Elimination of

1.3 Arbitrary Constants

Elimination of Arbitrary Constants
We first study the inverse process of finding a solution to a
differential equation.

If we are given an equation with arbitrary constants, what

differential equation will it satisfy? This solution is called
elimination of arbitrary constants.

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Example 1
Eliminate c1 and c2 from the general equation

Solution
Get the first derivative
2 3
Get the second derivative
′ 4 9
Multiply equation 2 by 2 and add it to equation 3 to
eliminate c1 and get
′ 2 ′ 15

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Example 1
Multiply equation 1 by 2 and add it to equation 2 to
eliminate c1 and get
2 5
Hence,
′ + 2 ′ = 15 and +2 =5
implies
′ + 2 ′ = 3( +2 )
That is,
′ − −6 =0
is the differential equation satisfied by the given
equation with 2 arbitrary constants.
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Notes on the Resulting D.E.
1. The order of the resulting differential equation equals
the number of arbitrary constants in the general
equation.
2. The differential equation is consistent with the general
equation.
3. The differential equation is free from the arbitrary
constants.