MATH 251.

6/8/11/12
Problem set #1
Due: 9-30-2010

1. D’oh! Yet again Homer Simpson has had one Duff beer too many before work. As
a result, water containing 5 kg/m3 of radioactive plutonium-244 waste is flowing into
Springfield’s reservoir at a rate of 4 m3 per minute. The reservoir initially contains 2000
m3 of fresh water. The mixture (assuming uniform concentration) is drawn off at a rate
of 2 m3 per minute. Find an expression for the concentration of radioactive material in
the reservoir at time t.

2. The process of radioactive decay is described by the equation y ′ = – r y, where r is a

positive constant (the decay constant of the radioactive material). Given that Plutonium-
244 has a half-life of 8×107 years, find its decay constant r by first solving the initial
value problem: y ′ = – r y, y(0) = y0 (where y0 > 0). Then use the half-
life to find r.

3. Consider the autonomous equation

y′ = y3(y – 1)2(3y − 24).

(a) Find all equilibrium solution(s), and classify the stability of each equilibrium solution.
(b) If y(−5π) = 3π, to what value will y approach eventually?
(c) If y(19.95) = 1, to what value will y approach eventually?

4. For each part, give an example of a first order autonomous equation that has
(a) no (real-valued) equilibrium solution.
(b) exactly one equilibrium solution, which is semistable.
(c) exactly one equilibrium solution, and the equation is also a linear equation.
(d) exactly four equilibrium solutions.

5. (a) Find an exact equation which has a particular solution

2x3y5 + arctan(xy) − 4y4 + 3y e2x = 11.
You do not have to specify an initial condition that would give the particular solution,
just state the equation.
(b) Verify that the equation you found is indeed an exact equation.

6. Solve the initial value problem

y″ − 4y ′ + 40y = 0, y(60π) = 1, y ′(60π) = −12.

7. Solve the initial value problem

y″ + 14y ′ + 49y = 0, y(5050) = 5, y ′(5050) = 0.

8. Find the general solution of the following second order linear differential equation:
t y″ + 2 y ′ = 3e4t.
9. (a) Find the general solution of the following second order linear differential equation
given that y1 = t −1 is known to be a solution:
y″ + t −1 y ′ − t −2y = 0.
(b) Find the particular solution given that y(1) = 4 and y ′(1) = 1.

10. Find the general solution of the following second order linear differential equation
given that y1 = e t is known to be a solution:
ty″ − (2t + 1) y ′ + (t + 1) y = 0.

11. For each pair of functions below, determine whether they are linearly independent on
(−∞, ∞). You might not need to do any calculation to get most of the answers.

(a) 0, e2t
(b) 1, 2e2t
(c) 3, e2t + 3
(d) cos(2t), sin(2t + π/2)
(e) cos(2t), cos(2t − π)
(f) e−tcos(4t), e−tsin(4t)
(g) 2t, t − 2
(h) 5e4t, 6e4(t + 5)
(i) e100t + 4te100t, −e100t + 3te100t

12. Suppose y1 = 2t and y2 = t – 2 are both solutions of a certain equation

y″ + p(t)y ′ + q(t)y = 0.

(a) Is y = 11t + 852 also a solution of the equation?

(b) What is the general solution of the equation?