Introduction to Differential Equations

• A differential equation is an equation containing derivatives.

• Not all differential equations can be solved. Those that can be solved have
infinitely many solutions.
In this equation, you want to solve for the function y
x
whose derivative is e . This is a differential
equation.
x x x
Since the derivative of e is e , y = e is one solution
of the differential equation. By adding a constant C
you can form a family of solutions also called the
general solution.

Sometimes a differential equation will come with

extra information, such as an initial condition.
The initial condition allows you to determine the
value of the constant C.
In this case, y = 2 when x = 0. Plugging those
values into the general solution produces a value of
one for C.
The general solution determines a family of curves
known as the solution curves. Here are the
graphs of some of these curves.
For an equation with an initial condition, there is one
solution and it corresponds to one curve.

The order of a differential equation is determined by

the highest derivative involved.
Typically the higher the order of a differential
equation the more complicated it is to solve.

Here is some “fantasy math”.

Break up the derivative symbol into two differentials
and multiply to get dx on the right side.
–y
Now divide both sides by e . This produces an
equation with only y-expressions on the left and only
x-expressions on the right. Since the variables can
be collected with their differentials, the differential
equation is separable.

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 Finding a Particular Solution

• Given a point, you can use the general solution to a differential equation to find
the particular solution that satisfies that point.

This differential equation can be solved by

separating the variables and integrating each side.

Now that you have the general solution, suppose

you were also given an initial condition that the
solution must satisfy. The notation y(1) = 2 means
that y = 2 when x = 1.

Use these values in the general solution.

Solving for C and substituting in the general solution

produces this particular solution.

You might not think that this equation is separable

since the x- and y-variables seem interlocked.

However, you can use rules of exponents to

separate the expression.

Since the y-expressions can be collected with dy

and the x-expressions can be collected with dx, the
original equation is separable. Integrate both sides
to arrive at the general solution.

Now use the initial condition that y = 1 when x = 0.

Initial conditions get their name from the fact that
they originally represented the beginning value of a
variable representing time.

Use the values of x and y to solve for C. Then you

can write the particular solution corresponding to the
given initial condition.

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 Solving Separable Differential Equations

• To solve a separable differential equation, collect the x-terms with the dx

differential and the y-terms with the dy differential.

• Initial conditions allow you to find a particular solution to a differential equation.

Check whether this differential equation is

separable. Multiply both sides of the equation by
dx.
If you can gather all the x-terms with dx and all the
y-terms with dy, then the differential equation is
separable. You can then integrate each side of the
equation.
Each integral will have its own constant of
integration, but you can combine them into a single
constant C.
This general solution can even be solved for y.
Varying the value of the constant produces multiple
solutions. You can graph them to form the solution
curves.

If you know the value of y corresponding to a given

value of x, then you use can use this initial
condition to determine a particular solution.
When you plug in the values of x and y, the only
unknown is C.

Solve for C and plug it into the general solution to

produce a particular solution.

Multiply both sides of this differential equation by dx

to determine if it is separable.

It is separable, so integrate both sides.

The two constants of integration combine to form
one constant in the general solution. Varying the
value of C produces a family of solution curves.
General solutions do not always have to be solved
for y.

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