Worksheet 1.

2: Separation of variables
Answer all the questions in your own time. Then compare your answers to the memo on
myTUTor.

✍ Show all steps and use the correct mathematical notation. Any incorrect notation in an
assessment will be penalized.
✍ Revise the trig identities, integration by parts and partial fractions.

Theory
1. Use relevant calculations to answer the following questions.

dy 2x
1.1 Is y3 + y = x 2 + 9 a solution of the differential equation = 2 ? Justify your
dx 3 y + 1
answer without solving the differential equation.

dy cos x
1.2 Is y = 2sin x + 7 + 1 a particular solution of the differential equation = ?
dx y − 1
Motivate your answer without solving the differential equation.

1.3 Consider the following differential equation: xy '+ 4 y = 2 x3 .

−4
Is y = 72 x + cx a solution of this equation? Why?
3

2. Determine the general solution of the following. Compare the technique you used and
the solution of (a) and (b) in each case.
dy dy
2.1a) = 5y b) = 5x
dx dx
dy dy
2.2a) = sin 5 x b) = sin 5 y
dx dx
dy dy
2.3a) = e3 x − 2 y b) = e3 y − 2 x
dx dx
dy 1 + x dy 1 + y
2.4a) = b) =
dx 1 − y dx 1 − x

3. Solve the following first order differential equations. Give the solution in explicit form where
possible.

dy dx
3.1 x = 4y 3.2 = 3xt 2
dx dt
dv
3.3 = t cos v 3.4 sec2 xdy + csc ydx = 0
dt

Study unit 1.2: Separation of variables – EL Voges Page 1 of 4

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 dy y 2 + 4
3.5 ( 2 x − 1) dx + ( 3 y + 7 ) dy = 0 3.6 =
dx 5 y2

3.7 dx + e3 x dy = 0 3.8 sin 3xdx + 2 y cos3 3xdy = 0

dx x 2 + 4
3.9
dt
=
5x2
3.10 ( )
e x tan ydx + 1 − e x sec 2 ydy = 0

dx  y + 1 
2
dy y
3.11 y ln x =  3.12 =
dy  x  dx x

dy xy + 8 y − 2 x − 16 dy xy + 2 y − x − 2
3.13 = 3.14 =
dx xy − 6 x + y − 6 dx xy − 3 y + x − 3

4. Determine the general solution in implicit form. You'll use these answers in the next unit.

dv dv
4.1 x = tan v 4.2 x = ev
dx dx

dv v dv 1 + v 2
4.3 x = 4.4 x =
dx v − 1 dx 1 + v

5. Determine the particular solution of the following problems.

y ( 3e 2 ) = 2
dy x dy
5.1 = − ; y (0) = 1 5.2 xy 2 = y + 1;
dx y dx

5.3
dy
dx
= 3x 2 y 2 + 3x 2 ; y ( −1) = 0 5.4
dx
dt
(
= 4 x2 + 1 ; ) x( / 4) = 1

dy dy
5.5 − xy = xy 2 ; y (1) = 1 5.6 = y sin  , y ( ) = −3
dx d
dT dT
5.7 = k (T − 23) ; T (0) = 99; = −10
dt dt t =0

Applications
NOTE: Keep the following in mind when answering questions on applications.

▪ You should be able to interpret a mathematical solution, that is, "explain the solution in
English".
▪ Round only the final answer in a logical way.
▪ Units in the question ⇔ units in the answer.
▪ Can YOU sketch the graph of a solution by hand?

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Set up the model, solve and interpret
6.1 The population of a certain community is known to increase at a rate proportional to the
number of people present at any time.
6.1.1 If the population had doubled in 5 years, how long will it take to triple?
6.1.2 Discuss the accuracy of the time predicted in above.

6.2 A bacteria population N(t) undergoing natural growth numbers 49 at 12 noon.

6.2.1 Suppose there are 294 bacteria at 1:00 pm. Derive a formula giving N(t) after t hours.
6.2.2 How many bacteria are there at 1:40 pm?
6.2.3 At what time (to the nearest minute) will there be 20 thousand bacteria?

6.3 If, in a reactor, U237 loses 10% of its mass within one day, what is its half-life?

6.4 On 28 October 2021 Eskom notified the National Nuclear Regulator of the detection of
Iodine 131 (I-131) in Koeberg's ventilation system1. I-131 is a radio-active element
with a half-life of approximately 8 days. Assuming I-131 decays exponentially,
determine how much of a 200 g sample of I-131 was left after 10 days.

6.5 A freshly-made mug of hot chocolate at 99℃ is left in a room at constant temperature
23℃. At time 𝑡 = 0 the drink is cooling at a rate of 10℃ per minute.
6.5.1 Assuming the temperature of the hot chocolate at time 𝑡 is 𝑇 = 𝑇(𝑡), determine
the function modeling the cooling of the drink at any time. Show all steps.
6.5.2 How long will it take the chocolate to cool to 50℃?
6.5.3 After how long will the temperature be below 10℃? Justify your answer
mathematically and include a relevant graph.

6.6 A thermometer reading 100 F is placed in a medium having a constant temperature of 70 F.
After six minutes, the thermometer reads 80 F.

6.6.1 Write down a formula relating degrees Fahrenheit and degrees Celsius.
6.6.2 Assuming cooling according to Newton's Law of Cooling, what is the
thermometer reading after 20 minutes?

1
https://www.news24.com/fin24/economy/eskom/eskom-routine-check-detects-air-contamination-weakness-at-
koeberg-20211108, accessed 14 October 2021.

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Model given
7.1 A tank is shaped like a right circular cone with its vertex down. The tank is
3 metres high and has a base diameter of 3 metres. Initially it is full of
water. The tank drains through a circular hole of diameter 4 cm at its vertex.
Let h = h(t ) represent the height of the water in the tank at any time t. The
draining of the tank is modelled by
dh 0.6 19.62 −3/2
=− h ; h(0) = 3
dt 625

Determine the time required, in minutes, to empty the tank.

7.2 When an environment can support only a limited amount of the population before the
population starts to decrease, the population growth is represented by the so-called logistic
population growth model. This limited amount K is called the carrying capacity of the
environment. Let 𝑃 = 𝑃(𝑡) be the population at any time t and 𝑃(0) = 𝑃0 the initial
population. The model is now
dP  P
= rP 1 −  ; P(0) = P0
dt  K
where r is a constant of proportionality.
7.2.1 "For small populations this differential equation reduces to the exponential-growth
differential equation." Do you agree with this statement? Justify your answer
mathematically.
7.2.2 Show the maximum growth rate occurs when P = K 2 .
7.2.3 Assume r = 0.1 and K = 500 butterflies2. Calculate the maximum growth rate for this
model. Here time is measured in months.

2
This question is based on question 1, accessed on 10/02/2023 in
http://www.eebweb.arizona.edu/COURSES/Ecol302/lectures/loggrowth_answers.pdf

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