Homework Assignments

MA1150 : Differential equations

March 11, 2024

1 Chapter 1: First-order ODEs

1. Let the air resistance acting on a falling body of mass m exerts a retarding force propor-
tional to the square of the velocity which was zero at the initial stage. Write the equation
for the velocity and solve the equation. What happens to the velocity after a long time
(terminal velocity)?

2. Find the (family of) curves by finding the corresponding ODE, that satisfies each of the
following geometric conditions:

(a) The part of the tangent cut off by the axes is bisected by the point of tangency.
(b) The projection on the x-axis of the part of the normal between (x, y) and the x-axis
has length 1.
(c) The projection on the x-axis of the part of the tangent between (x, y) and the x-axis
has length 1.
(d) The part of the tangent between (x, y) and the x-axis is bisected by the y-axis.

3. A curve rises from the origin in the xy-plane into the first quadrant. The area under
the curve from (0, 0) to (x, y) is one-third the area of the rectangle with these points as
opposite vertices. Find the equation of the curve.

4. Consider the family of all circles tangent to the y-axis

x2 + y 2 = 2cx

(a) Find the corresponding ODE for this family of curves. Write the equation for the
corresponding orthogonal trajectories. Prove that the orthogonal family is the family
of all circles tangent to the x-axis.

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 (b) Write the family of all circles tangent to the y-axis in polar coordinates. Write the
corresponding ODE in the polar coordinates. See that finding the orthogonal
trajectories is simpler in this coordinate system.

5. Sketch the family y 2 = 4c(x + c) and find the corresponding ODE. Show that the ODE for
the orthogonal family is the same ODE for the original family. What is the conclusion?

6. Show that the substitution z = ax + by + c changes y 0 = f (ax + by + c) into a separable

variable form. Use this transformation to solve

(a) y 0 = (x + y)2 ,
(b) y 0 = sin2 (x − y + 1)

7. Consider the ODE of the form

 ax + by + c 
y0 = F
cx + dy + f

(a) Case: I Let ae = bd. Show that there is a change of variables under which the
equation transforms to an ODE, which is in separation of variable form.
(b) Case: II Let ae 6= bd. Show that there is a change of variables under which the
equation transforms to a homogeneous ODE.

8. Show that a straight line through the origin intersects all integral curves of a homogeneous
equation at the same angle.

9. Find the value of n for which each of the following equations is exact, and solve the
equation for that value of n :

(a) (xy 2 + nx2 y)dx + (x3 + x2 y)dy = 0,

(b) (x + ye2xy )dx + nxe2xy dy = 0

10. Prove that if

My − Nx
= g(xy)
Ny − Mx
´
then µ = exp( g(z)dz), z = xy is an integrating factor for the equation M dx + N dy = 0.

11. The equation (known as Bernoulli’s equation)

dy
+ P (x)y = Q(x)y n
dx
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Apply the change of variavle z = yn−1 and find the transformed equation. (The resulting
equation is a linear equation for any n.)

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12. Solve the following equations (Using the methods discussed in the lectures or given in the
above exercise problems)

(a) (y − x3 ) dx + (x + y 3 ) dy = 0,
y x
(b) dx = 1−x2 y 2
dx + 1−x2 y 2
dy,
(c) (3x2 − y 2 ) dy − 2xy dx = 0,
(d) x dy − y dx = (1 + y 2 )dy,
(e) x dy = (y + x2 + 9y 2 ) dx,
dy
(f) x dx + y = x4 y 3 ,
dy x+y+4
(g) dx
= x−y−6
,
dy x+y+4
(h) dx
= x+y−6

2 Chapter 1: Second-order ODEs

1. A spherical buoy of radius r floats half-submerged in water. If it is depressed slightly, a
restoring force equal to the weight of the displaced water presses it upward; and if it is
then released, it will bob up and down. Find the period of oscillation if the friction of the
water is neglected.

2. Suppose, inside the Earth the force of gravityon an object is proportional to its distance
from the center. Suppose that a straight tunnel is drilled through the earth between any
two points on the surface. If tracks are laid, then neglecting friction a train placed in the
tunnel at one end will roll through the earth under its own weight, stop at the other end,
and return. Show that the time required for a complete round trip is the same for all such
tunnels, and estimate its value. If the tunnel is 2L miles long, what is the greatest speed
attained by the train?

3. If y1 (x) and y2 (x) are two solutions of equation

y 00 + p(x)y 0 + q(x)y = 0

on an interval [a, b]. Prove that one is a constant multiple of the other if

(a) both have a common zero in this interval.

(b) or, both have a common critical point in this interval.

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4. Prove that y = c1 x + c2 x2 is the general solution of

x2 y 00 − 2xy 0 + 2y = 0

on any interval not containing 0, and find the particular solution for which y(1) = 3 and
y 0 (1) = 5.

5. Show that the quantities

y1 y200 − y2 y100 y10 y200 − y20 y100

and
W (y1 , y2 ) W (y1 , y2 )

remains inverient for any pair of linearly independent solutions y1 and y2 of the eqiation

y 00 + p(x)y 0 + q(x)y = 0.

6. If n is a positive integer, find two linearly independent solutions of

xy 00 − (x + n)y 0 + ny = 0

7. Show that the method of variation of parameters applied to the equation y” + k 2 y = f (x)
leads to the particular solution
ˆ x
yp (x) = f (t) sin(x − t) dt
0

8. Principle of Superposition: If y1 , y2 are solutions of y 00 + p(x)y 0 + q(x)y = R1 (x)

and y 00 + p(x)y 0 + q(x)y = R2 (x) respectively then y1 + y2 solves y 00 + p(x)y 0 + q(x)y =
R1 (x) + R2 (x). Using this argument (known as the Principle of Superposition) solve

y 00 + 9y = 2 sin 3x + 4 sin x − 26e−2x + 27x3

9. Solve the following ODEs. For Homogeneous problems find the general solutions. And
for non Homogeneous problems try to find the complete solutions (general solution for
the corresponding homogeneous problem as well as particular solution unless otherwise
mentioned)

(a) y 00 − x
x−1
y0 + 1
x−1
y = 0 given that y = x is a solution.
(b) y 00 − xf (x)y 0 + f (x)y = 0.
(c) xy 00 + (x2 − 1)y 0 + x3 y = 0. (Hint: find a transformation z = z(x) such that the
equation transform to a constant coefficient problm).

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(d) y 00 − 2y 0 + 2y = ex sin x.
(e) (x2 + x)y 00 + (2 − x2 )y 0 − (2 + x)y = x(x + 1)2 .
(f) x2 y 00 − 2xy 0 + 2y = xe−x .
(g) y (5) − 6y (4) − 8y 000 + 48y 00 + 16y 0 − 96y = 0.
(h) y (6) − y = x10 .
(i) y (4) − y = 1 − x3 .