f ( x)
Let y '  p( x)
p' ( x)  f ( x)
Example: y"  sin x  cos x
y"  sin x  cos x
p   cos x  sin x  C1
y '  p( x)
y'  p
dp
p' ( x)   sin x  cos x y '   cos x  sin x  C1
dx
 dp   (sin x  cos x)dx  dy   ( cos x  sin x  C )dx
1

p   cos x  sin x  C1 y   sin x  cos x  C1 x  C2

CASE II: y"  f ( y )
Let y'  p( y)
d dp dp dy dp
y"  ( y' )    p
dy dx dy dx dy
dp
p  f ( y)
dy 2 1/ 2
p y  C1
1
Example: y" y'  p
4 y
dp 1 y '   y1/ 2  C1
y"  p
dy 4 y
dy
2  pdp  
dy  y1/ 2  C1
   dx
2 y
Continuation:
dy  z C1 
 y 1/ 2
 C1
   dx  2   dz
 z z
y1/ 2  C1  z  
 2 z1/ 2  C1 z 1/ 2 dz
dy
dz   2 3/ 2 1/ 2 
2 y  2 z  2C1 z 
3 
dy  2 y dz  2( z  C1 )dz
4 3/ 2
dy 2( z  C1 )dz  z  4C1 z1/ 2
3
 y1/ 2  C1

z
Continuation:
4 3/ 2
 z  4C1 z1/ 2
3

4
3
 
3
y  C1  4C1 y  C1

4
3
  3
y  C1  4C1 y  C1  C2  x
CASE III: Dependent Variable is Missing.
Let y '  w dw
y"  w' 
dw
 f ( w)
 (5  w)   dx
dx
ln(5  w)   x  C1
Example: y" y '  5
x
w  C1e  5  y '
y" y '  5
dy
y"  w'  5  w x
 C1e  5
dx
dw
 (5  w) x
y  C1e  5 x  C2
dx
CASE IV: Independent Variable Missing
y" y '  0
y'  w
d dy dw dw dy dw
y"     y'
dx dx dx dy dx dx
dw
y"  w
dy
Example: 2 3
y y"( y ' )  0
 2 3
Example: y y"( y ' )  0
2  dw 
y  w   w3  0
 dy  1 1
  C1
 2 dw w y
2
w y  w   0
 dy  dx 1
  C1
dw dy y
2 2
y w 0
 dx   ( y
1
dy  C1 )dy
dw dy x  C2  ln y  C1 y
 w2   y 2
CASE V: 2nd Order Homogeneous DE where
one solution is known.
Example: 2
x ( xv"2v' )  x( xv'v)  xv  0
2
x y" xy ' y  0 3 2
x v" x v'  0
y1  x
v" x 1v'  0
y  xv
v"  w'
y '  xv'v
v'  w
y"  xv"2v' 1
w' x w  0
xw' w  0
Example: xw' w  0

 d[wx]   0
wx  C
1
w  Cx
w  v'   x dx  ln x
1

y2  x ln x
y  C1 x  C2 x ln x
xy"( x  1) y ' y  0
x
y1  e
 xy"( x  1) y ' y  0
x
y1  e

ANSWER
x
y  C1e  C2 ( x  1)