The University of Sydney

School of Mathematics and Statistics

Solutions to Calculus Tutorial 1

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

Questions marked with * are harder questions.

Material covered
(1) Models and differential equations

Summary of essential material

Here are some useful properties of certain trigonometric functions that may be useful:

tan2 (𝑥) + 1 = sec2 (𝑥)

and ∫
sec2 (𝑥) 𝑑𝑥 = tan(𝑥) + 𝐶.

Questions to complete during the tutorial

𝑑𝑦 1
1. Find the particular solution of = , where 𝑦(1) = 𝜋/4.
𝑑𝑥 1 + 𝑥 2
Solution: ∫
1
𝑦= 2
𝑑𝑥 = tan−1 𝑥 + 𝐶.
1+𝑥
This is the general solution. Putting 𝑦 = 𝜋/4 when 𝑥 = 1 gives 𝜋/4 = tan−1 1 + 𝐶, whence
𝐶 = 0. Hence the required particular solution is 𝑦 = tan−1 𝑥.

𝑑𝑦
2. The differential equation = 𝑓 (𝑥) has a direction field given by the diagram below.
𝑑𝑥

−1 0 1 2 3 𝑥

−1

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 (a) On the direction field draw the graphs of two solutions of 𝑑𝑦/𝑑𝑥 = 𝑓 (𝑥), where one
solution 𝑦 = 𝑔(𝑥) passes through the point (0, 1) and the other solution 𝑦 = ℎ(𝑥) satisfies
the equation ℎ(1) = 0.
Solution: The graphs of the solutions are tangent to the direction field at any point and
pass through the given point as shown below.
𝑦

−1 0 1 2 3 𝑥

−1

(b) Do the graphs of 𝑦 = 𝑔(𝑥) and 𝑦 = ℎ(𝑥) intersect? If not, why not?
Solution: No, because the second curve is displaced vertically by the same amount for
all 𝑥.

𝑥2
∫
3. Evaluate 𝑑𝑥 by making the substitution 𝑥 = 𝑎 sin 𝑢, where 𝑎 is some nonzero
(𝑎 2 − 𝑥 2 ) 3/2
constant.
Solution: If 𝑥 = 𝑎 sin 𝑢, then 𝑑𝑥 = 𝑎 cos 𝑢 𝑑𝑢 and so
∫ 2 2
𝑥2
∫
𝑎 sin (𝑢)𝑎 cos(𝑢) 𝑑𝑢
𝑑𝑥 =
(𝑎 2 − 𝑥 2 ) 3/2 (𝑎 2 − 𝑎 2 sin2 𝑢) 3/2
∫
= tan2 𝑢 𝑑𝑢
∫
= (sec2 𝑢 − 1) 𝑑𝑢

= tan 𝑢 − 𝑢 + 𝐶
𝑥 𝑥
=√ − sin−1 + 𝐶.
𝑎2 − 𝑥 2 𝑎

*4. Which of the following differential equations are separable? Write those that are in separated
form and solve them.
𝑑𝑦
(a) 𝑦 = (𝑥 − 𝑦 2 ) sin 𝑦
𝑑𝑥
Solution: Not separable.
𝑑𝑦 𝑥 + 1
(b) =
𝑑𝑥 2𝑥𝑦

2
 𝑑𝑦 𝑥 + 1
Solution: This equation is separable: 2𝑦 = , so we can solve
𝑑𝑥 𝑥
∫ ∫
𝑥+1
2𝑦 𝑑𝑦 = 𝑑𝑥
∫ 𝑥
1
= 1 + 𝑑𝑥,
𝑥

giving solution 𝑦 2 = 𝑥 + ln |𝑥| + 𝐶.

𝑑𝑦 𝑥 + cos 𝑦
(c) = √
𝑑𝑥 𝑥 3 𝑥 2 − 16
Solution: Not separable.
𝑑𝑦 𝑎2 𝑒 𝑦 𝑒𝑦
(d) = 2 −
𝑑𝑥 (𝑎 − 𝑥 2 ) 3/2 (𝑎 2 − 𝑥 2 ) 1/2
𝑑𝑦 𝑥2
Solution: This equation is separable: 𝑒 −𝑦 = 2 . So we want to solve
𝑑𝑥 (𝑎 − 𝑥 2 ) 3/2

𝑥2
∫ ∫
−𝑦
𝑒 𝑑𝑦 = 𝑑𝑥.
(𝑎 2 − 𝑥 2 ) 3/2
The second integral was found in Question 3. So
𝑥 𝑥
−𝑒 −𝑦 = √ − sin−1 + 𝐶.
𝑎2 − 𝑥 2 𝑎

*5. An animal population has a net growth rate per unit population which varies with the seasons,
being positive in summer and negative in winter. Let 𝑥(𝑡) be the size of the population at time 𝑡,
which is measured in years. The following differential equation is suggested as a model for this
situation:
𝑑𝑥
= (𝑘 cos 2𝜋𝑡)𝑥 (𝑘 a positive constant).
𝑑𝑡
(a) What is the period of cos 2𝜋𝑡?
Solution: The period is one (year).
(b) What time of year do you think 𝑡 = 0 represents ?
Solution: When 𝑡 = 0, cos 2𝜋𝑡 takes its maximum value of 1. Since 𝑘 is positive,
𝑘 cos 2𝜋𝑡 is a maximum at 𝑡 = 0, and so the population has its greatest rate of increase.
Usually this is late spring or early summer.
(c) Can you explain why 𝑥 has been multiplied by (𝑘 cos 2𝜋𝑡) in this model?
Solution: The factor 𝑘 is a constant of proportionality, and the situation described by this
model is that the rate of change of population size is proportional to cos 2𝜋𝑡 × 𝑥. The term
cos 2𝜋𝑡 × 𝑥 represents population size multiplied by a factor which varies sinusoidally
with time, and completes one cycle per year. Note that cos 2𝜋𝑡 varies between +1 and −1,
and is positive for half the year, and negative for the other half. So, 𝑑𝑥/𝑑𝑡 = (𝑘 cos 2𝜋𝑡)𝑥
gives a rate of change which varies with the seasons, as well as with population size.
(d) Solve the equation to find 𝑥(𝑡), given that 𝑥 = 𝑥 0 at 𝑡 = 0.
Solution: Separating the equation,
∫ ∫
1
𝑑𝑥 = 𝑘 cos 2𝜋𝑡 𝑑𝑡,
𝑥

3
 so
𝑘 sin 2𝜋𝑡
ln 𝑥 = + 𝐶.
2𝜋
 
𝑘 sin 2𝜋𝑡
Therefore, 𝑥 = exp + 𝐶 . Putting 𝑥 = 𝑥 0 when 𝑡 = 0 gives 𝑥0 = 𝑒𝐶 so
2𝜋
𝑥 = 𝑥 0 𝑒 (𝑘 sin 2𝜋𝑡)/2𝜋 .
(e) Does 𝑥(𝑡) have a limiting value as 𝑡 → ∞ ?
Solution: The exponent in this solution varies sinusoidally with time and so has no
limiting value. The population size is cyclic, repeating itself each year.
(f) What are the maximum and minimum values of 𝑥 and when do they occur?
Solution: The maximum value occurs when sin 2𝜋𝑡 = 1, and the minimum when
sin 2𝜋𝑡 = −1. The values are 𝑥 = 𝑥 0 𝑒 𝑘/2𝜋 and 𝑥 = 𝑥 0 𝑒 −𝑘/2𝜋 respectively. They occur
when 2𝜋𝑡 = 𝜋/2 or 𝑡 = 1/4 and 2𝜋𝑡 = 3𝜋/2 or 𝑡 = 3/4, i.e. a quarter of a year and three
quarters of a year later than the maximum of the growth rate (perhaps late summer and
late winter).