ES 14

Differential Equations for Engineers

Problem Sets No. I
NAME: SCORE:

COURSE AND YEAR: ITEMS: 100

Instruction: Read and solve the following problems carefully. Write your solution neatly, orderly and in details in the
space provided. Avoid any erasures. Round off values to three decimal places and BOX YOUR FINALS ANSWER(S).

Problem 1. The population of a certain country has grown at a rate proportional to the number of people in
the country. At present, the country has 80 million inhabitants. Ten years ago it had 70 million. Assuming
that this trend continues, find
(a) an expression for the approximate number of people living in the country at any time t (taking t = 0 to be
the present time) and (10 pts)
(b) the approximate number of people who will inhabit the country at the end of the next ten-year period. (5
pts)
Solution:

Problem 2. A certain radioactive material is known to decay at a rate proportional to the amount present. If
initially there are 100 milligrams of the material present and if after two years it is observed that 5 percent of
the original mass has decayed, find
(a) an expression for the mass at any time t and (10 pts)
(b) the time necessary for 10 percent of the original mass to have decayed. (5 pts)
Solution:
Problem 3. A depositor places $5000 in an account established for a child at birth. Assuming no additional
deposits or withdrawals, how much will the child have upon reaching the age of 21 if the bank pays 5 percent
interest per annum compounded continuously for the entire time period? (10 pts)
Solution:

Problem 4. A cup of tea is prepared in a preheated cup with hot water so that the temperature of both the
cup and the brewing tea is initially 190°F. The cup is then left to cool in a room kept at a constant 72°F. Two
minutes later, the temperature of the tea is 150° F. Determine
(a) the temperature of the tea after 5 minutes and (10 pts)
(b) the time required for the tea to reach 100°F. (5 pts)
Solution:
Problem 5. A tank contains 100 gal of brine made by dissolving 80 Ib of salt in water. Pure water runs into
the tank at the rate of 4 gal/min, and the well-stirred mixture runs out at the same rate. Find
(a) the amount of salt in the tank at any time t and (15 pts)
(b) the time required for half the salt to leave the tank. (5 pts)
Solution:

Problem 6. An RL circuit has an emf given (in volts) by 4 sin t, a resistance of 100 ohms, an inductance of
4 henries, and no initial current. Find the current at any time t. (10 pts)
Solution:
Problem 7. An RC circuit has an emf of 100 volts, a resistance of 5 ohms, a capacitance of 0.02 farad, and
an initial charge on the capacitor of 5 coulombs. Find
(a) an expression for the charge on the capacitor at any time t and (10 pts)
(b) the current in the circuit at any time t. (5 pts)
Solution: