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Modelling with differential equations

Growth, decay, cooling, mixing: writing the equation from the sentence.

Every model starts with a sentence of the form “the rate of change of y is proportional to …”. Growth at 5% a year is y′ = 0.05y; cooling is T′ = −k(T − T_room); a mixing tank balances what flows in against what flows out. Write the sentence as an equation, solve, then fit the constant to a known value.

Gewerkte voorbeeld: y' = 0.05*y

Differential-Equations · Differential-Equations

Y' = 0.05*y

\frac{d}{d x} y{\left(x \right)} = 0.05 y{\left(x \right)}

Stap met stap

  1. \frac{d}{d x} y{\left(x \right)} = 0.05 y{\left(x \right)}

    The differential equation.

  2. \text{order } 1

    Order 1: the highest derivative present.

  3. \text{Separable}

    Move everything in y to one side with dy and everything in x to the other, then integrate both sides.

  4. 1.0 r - 0.05 = 0

    Characteristic equation of the homogeneous part (substitute y = e^{rx}).

  5. r = 0.05

    Its roots.

  6. y{\left(x \right)} = C_{1} e^{0.05 x}

    General solution (C₁, C₂ … are arbitrary constants).

  7. \checkmark

    Verified: substituting the solution back into the equation gives 0.

Openbaar die antwoord
y{\left(x \right)} = C_{1} e^{0.05 x}

Symbols used here

f'(x),\ \frac{dy}{dx}
derivative
Instantaneous rate of change; slope of the graph.
e
Euler's number
2.71828…, the base whose exponential is its own derivative.
\leq,\ \geq
less/greater than or equal
Inequalities that allow equality; < and > exclude it.
\lim_{x \to a} f(x)
limit
The value f(x) approaches as x approaches a.
\int f(x)\,dx,\ \int_a^b
integral
Antiderivative (indefinite) or signed area from a to b (definite).
y',\ y''
first and second derivative of y
Prime notation for derivatives with respect to x (or t).
C,\ C_1,\ C_2
arbitrary constants
Constants of integration fixed by initial conditions.
\frac{\partial u}{\partial t},\ \nabla^2 u
partial derivative in time, Laplacian
Rate of change in time; sum of second partials (the diffusion operator).

How to: Modelling with differential equations

  1. The differential equation.
  2. Order 1: the highest derivative present.
  3. Move everything in y to one side with dy and everything in x to the other, then integrate both sides.
  4. Characteristic equation of the homogeneous part (substitute y = e^{rx}).
  5. Its roots.
  6. General solution (C₁, C₂ … are arbitrary constants).
  7. Verified: substituting the solution back into the equation gives 0.

Questions people ask

What is a differential equation?

An equation whose unknown is a function, relating it to its own derivatives. "The rate of growth is proportional to the population" is y′ = ky, and solving it means finding y as a function of time.

Why does the solution have arbitrary constants?

Integrating loses information: many functions share the same derivative. An n-th order equation has n constants, fixed by n initial or boundary conditions.

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