The University of Sydney

School of Mathematics and Statistics

Solutions to Calculus Tutorial 4

MATH1062: Mathematics 1B (Calculus) Semester 1, 2024

Questions marked with * are harder questions.

Material covered
(1) Linear first order differential equations

Summary of essential material

Recall that when we multiply a linear differential equation by the integrating factor 𝑟 (𝑥) we obtain
∫
𝑑
(𝑟 (𝑥)𝑦) = 𝑟 (𝑥)𝑞(𝑥), and thus 𝑟 (𝑥)𝑦 = 𝑟 (𝑥)𝑞(𝑥) 𝑑𝑥.
𝑑𝑥

Questions to complete during the tutorial

1. For each of the first-order differential equations below, determine whether it is separable, linear,
or neither of those.
𝑑𝑦
If an equation is linear, write it in standard form + 𝑝(𝑥)𝑦 = 𝑞(𝑥) (with a suitable renaming
𝑑𝑥
of variables where necessary) and identify the functions 𝑝 and 𝑞.
𝑑𝑦
(a) + 3𝑦 = 𝑥
𝑑𝑥
Solution: This equation is linear. The equation is in standard form, with 𝑝(𝑥) = 3, and
𝑞(𝑥) = 𝑥.
𝑥 𝑑𝑦
(b) = 𝑥2 − 𝑦
2 𝑑𝑥
𝑑𝑦 2𝑦 2
Solution: This equation is linear. In standard form this is + = 2𝑥, so 𝑝(𝑥) =
𝑑𝑥 𝑥 𝑥
and 𝑞(𝑥) = 2𝑥.

𝑑𝑥
(c) cos(𝑡) + 𝑡 2 + 3𝑥 = 1
𝑑𝑡
3
Solution: This equation is separable and linear. We have 𝑝(𝑡) = , and
cos(𝑡) + 𝑡 2
1
𝑞(𝑡) = .
cos(𝑡) + 𝑡 2
𝑑𝑦
(d) = 𝑦2 − 𝑥
𝑑𝑥
Solution: This equation is neither linear nor separable.
𝑑𝑦 𝑥𝑦 2 + 𝑥𝑦 + 𝑦 2 + 𝑦
(e) =
𝑑𝑥 𝑦+1
Solution: This equation is separable and linear. We have 𝑝(𝑥) = −(𝑥 + 1), and 𝑞(𝑥) = 0.
𝑑𝑦
(f) = 𝑒 𝑥−𝑦 + 𝑒 𝑥 + 𝑒 −𝑦 + 1
𝑑𝑥
Solution: This equation is separable, but not linear.

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 𝑑𝑦 ∫
2. (a) For the equation + 3𝑦 = 𝑥, write down the integrating factor 𝑟 (𝑥) = 𝑒 𝑝(𝑥) 𝑑𝑥
. Hence
𝑑𝑥
find the general solution of this equation.
∫
3 𝑑𝑥
Solution: The integrating factor is 𝑒 = 𝑒 3𝑥 . Multiply the equation by the integrating
factor:
𝑑𝑦
𝑒 3𝑥 + 3𝑒 3𝑥 𝑦 = 𝑥𝑒 3𝑥
𝑑𝑥
𝑑  3𝑥 
𝑒 𝑦 = 𝑥𝑒 3𝑥 .
𝑑𝑥
Integrate both sides with respect to 𝑥:
∫
3𝑥
𝑒 𝑦= 𝑥𝑒 3𝑥 𝑑𝑥
∫
1 3𝑥 1 3𝑥
= 𝑥𝑒 − 𝑒 𝑑𝑥 (integration by parts)
3 3
1 1
= 𝑥𝑒 3𝑥 − 𝑒 3𝑥 + 𝐶 .
3 9
Therefore the general solution is
1 1
𝑦 = 𝑥 − + 𝐶𝑒 −3𝑥 .
3 9
𝑥 𝑑𝑦
(b) Find the particular solution of = 𝑥 2 − 𝑦 for which 𝑦 = 1 when 𝑥 = 1.
2 𝑑𝑥
Solution: Working with the standard form (see solutions to Question 1 part (b)), the
integrating factor is
∫
(2/𝑥) 𝑑𝑥 2
𝑟 (𝑥) = 𝑒 = 𝑒 2 ln(𝑥) = 𝑒 ln(𝑥 ) = 𝑥 2 .

(We ignore the modulus in the log term as we only require one particular form for 𝑟 (𝑥).)
Multiplying the standard form through by 𝑥 2 and rewriting the left-hand side of the DE
𝑑 𝑥4 𝑥2 𝐶
produces (𝑥 2 𝑦) = 2𝑥 3 , which integrates to 𝑥 2 𝑦 = +𝐶, or 𝑦 = + 2 . Putting 𝑦 = 1
𝑑𝑥 2 2 𝑥
1 𝑥2 1
when 𝑥 = 1 shows that 𝐶 = , so that the required particular solution is 𝑦 = + 2.
2 2 2𝑥

3. The size of a fish varies in time according to the law

𝑑𝑉 1
= −𝑉 + 𝑆 ,
𝑑𝑡 10
where 𝑉 is the volume of the fish and 𝑆 is its surface area. For a particular species, the volume
and surface area are related to the length of the fish 𝐿 (in metres) according to

𝐿3
𝑉= and 𝑆 = 𝐿2 .
10

(a) Show that 𝐿 satisfies the differential equation

𝑑𝐿 1
= (1 − 𝐿) .
𝑑𝑡 3
2
 𝑑 𝐿3 3𝐿 2 𝑑𝐿
 
𝑑𝑉
Solution: Substitute = = to obtain
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡 10 10 𝑑𝑡
3𝐿 2 𝑑𝐿 𝐿3 𝐿2
=− +
10 𝑑𝑡 10 10
𝑑𝐿 1
= (−𝐿 + 1) .
𝑑𝑡 3
(b) Solve this equation as a linear differential equation to find 𝐿 (𝑡) given that 𝐿 = 0 when
𝑡 = 0.
Solution: Writing this as
𝑑𝐿 𝐿 1
+ =
𝑑𝑡 ∫3 3
we find an integrating factor to be 𝑟 (𝑡) = 𝑒 (1/3) 𝑑𝑡 = 𝑒 𝑡/3 . Multiplying through by this
integrating factor produces
𝑑  𝑡/3  𝑒 𝑡/3
𝑒 𝐿 =
𝑑𝑡 3
which integrates to
𝑒 𝑡/3 𝐿 = 𝑒 𝑡/3 + 𝐶 .
Hence 𝐿 = 1 + 𝐶𝑒 −𝑡/3 . Putting 𝐿 = 0 when 𝑡 = 0 requires 0 = 1 + 𝐶, so 𝐶 = −1. The
length 𝐿 as a function of time is thus
𝐿 = 1 − 𝑒 −𝑡/3 .
(c) What is the maximum size to which such a fish can grow?
Solution: Clearly 𝐿(𝑡) is an increasing function of 𝑡, but as 𝑡 → ∞, 𝐿 → 1. So the
maximum length is 1 metre.
(d) If 𝑡 is measured in years, how long does it take for a fish to grow to 50 cm in length?
Solution: The fish reaches 50 cm (0.5 m) when
1 𝑡
0.5 = 1 − 𝑒 −𝑡/3 , or 𝑒 −𝑡/3 = , or = ln(2),
2 3
i.e. after 𝑡 = 3 ln(2) ≈ 2.08 years.

𝑑 2 𝑦 2 𝑑𝑦
*4. Given the differential equation + = 0.
𝑑𝑥 2 𝑥 𝑑𝑥
(a) What is the order of the given differential equation? Is it linear?
Solution: The equation is a second-order (homogeneous) linear differential equation
(not with constant coefficients).
𝑑𝑦
(b) Solve the equation using the substitution 𝑤 = .
𝑑𝑥
𝑑𝑤 2
Solution: Substitution yields differential equation = − 𝑤. This is a separable
𝑑𝑥 𝑥
equation with general solution
𝑤(𝑥) = 𝑒 −2 ln |𝑥|+𝐶 = 𝐴𝑥 −2 ,
𝑑𝑦
where 𝐴 = 𝑒𝐶 . Substituting back we obtain = 𝐴𝑥 −2 . This can be solved by
𝑑𝑥
antidifferentiation to obtain
𝐴
𝑦(𝑥) = − + 𝐵.
𝑥