ENGI 3424 Engineering Mathematics

Quiz 2 - Solution
2019 October 03 at 13:30

Find the general solution to the ordinary differential equation [10]

d2y dy
2
7  12 y  2 e4 x
dx dx

A.E.:  2  7  12  0     3   4  0     3,  4
C.F.: yC  Ae3x  B e4 x
P.S.: by the method of undetermined coefficients
Cannot try yP  c e4 x because e4x is part of the C.F.
Must try yP  cx e4 x because x e4x is not part of the C.F.
[See the note on the next page]
Try yP  cx e4 x  yP  c  1  4 x  e4 x  yP  c   8  16 x  e 4 x
Substitute into the ODE:
yP  7 yP  12 yP  c   8  16 x   7 1  4 x   12 x  e 4 x

 
 c  8  16 x  7  28x  12x e4 x   c e4 x  2 e4 x
 c  2
Therefore yP   2 x e4 x
G.S.: y  yC  yP 
y  x   Ae3 x   B  2 x  e 4 x

OR

The method of Laplace transforms could be used, setting the unknown initial conditions
to be arbitrary constants y  0  a , y  0  b , but knowledge of Laplace transforms is
required beyond what has been introduced so far in this course.

OR

P.S. by the method of variation of parameters (next page):


ENGI 3424 Quiz 2 Solution Page 2 of 2

Particular solution by the method of variation of parameters for

d2y dy
2
7  12 y  2 e4 x
dx dx
3x 4 x 4 x
y1  e , y2  e , r  2 e
y1 y2 e3x e4 x
W     e7 x
y1 y2 3e3x 4e 4 x

  
0 y2
W1    y2 r   e4 x 2 e4 x   2 e8 x
r y2
W1 2 e8 x
u   7 x
  2 e x  u   2 e x
W e

  
y 0
W2  1   y1r  e3x 2 e4 x  2 e7 x
y1 r
W2 2 e7 x
v     2  v   2x
W e7 x
yP  u  y1  v  y2   2 e  x   e 3 x   2 x   e 4 x   2 e 4 x  2 x e 4 x
But 2 e4 x is a constant multiple of y2 and is absorbed into the complementary function.
Therefore yP   2 x e4 x

Note the errors that occur if the incorrect trial particular solution is selected in the method
of undetermined coefficients:
yP  c e4 x  yP   4c e4 x  yP   16 c e4 x
Substitute into the ODE:
yP  7 yP  12 yP  c 16  28  12  e4 x  0c e4 x  2 e4 x  0c  2
No value of c can make 0 = 2 true!
y  c e4x is a solution to the homogeneous ODE yP  7 yP  12 yP  0 and therefore
cannot be a solution to yP  7 yP  12 yP  2 e4 x .
OR
yP  cx 2 e 4 x  yP  c  2 x  4 x 2  e 4 x  y P  c  2  16 x  16 x 2  e 4 x
Substitute into the ODE:
yP  7 yP  12 yP  c  2  16 x  16 x 2  14 x  28 x 2  12 x 2  e 4 x   2  2 x  c e 4 x   2  0 x  e 4 x
 2c  2 and 2c  0 : c cannot be both 1 and 0 at the same time.
In both cases there is no solution for c .

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