MODULE 4

First Order and First Degree Ordinary Differential Equations

DEFINITIONS AND DIFFERENT FORMS:
Before we studied how to obtain a differential equation when the solution is
given. But now, we will discuss the reverse process, that is how to obtain the
solution when a differential equation is given. This is called solving the
differential equation.

We begin our topic with the simplest differential equations. These are the First
Order and First Degree Differential Equations because they involve only the
first derivative of the unknown function and with a degree of 1.
For example of First Order and First Degree Differential Equations :
1. (1  x 2 ) y ' xy  0
xy
2. y '  
1  x2
3. xydx  (1  x 2 )dy  0

Differential equations can be written in any of the following forms.

Implicit form: F(x,y,y')=0
explicit form: y'=f(x,y)
differential form: M(x, y)dx + N(x, y )dy = 0
SEPARABLE DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
If by algebraic process, a differential equation written in any of the above forms can be
reduced to the form

where F is a function of x alone and G is a function of y alone, we say that the variables have been
separated. Direct integration of the above equation gives the solution

∫ 𝐅 ( 𝐱 ) 𝐝𝐱+∫ 𝐆( 𝐲 ) 𝐝𝐲 =𝐂
where C is an arbitrary constant.
In applied problems, we are in most cases concerned with a particular solution. The value of the
arbitrary constant is found from given data, called initial or boundary conditions. Substitution of this
value to the general solution will give the required particular solution. A differential equation together
with a given initial condition is called an initial value problem.
 xydx  ( y 2  1)dy  0
solution:
EXAMPLE 1: xydx  ( y 2  1)dy  0
Find the general xydx ( y 2  1) dy
 0
solution to the y y
 1
differential xdx   y   dy  0
 y
equation by integration
xydx  ( y 2  1)dy  0
 1
 xdx    y dy   0
y 

we obtain:
x2 y2
  ln y  C
2 2
x 2  y 2  2 ln y  C
or
x 2  y 2  ln y 2  C
 7x
y' 
y
dy 7x

EXAMPLE 2: dx y
ydy  7 xdx
Solve the
differential  ydy   7 xdx
recall :
equation
u n 1
 u du  n  1  C
n

so :

 ydy   7 xdx
2
y  x2 
 7 C
2  2 
1 2 7 2
y  x C
2 2
1 2 7 2 
 y  x C 2
2 2 
y 2  7 x 2  2c
EXAMPLE 3:
Try to solve this
Solve the
one
differential equation

xy 3 dx  ( y  1)e  x dy  0
ans :
2 y 2e x  x  1  2 y  1  2Cy 2