LEBANESE AM ERICAN UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND M ATHEMATICS

MTH304 – DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
EXAM 1– SPRING 2021
TIME: 75 M INUTES

Name: ID#:

___________________________________________________________________________

Instructions: This exam consists of a toal of 7 problems. Answer the questions on separate
sheets of white papers. Write your name on each sheet; number the sheets please. When
done, scan an ID and every solution page and email them as one document to the following
two email addresses: shabre@lau.edu.lb; saja.mahmoud@lau.edu.

Question Number Grade

1. 20%

2. 10%

3. 10%

4. 16%

5. 16%

6. 16%

7. 12%
TOTAL

1
1. Categorize the following differential equations as spearable, linear, or exact and then
solve them (explicitly if possible):
𝑑𝑦
a. (𝑡 2 + 1) + 3𝑡𝑦 = 6𝑡.
𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝑦
b. (cos(𝑥) sin (𝑥) − 𝑥𝑦 2 ) + 𝑦(1 − 𝑥 2 ) = 0.
𝑑𝑥

2. Consider a large tank containing 100 gallons of pure water. Water containing 5
tablespoons of sugar per gallon enters the tank at the rate of 2 gallons oer minute. The
moxture leaves the tank at a rate of 3 gallons per minute. Find the amount of sugar in the
tank at any time t.

𝑑𝑦 𝑦 𝑡−1
3. Consider the ODE =− + . This equation is neither linear, spearable, or exact.
𝑑𝑡 𝑡 2𝑦

To solve it, we define the new variable 𝑣 = 𝑦 2 .

𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑣
a. Find a relationship between and .
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
𝑑𝑣 2
b. Show next that the given ODE takes then the new linear form + 𝑣 = 𝑡 − 1.
𝑑𝑡 𝑡
c. Solve for the variable 𝑣.

𝑑𝑦
4. Explain in details why the direction field below corresponds to the ODE = 𝑦 2 (𝑡 − 1) :
𝑑𝑦

a. Plot on your answer sheet a rought sketch of the solutions satisfying the following
initial conditions (so the three on the same 𝑡𝑦 −plane): 𝑦(0) = 1; 𝑦(0) = 0; 𝑦(0) =
−0.5.

𝑑𝑦
5. Consider the IVP = −2𝑡𝑦 + 𝑡; 𝑦 (0) = −1.
𝑑𝑡
a. Use Euler’s Method with step size ℎ = 0.1 to approximate 𝑦(0.3).
b. Sketch the 3 tangent lines that are used to find this approximation.

2
 𝑑𝑦
6. Consider the differntial equations = 𝑦 2 (1 − 2𝑦)(𝑦 + 1) .
𝑑𝑡
a. Sketch its phase line and identify the equilbrium solutions;
b. Classify the equilibrium solution (source, sinke, node);
c. Sketch on the 𝑡𝑦 −plane typical solutions of this equation.

𝑑𝑦
7. Consider the ODE = 𝑓(𝑡) where the graph of 𝑓(𝑡) is given below:
𝑑𝑡
4 y

1
x
−6 −5 −4 −3 −2 −1 1 2 3 4 5 6
−1

−2

−3

−4
a. Since the right hande side is a function of 𝑡 only, what can you conclude about the
solutions of this differential equation?
b. Draw the slope field of this ODE in the following cases: 𝑡 = −2; 𝑡 = −1; 𝑡 = 0; 𝑡 =
1; 𝑡 = 2.
c. Sketch the solution through the origin.

Bonus Question
𝑑𝑦
Consider the autonomous differntial equation = 𝑦 2 − 4𝛼𝑦 + 16.
𝑑𝑡

a. Discuss the existence of equilbrium solutions.

b. At what value(s) of 𝛼 does a bifurcation occur?
c. Draw the pahse lines in the following cases: 𝛼 = −√5; 𝛼 = −2; 𝛼 = 0; 𝛼 = 2; 𝛼 =
√5.
d. Can you guess the shape of the bifurcation diagram?