Cebu Institute of Technology - University

Math 237 (Differential Equations) - Student Learning Module

1st Semester, A.Y. 2021-2022
Engr. Carlo B. Galicia - DEMPC

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Instructions: Print this module and write on it directly for your answers. Use the spaces
provided for your responses. By signing your worksheet, you attest that you did the work.
Initial and Sign the bottom right corner of every page.

1 Basic Concepts of Differential Equations

A differential equation contains derivatives of one or more unknown functions (or depen-
dent variables), with respect to one or more independent variables.

Differential equations can also be classified as to type, order, and linearity.

Type of Differential Equation.

The two types of differential equations are ordinary differential equations and partial
differential equations.

1. Ordinary differential equations (ODE) contain only ordinary derivatives of one or more
unknown functions with respect to a single independent variable.

2. A partial differential equation (PDE) involves partial derivatives of one or more un-
known functions of two or more independent variables.

Order of Differential Equation.

The order of the differential equation is the highest derivative in the differential equation.
Seeing this may depend on the form of the differential equation.

1. Leibnitizian form. The Leibnitzian form uses the following notation:

dx d2 x dn x
a0 (t)x(t) + a1 (t) + a2 (t) 2 + . . . an (t) n = 0 (1)
dt dt dt

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 2. Prime form, also called Newtonian form

a0 (t)x(t) + a1 (t)x0 (t) + a2 (t)x00 (t) + . . . an (t)x(n) (t) = 0 (2)

3. Dot form
a0 (t)x(t) + a1 (t)x0 (t) + a2 (t)x00 (t) + . . . an (t)x(n) (t) = 0 (3)

4. Subscript form, used for PDEs.

∂ 3y
= yxzz (4)
∂x∂ 2 z

Linearity of Differential Equation.

A differential equation is linear if it satisfies the following criteria:

1. The function and its variables all have a power of one.

2. The only expressions multiplied with the function and its variables are constants or
polynomials. Trigonometric and exponential expressions multiplied with the function
or any of its derivatives will turn it non-linear.

Comprehension Check. Determine the order, type and linearity of the following differen-
tial equations. Use the space to the right of the differential equation to write your answer.
For order, use only the number. For type, write ODE for ordinary differential equations and
PDE for partial differential equations. Use L for linear and NL for non-linear.

∂ 2u 1 ∂ 2u
1. =
∂x2 v 2 ∂t2
2. I 0 = rI(S − I)

∂ 3v kφ ∂ 2 u
3. − + kωα = 0
∂y 2 ∂x v 2 ∂t2
 3
φx d2 y dy
4. e y 2 + − 3y = 0
dx dx
 
dy πt
5. − a + b cos = ky
dt 12

d2 x dx
6.
2
− x cos = x3 sin (x + φ)
dt dt

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2 Verification of Solutions

Verifying that a certain function is a solution to a differential equation can be done explicitly
or implicitly.

Verification of Explicit Solution

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Example: Verify that y = is a solution to the differential equation y 0 = 2xy 2 .
4 − x2
Solution: First determine y 0 .
1
y=
4 − x2
   
dy d 1 −2x
= y0 = =
dx dx 4 − x2 16 − 8x2 + x4
 2  
2 1 −2x
2xy = 2x =
4 − x2 16 − 8x2 + x4

Comprehension Check. Verify that the following functions φ(x) are solutions of their
respective differential equations. For number 1, use the space in page. Use additional paper
if necessary.

1. y 0 = 25 + y 2 for y = φ(x) = 5 tan 5x

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 √
2. (y − x)y 0 = y − x + 8 for y = φ(x) = x + 4 x + 2

√
3. (y − x)y 0 = y − x + 8 for y = φ(x) = x + 4 x + 2

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Verification of Implicit Solution
dy 1
Example: Verify that x3 y 3 = x3 + 1 is a solution to x = 2.
dx y

Solution: Implicitly derive the solution, x3 y 3 = x3 + 1.

d d
x3 y 3 = x3 + 1



dx dx

dy
3x2 y 3 + 3x3 y 2 = 3x2
dx
 
1 2 3 3 2 dy 1
= 2 2 3x2


3x y + 3x y
3x2 y 2 dx 3x y

dy 1
x = 2
dx y

Comprehension Check. Verify that the following functions φ(x) are solutions of their
respective differential equations. For number 1, use the space in page. Use additional paper
if necessary.
 2
dy 1 2
1. + 1 = 2 for (x − 5) + y 2 = 1
dx y

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2. y 00 = 2y(y 0 )3 for y 3 + 3y = 1 − 3x

3. (1 − xy)y 0 = y 2 for y = exy

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3 Elimination of Arbitrary Constants

The elimination of arbitrary constants is a method that is used to determine the differential
equations for a given family of curves. The objective is to use differentiation and alge-
braic manipulation to remove terms involving constants. A general rule is the function is
derived the same number of times as the number of constants present

Example: Derive the differential equation for the family of two-parameter plane curves
y = C1 x2 + C2 x.

Solution: In this example, there are two constants, so the expression should be derived
twice.

y 0 = 2C1 x + C2

y 00 = 2C1
y 00
We can use y 00 in y to define C2 .The equation formed is C1 = 2
.

y 00 2
y= x + C2 x
2
y 0 = y 00 x + C2

C2 = y 0 − y 00 x

y 00 2 y 00 −x2 y 00
y= x + (y 0 − y 00 x)x = x2 + xy 0 − x2 y 00 = + xy
2 2 2
2y + x2 y 00 − 2xy = 0

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 Comprehension Check. Find the differential equation for each of the following curves.
Use additional paper if necessary.
1
1. Find the differential equation for the curve y = cos (Cx + α). The constant is C
C
and the arbitrary angle is α.

2. Determine the differential equation for a family of curves defined by y = x2 − Cx

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4 Families of Curves (Orthogonal Trajectories)

The Orthogonal trajectory of a curve is a plot of all orthogonal points on a family of curves.

Example: Find the orthogonal trajectories of the family of straight lines y = Cx where
Cis a parameter.

Solution: Differentiate y.

y0 = C
y
y0 = .
x
For orthogonal trajectories, the slope is the negative reciprocal, so replace y 0 with − y1 .

1 y
− 0
= .
y x

yy 0 = −x.

dy
y = −x.
dx
ydy = −xdx.

y2 x2
Z Z
y dy = − x dx = =− +C
2 2

x2 + y 2 = R 2 .

The curve that plots all orthogonal points of the line is a circle at the origin.

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 Comprehension Check. Find the orthogonal plots for the following. Use additional
paper if necessary
C
2. A family of hyperbolic curves is given by the equation y = . Find the orthogonal
x
trajectories for these curves.

3. A family of hyperbolic curves is given by the equation y = C sin (x). Find the
orthogonal trajectories for these curves.

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