MATH2121

Theory and Applications of Differential

Equations
Tutorial Problems
Chapter 1

School of Mathematics and Statistics

The University of New South Wales

Updated July 19, 2017

Obtaining Course Information
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you can access through

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Problems
1. Find the order of the differential equation and determine whether it is
linear or nonlinear, and whether it is homogeneous or nonhomogeneous
if it is linear.

(i) y 0 = ex
(ii) y 0 = ey
(iii) y 00 + 5y 0 + y = sin x
(iv) y 00 + xyy 0 + y = 1
(v) (y 0 )1/2 = (1 + y 00 )1/3

2. Solve the following separable equations:

dy
(i) = t2 (1 + y 2 )
dt
dy y
(ii) =
dx x(x − 1)
dy
(iii) = ex+y
dx
dy
(iv) y cos2 (x) = tan(x) + 2, y(π/4) = 2
dx
dy
(v) x = y ln x
dx
dy
(vi) = 3x2 y 2 , y(0) = 1
dx

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3. Solve the following equations using the substitution y(x) = xv(x):

dy xy − y 2
(i) =
dx x2
 
dy y y−x
(ii) = + cos
dx x x
dy 2xy
(iii) + 2 =0
dx x + y2
dy x2 + y 2
(iv) + =0
dx 2xy
dy y−x
4. Find the solution to = given that y(1) = 0
dx y+x
dy
5. Use the substitution u = y − x to solve = (y − x)2
dx
dy p 2
6. Solve x = x + y 2 + y with y(1) = 0
dx
1
7. Make the substitution z = to convert the following into linear differ-
y
ential equations and solve
dy
(i) = y − 2y 2
dt
dy
(ii) = 5y − ty 2 with y(0) = 1.
dt
What is the maximum value of y for t ≥ 0?

8. Solve the following linear equations

dx
(i) =t−x
dt
dy
(ii) − 2y = x2 e2x
dx
dy
(iii) x − 2y = 6x5
dx
dy
(iv) cos2 (x) + y = tan(x)
dx
dy
(v) = x + 2y tan(2x)
dx
9. Solve the following first-order differential equations:

2
 (i) x2 y 0 + y 2 = xyy 0
(ii) (1 − x2 )y 0 − xy = xy 2
(iii) y 0 + y cos x = 12 sin(2x)
(iv) x(ln x )y 0 + y = 2 ln x
(v) 2ex + y 0 (1 − ex ) tan y = 0
(vi) sec2 x tan y + y 0 (sec2 y tan x) = 0
(vii) (x2 + 1)y 0 + 2xy − 4x2 = 0
(viii) x3 − 2y + 3x2 y − x3 y 0 = 0

10. Solve the following differential equations by first reducing to a first

order ODE:
 2
d2 y dy
(i) 2
+ +1=0
dx dx
d2 y dy
(ii) 2
+y =0
dx dx

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Answers and Hints
1.
(i) y 0 = ex Order 1, linear, nonhomogeneous
(ii) y 0 = ey . Order 1 nonlinear
(iii) y 00 + 5y + y = sin x Order 2, linear, nonhomogeneous
(iv) y 00 + xyy 0 + y = 1. Order 2 nonlinear
(v) (y 0 )1/2 = (1 + y 00 )1/3 Order 2, nonlinear

2.
(i) y = tan(t3 /3 + C)
(ii) y = C(x − 1)/x
(iii) ex+y + Cey + 1 = 0
(iv) y 2 = tan2 x + 4 tan x − 1, with y > 0
(v) (ln x)2 = 2 ln y + C
(vi) y = 1/(1 − x3 )

3.
(i) x/y = ln |x| + C
(ii) sec((y − x)/x) + tan((y − x)/x) = Ax
(iii) 3x2 y + y 3 = A
(iv) 3xy 2 + x3 = A

4. p
ln x2 + y 2 = − tan−1 (y/x). This is the logarithmic or equiangular spi-
ral, r = e−θ .
y−x−1
5. = Ae2x
y−x+1
6. sinh−1 (y/x) = ln x, or y = (x2 − 1)/2
7.

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 (i) y = 1/(2 + Ae−t )

(ii) y = 25/(5t − 1 + 26e−5t ), ymax = 25/(ln 26) when t = (ln 26)/5

8.
(i) x = t − 1 + Ce−t

(ii) y = e2x (C + x3 /3)

(iii) y = 2x5 + Cx2

(iv) y = tan(x) − 1 + Ce− tan(x)

(v) y = (1/2)x tan 2x + 1/4 + C sec 2x

9.
y
(i) Use y = vx. ln |y| − x
=C

x2 y 0 + y 2 = xyy 0
The equation is nonlinear and can be written in the form

y2 y 0  y y2 (y/x)2
y0 + = y ⇔ y0 1 − =− 2 ⇔ y0 = .
x2 x x x y/x − 1

The right-hand side (in the last equation) depends only on the one
argument v = y/x. Therefore the ODE can be reduced to a separable
ODE with the substitution y(x) = x v(x), where v is defined by
v(x) := y(x)/x.

v2 v2
v + x v0 = ⇔ x v0 = −v
v−1 v−1
v 2 − v(v − 1) dv v
⇔ v 0 = x−1 ⇔ = x−1 .
v−1 dx v−1
The ODE
dv v
= x−1
dx v−1
is separable and we write formally
v−1 dx dv dx
dv = ⇔ dv − =
v x v x
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 and integrate on both sides:
Z Z Z
dv dx
dv − = +C ⇒ v − ln |v| = ln |x| + C.
v x

Now we substitute x(x) = y(x)/x back for v and obtain

y/x − ln |y/x| − ln |x| = C ⇒ y/x − ln |y| + ln |x| − ln |x| = C

⇒ y/x − ln |y| = C.
y
(ii) = A(1 − x2 )−1/2
1+y
(iii) y = sin x − 1 + Ce− sin x

1
y 0 + y cos x =
sin(2x)
2
The equation is a nonhomogeneous linear first-order ODE. Thus we use
the method of integrating factors: We multiply the ODE with the (yet
unknown) integrating factor Φ = Φ(x) and obtain
1
Φ y 0 + Φ y cos x = Φ sin(2x). (†)
2
Then we demand that

(Φ y)0 = Φ0 y + Φ y 0 = Φ y 0 + Φ y cos x. (††)

Thus Φ = Φ(x) has to satisfy the separable first order ODE

dΦ dΦ
= Φ0 = Φ cos x ⇒ = cos x dx. (‡)
dx Φ
We solve it by separation of variables: We integrate on both sides
Z Z
dΦ
= cos x dx + C ⇒ ln |Φ| = sin x + C
Φ

⇒ |Φ(x)| = esin x+C ⇒ Φ(x) = ±eC esin x .

As we only need one solution of (‡), but not the general solution, we
may choose the plus sign and the constant C = 0, and thus obtain the
integrating factor
Φ(x) = esin x .

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 Now we have from (†) and (††) that
1
(Φ y)0 = Φ sin(2x),
2
which can be solved by direct integration
Z
1
Φ(x) y(x) = Φ(x) sin(2x) dx + A
2
 Z 
1 1
⇒ y(x) = Φ(x) sin(2x) dx + A .
Φ(x) 2
Now we substitute Φ(x) = esin x into y = y(x) and also use that
sin(2x) = 2 sin x cos x and evaluate the integral. Using partial inte-
gration
Z 
− sin x sin x
y(x) = e (e cos x) sin x dx + A
 Z 
− sin x sin x sin x
=e e sin x − e cos x dx + A

= e− sin x esin x sin x − esin x + A .

Thus the general solution of the ODE is given by

y(x) = yA (x) = sin x − 1 + A e− sin x .

(iv) y = ln |x| + C/ ln |x|

(v) 2ex + y 0 (1 − ex ) tan y = 0. Answer sec y = C(ex − 1)2

(vi) tan x tan y = C

4x3 /3 + C
(vii) y =
x2 + 1
2
(viii) y = x3 /2 + Cx3 e1/x

10.

(i)
2
d2 y

dy
+ +1=0
dx2 dx

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 This nonlinear second order ODE contains only y 00 and y 0 , and therefore
we actually have a first order ODE for the unknown function p(x) :=
y 0 (x), namely
dp dp
+ p2 + 1 = 0 ⇔ = −(1 + p2 ).
dx dx
This ODE is separable and we solve it with separation of variables: we
write formally
dp
2
= −dx
p +1
and integrate on both sides
Z Z
dp
= − dx + A ⇒ arctan(p(x)) = −x + A
p2 + 1
⇒ p(x) = tan(−x + A).
Thus, from y 0 (x) = p(x)
dy
= tan(−x + A),
dx
which can be solved by direct integration:
Z Z
sin(−x + A)
y(x) = tan(−x+A) dx+B = dx+B = ln | cos(−x+A)|+B.
cos(−x + A)
dy d dy d d
(ii) With p = and = =p the ODE becomes
dx dx dx dy dy
dp
= −y, p 6= 0
dy
and integrates to
dy y2
= − + C0
dx 2
and Z
1
2 dy = x + C1 , (C2 = 2C0 )
C2 − y 2
Note 2 constants of integration since the it is a 2nd order equation.
There are three different types of solution depending on the value of
C2 .
2
Case 1: C2 = 0, y =
x + C1
Case 2: C2 = w2 > 0,
w+y
y = w tanh (w(x + C1 )/2) or = Aewx
w−y
Case 3: C2 = −w2 < 0, y = w tan (−w(x + C1 )/2)

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