LINEAR DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

Application name :
● Electrical Circuit
● Distance Travelled by Rocket

I002- Raghav Agarwal

I005- Harsh Bharwani
I008- Khemal Desai
Introduction:
A first-order differential equation is defined by an equation: dy/dx =f (x,y) of two variables x and y with its
function f(x,y) defined on a region in the xy-plane. It has only the first derivative dy/dx so that the equation is
of the first order and no higher-order derivatives exist.

It’s formula is given by :

y'+p(x) y=q(x) ------ (in terms of y)
x'+p(y) x=q(y) ------ (in terms of x)

History
Differential equations first came into existence with the invention of calculus by Newton and Leibniz. In
Chapter 2 of his 1671 work “Methodus fluxionum et Serierum Infinitarum”, Isaac Newton listed three kinds
of differential equations:
Derivation:
If the function f is a linear expression in y, then the first-order differential equation y’ = f (x, y) is a linear equation. That is, the
equation is linear and the function f takes the form

f(x,y) = p(x)y + q(x)

Since the linear equation is y = mx+b

where p and q are continuous functions on some interval I. Differential equations that are not linear are called nonlinear
equations.

Consider the first-order differential equation y’ = f (x,y), is a linear equation and it can be written in the form

y’ + a(x)y = f(x)

where a(x) and f(x) are continuous functions of x

The alternate method to represent the first-order linear equation in a reduced form is

(dy/dx) + P(x)y = Q (x)

Where P(x) and Q(x) are the functions of x which are the continuous functions. If P(x) or Q(x) is equal to zero, the differential
equation is reduced to the variable separable form. It is easy to solve when the differential equations are in variable separable
form.
Properties:
The Linear first-order differential equation possesses the following properties:

● It does not have any transcendental functions like trigonometric functions and logarithmic functions.
● The products of y and any of its derivatives are not present.

Solution of a first order differential equation is given by:

y(IF)=∫Q(x)(IF) dx+C
x(IF)=∫ Q(x)(IF)dy+C
The integrating factor(I.F) needed to solve for first order
linear differential equations:
I.F= e^(∫p(x)dx) --------- (in terms of y)
I.F= e^(∫p(y)dy) --------- (in terms of x)
Application Of Mathematical Modelling
RADIOACTIVE DECAY :

Step 1: PHYSICAL LAW. From physical experiments, it is found that radioactive

substances decay at a rate that is proportional to the amount present.
Rate means time rate of change which implies derivative with respect to time.
Thus our model will include a first order ODE that is a rate equation.

Step 2: Nomenclature Q = quantity of the radioactive substance (state variable)

t = time (independent variable)
Step 3: Develop the Mathematical Model.
If the problem is not complicated, a general model may be developed. By this we mean that
arbitrary constants (parameters) are used instead of specific data. This general model may then be
used for any specific problem.

Step 4: Carefully analyze the sentence "Radioactive substances decay at a rate which is
proportional to the amount present." Rate means time rate of change which implies derivative with
respect to time. Decay implies that the derivative is negative. Proportional means multiply the
quantity by a proportionality constant, say k. Hence this sentence means the appropriate rate
equation (first order ODE) to model radioactive decay is:
Since no initial condition is given, we assume an arbitrary value, say Q 0 as a parameter. We add k
and Q0 to our nomenclature list.
Nomenclature:

Q = quantity of the radioactive substance (state variable),

t = time (independent variable)
k = positive constant of proportionality (parameter),
Q0 = initial amount of the radioactive substance (parameter)

Step 5: MATHEMATICAL MODEL

Note that the model is "general" in that we have not explicitly given the proportionality constant k
or the initial amount Q0 of the substance. These parameters can be given or found using specific
(e.g., experimental) data.
Step 6: Solve the Mathematical Model

Applying the initial condition Q(0) = Q0 , we obtain Q0 = A .

It is the solution to the general model for radioactive decay for Q 0 >= 0.
Application Based Questions
Q1. Suppose there is a circuit with a switch, a battery, a resistor, and an inductor in series. The
battery produces a voltage of 45 volts and a current of I(t) amperes at time t. The resistor is an 9
ohm resistor and the inductor has an inductance of 3 henrys. If the switch is initially closed, what
is the current in the circuit a long time after the switch has been opened?

Q2. A rocket has taken off from the ground and is moving upwards. The displacement of the
rocket is given by the equation “ (dx/dy) +2x(tany)=siny ”, where y= π/3 and x=0. Obtain the
equation solution of the distance travelled by the rocket upwards.
Q1 Answer

Ohm's law says that the voltage drop due to the resistor is 9I(t) volts. The voltage drop
from the inductor is 3I'(t). Kirchoff's laws say that the sum of the voltage drops is equal
to the supplied voltage, so we find-

The integrating factor is , and multiplying through by this gives

As t→∞, we see that I(t) to 5I(t)→5, so the current after a long time is 5 amperes.
Q2 Answer
References
● https://math.libretexts.org/Courses/Monroe_Community_College/MTH_211_Calculus_II/Chapt
er_8%3A_Introduction_to_Differential_Equations/8.5%3A_First-order_Linear_Equations
● https://byjus.com/maths/first-order-differential-equation/
● https://math.wvu.edu/~jmosele2/DE%20Classnotes-1%20First%20Order%20ODEs_files/Ch-5%
20Mathematical%20Modeling%20Using%20First%20Order%20ODEs.pd
f