BASICS OF DIFFERENTIAL
EQUATIONS
ENGR. CYNTHIA V. PLAZA
INSTRUCTOR
Learning Objectives
• Identify the order of a differential equation
• Explain what is meant by a solution to a
differential equation
• Distinguish between the general solution and a
particular solution of a differential equation
• Identify an initial-value problem
• Identify whether a given function is a solution to
a differential equation or an initial-value problem
Definition: Differential Equation
A differential equation is an equation involving
an unknown function y = f (x) and one or more
of its derivatives. A solution to a differential
equation is a function y = f (x) that satisfies the
differential equation when f and its derivatives
are substituted into the equation.
Example 1: Verifying Solutions of DE
Next, substitute y and y’ into the left-hand side of the
differential equation:
The result verifies that is a solution of the differential
equation.
It is convenient to define the characteristics of
differential equations that make it easier to talk
about them and categorize them.
The most basic characteristic of a differential
equation is its order.
Definition: Order of Differential Equation
The order of a differential equation is the
highest order of any derivative of the unknown
function that appears in the equation.
Example 2: Identifying the Order of a
Differential Equation
What is the order of each of the following
differential equations?
SOLUTION
Exercise 1: What is the order of the following
differential equation?
General and Particular Solutions
When given with differential equation y’ = 2x,
we knew that it has at least two solutions:
The only difference between these two solutions
is the last term, which is a constant.
What if the last term is a different constant? Will this
expression still be a solution to the differential equation?
Any function of the form , where C represents any
constant, is a solution as well.
The reason is that the derivative of is 2x, regardless of
the value of C. It can be shown that any solution of this
differential equation must be of the form . This is an
example of a general solution to a differential equation.
A graph of some of these solutions is given in Figure 1.1.
Figure 1.1: Family of solutions to the differential equation y’ = 2x
Example 3: Finding a Particular Solution
Find the particular solution to the differential equation y’ = 2x
passing through the point (2, 7).
SOLUTION
Any function of the form y = x2 + C is a solution to this
differential equation. Thus, we need to determine C.
Therefore the particular solution passing through the point (2,
7) is:
Example 3: Finding a Particular Solution
Find the particular solution to the differential equation y’ = 2x
passing through the point (2, 7).
SOLUTION
Any function of the form y = x2 + C is a solution to this
differential equation. Thus, we need to determine C.
Therefore the particular solution passing through the point (2,
7) is:
Initial-Value Problems
Usually a given differential equation has an
infinite number of solutions, so it is natural to
ask which one we want to use. To choose one
solution, more information is needed. Some
specific information that can be useful is
an initial value, which is an ordered pair that is
used to find a particular solution.
Example 3: Verifying a Solution to an Initial-
Value Problem
Verify that the function is a solution to the
initial-value problem.
SOLUTION
For a function to satisfy an initial-value problem,
it must satisfy both the differential equation and
the initial condition.
Start by finding y’, then substitute values to both y and y’ into the left-
hand side of the differential equation and simplify:
This is equal to the right-hand side of the differential equation, so solves
the differential equation. Next, calculate y(0):
The result verifies the initial value. Therefore the given function satisfies
the initial-value problem.
An initial-value problem will consists of two parts:
the differential equation and the initial condition.
The differential equation has a family of solutions,
and the initial condition determines the value of C.
The family of solutions to the differential equation
in Example 4 is given by .
This family of solutions is shown in Figure 1.2, with
the particular solution labeled.
Figure 1.2: A family of solutions to the differential equation The particular
solution is labeled.
Example 5: Height of a Moving Baseball
A baseball is thrown upward from a height of 3
meters above Earth’s surface with an initial
velocity of 10m/s, and the only force acting on it
is gravity. The ball has a mass of 0.5 kg at Earth’s
surface.
a. Find the position s(t) of the baseball at time t.
b. What is its height after 2 seconds?
SOLUTION (a)
Given the velocity function: The initial height of the baseball
3m, thus . Therefore the initial-value problem for this example is:
Next, substitute t = 0 and solve for C:
Therefore the position function is
SOLUTION (b)
The height of the baseball after 2 sec is
given by s(2):
Therefore the baseball is 3.4 meters above
Earth’s surface after 2 seconds.
Thank you!
