Equations That Reduce To

Homogeneous Equations:
These equations can be expressed as
dy a1x  b1 y  c1
 (V)
dx a2 x  b2 y  c 2
The two lines:
a1x  b1 y  c1  0
a2 x  b 2 y  c 2  0 (VI)
a1 b1
(i) are intersect if

a2 b2 ,
a1 b1
(ii) are parallel lines if 
a2 b 2
or if ax  by  c1  0 , ax  by  c 2  0

To solve the differential equation (V), we have two

cases:

Case 1: If the two lines (VI) are intersect:

We seek a translation of axes of the form:
x X h and y Y  k (VII)
1
where (h , k ) is the point of intersection. Then the
substitutions x  X  h and y Y  k ( dx  dX
and dy  dY ) transform equation (V) into the
homogeneous equation:
Y
dY a1X  bY a1
 b1
 1
 X
dX a2 X  b 2Y a2  b 2
Y
X
which we know how to solve.

Example:
Find the general solution of the following differential
equation:
(3x  y  6)dx  (x  y  2)dy  0
Solution:
The differential equation can be written as
dy 3x  y  6

dx x  y 2 (1)
Since
a1 3 b 1 a b
  3 , and 1   1  1  1
a2 1 b2 1 a2 b2 ,
then the two lines
3x  y  6  0 and x  y  2  0 (2)
2
intersect. Solving the system (2) to obtain the point of
intersection (h , k )  (1, 3) . Hence, we let x  X  1
and y Y  3 . Because dx  dX and dy  dY ,
substituting in equation (1) for x and y yields:
Y
dY 3(X  1)  (Y  3)  6 3X Y 3 
   Y
dX (X  1)  (Y  3)  2 X Y 1
Y .
X
Y
The above equation is homogeneous, so we let v 
X .
dY dv Y
Then dX  X dX  v , and, substituting for X , we
obtain:
dv 3  v dv 3  v (3  v )  v (v  1)
X v    X  v 
dX 1 v dX 1 v 1 v

dv 3 v v 2 v v 2  2v  3 v 2  2v  3
X   
dX 1 v v 1 v 1

Separating variables gives:

v 1 dX v 1 dX
v  2v  3
2
dv  
X
  v 2  2v  3 dv    X c

1 2v  2 dX 1
 
2 v  2v  3
2
dv    X
 c 
2
ln(v 2  2v  3)   ln X  ln c

3
 1
 2 1

ln(v  2v  3)  ln X  ln c  ln (v  2v  3) 2 X
2 2
  ln c
 
1

 (v 2  2v  3) X  c .
2

When we substitute back in for v , X and Y , we

find:
  Y 2 Y 
     2 3 X c  Y 2  2XY  3X 2
c
 X  X 
 
( y  3)2  2( y  3)(x  1)  3(x  1) 2  c

the general solution of (1).

Case 2: If two lines, in (VI), are parallel:

Then equation (V) can be rewritten as
dy ax  by  c1

dx ax  by  c 2
then the substitution z  ax  by , z is a function of
x , transforms the equation into a separable one. The
method is illustrated in the next example.

Example:
Find the general solution of the following differential
equation
4
 dy x  y  2

dx x  y  3 (1)

Solution:
dy
Let z  x  y . To solve for dx , we differentiate
dz dy
z  x  y with respect to x to obtain 1 , and
dx dx
dy dz
so 1 . Substituting into (1) yields:
dx dx

dz z  2 dz z  2 z  3  (z  2) 5
1   1  
dx z  3 dx z 3 z 3 z 3
Separating variables gives:
z2
(z  3)dz  5dx   (z  3)dz  5 dx  c   3z  5x  c
2
When we substitute back in for z , we find
1
(x  y ) 2  3(x  y )  5x  c
2
which is the general solution of (1).

5
 Exercises
Find the general solution of the following
differential equations:

(1) ( xy  y 2
)dx  x 2
dy  0
(2) ( x 2
 y 2
)dx  2xydy  0
dy y 2  x x 2  y 2
(3) dx

xy
dy x sec( y / x )  y
(4) dx  x
(5) (x  y  1)dx  ( y  x  5)dy  0

(6) (2x  y )dx  (4x  y  3)dy  0

(7) (x  y  1)dx  (2x  2 y  1)dy  0
(8) (x  y  3)dx  (x  y  2)dy  0