Math 3D Elementary Differential Equations Homework Answers 3

2.3

Higher order linear ODEs

1 y000 y00 + y0 y = 0 has characteristic equation
0 = 3 2 + 1 = ( 1)(2 + 1)
with solutions = 1, i. The general solution is therefore
y( x ) = c1 e x + c2 cos x + c3 sin x
2 y(4) 5y000 + 6y00 = 0 has characteristic equation
0 = 4 53 + 62 = 2 (2 5 + 6) = 2 ( 3)( 2)
with solutions = 0, 0, 2, 3. The general solution is therefore
y( x ) = c1 + c2 x + c3 e2x + c4 e3x
3 y000 + 2y00 + 2y0 = 0 has characteristic equation
0 = 3 + 22 + 2 = (2 + 2 + 2)

with solutions = 0, 22 48 = 0, 1 i. The general solution is therefore

y( x ) = c1 + e x (c2 cos x + c3 sin x )
4

(a) Multiplying out the characteristic equation we obtain

0 = (r 1)2 (r 2)2 = (r2 2r + 1)(r2 4r + 4) = r4 6r3 + 13r2 12r + 4
The differential equation is therefore y(4) 6y000 + 13y00 12y0 + 4y = 0
(b) The roots of the characteristic equation are 1, 1, 2, 2, hence the general solution is
y( x ) = (c1 + c2 x )e x + (c3 + c4 x )e2x

(a) If 2e4x x cos x is a solution, then e4x cos x is a solution, corresponding to the root = 4 + i
of the characteristic equation. Since e4x x cos x is a solution, this root has multilpicity at
least two. However, 4 i must also be a root of the same multiplicity. Thus the roots are
4 i, 4 i. Note that = 4 i satisfies ( 4)2 = 1, hence the characteristic equation
of degree four is necessarily

2
0 = ( 4)2 + 1 = 4 163 + 982 272 + 289
The ODE is therefore
y(4) 16y000 + 98y00 272y + 289y = 0
1

(b) We need four initial conditions for this ODE:

y( x ) = 2e4x x cos x

y0 ( x ) = 2e4x (cos x + 4x cos x x sin x )

y00 ( x ) = 2e4x (8 cos x 2 sin x + 15x cos x 8x sin x )

y000 ( x ) = 2e4x (45 cos x 24 sin x + 52x cos x 47x sin x )

= y(0) = 0
= y0 (0) = 2
= y00 (0) = 16
= y000 (0) = 90

101 y(5) y(4) = 0 has characteristic equation

0 = 5 4 = 4 ( 1)
with solutions = 0, 0, 0, 0, 1. The general solution is therefore
y ( x ) = c1 + c2 x + c3 x 2 + c4 x 3 + c5 e x
102

(a) The characteristic equation has factors 3 for the 3, and 2 + 4 for the 2i. Hence
0 = ( 3)(2 + 4) = 3 32 + 4 12
(b) The differential equation is
y000 3y00 + 4y0 12y = 0
(c) The general solution is
y( x ) = c1 e3x + c2 cos 2x + c3 sin 2x

103 You can fight your way through the characteristic equation process if you like, or. . .
Observe that y( x ) 0 solves the equation with the given initial conditions. Since this equation
satisfies the existence and uniqueness theorem, such is indeed the solution.

2.5

Nonhomogeneous Equations
2 Try y P = ae2x . Then y0P = 2ae2x and y00P = 4ae2x , thus
y00P y0P 6y P = 4ae2x
We therefore require a = 14 for a particular solution y P = 41 e2x
3 Try y P = ae2x . Then y0P = 2ae2x and y00P = 4ae2x , thus
y00P 4y0P + 4y P = 0
This is no good. Indeed y( x ) = (c1 + c2 x )e2x is the complementary function, so we must instead
try y P = ax2 e2x . Then y0P = 2a( x2 + x )e2x and y00P = 2a(2x2 + 4x + 1)e2x , thus
y00P 4y0P + 4y P = 2a(2x2 + 4x + 1)e2x 8a( x2 + x )e2x + 4ax2 e2x = 2ae2x
We therefore require a = 21 for a particular solution y P = 21 e2x
2

4 The characteristic equation is

0 = 2 + 9
with roots = 3i. The complementary function is therefore
yC = c1 cos 3x + c2 sin 3x
We must therefore try the particular solution y P = ax cos 3x + bx sin 3x. Then
y0P = a(cos 3x 3x sin 3x ) + b(sin 3x + 3x cos 3x )
y00P = a(6 sin 3x 9x cos 3x ) + b(6 cos 3x 9x sin 3x )
whence
y00P + 9y P = a(6 sin 3x 9x cos 3x ) + b(6 cos 3x 9x sin 3x ) + 9( ax cos 3x + bx sin 3x )

= 6a sin 3x + 6b cos 3x
We therefore require a = 16 and b = 16 for a particular solution y P = 61 x (sin 3x cos 3x ).
The general solution to the ODE is therefore
1
y( x ) = yC + y P = c1 cos 3x + c2 sin 3x + x (sin 3x cos 3x )
6
Now apply the initial conditions.
(

y( x ) = c1 cos 3x + c2 sin 3x + 16 x (sin 3x cos 3x )

y0 ( x ) = 3c1 sin 3x + 3c2 cos 3x + 16 [sin 3x cos 3x + 3x (cos 3x + sin 3x )]
Thus c1 = 2 and c2 =

7
18

y( x ) = 2 cos 3x +

y (0) = 2 = c1
y0 (0) = 1 = 3c2

1
6

for the solution

7
1
sin 3x + x (sin 3x cos 3x )
18
6

9 y00 y = ecx has characteristic equation 2 1 = 0 with roots = 1 and complementary

function
y C ( x ) = c1 e x + c2 e x
If c 6= 1 then we may try y P = aecx . Then
y00P y P = a(c2 1)ecx
whence a = c2 11 .
If c = 1 we need to try y P = axecx . Then
y00P y P = a(c2 x + 2c x )ecx = 2acecx

(since c = 1 = c2 = 1. . . )

1
whence a = 2c
.
A particular solution is therefore

1
cx

c 6 = 1
c2 1 e
1
x
y P ( x ) = 2 xe
c=1

1 x
2 xe
c = 1

102

(a) Try y P = ae x + bx3 + cx2 + dx + e. Then

y0P = ae x + 3bx2 + 2cx + d

y00P = ae x + 6bx + 2c

whence
y00P + 2y P = ae x + 6bx + 2c + 2( ae x + bx3 + cx2 + dx + e)

= 3ae x + 2bx3 + 2cx2 + (6b + 2d) x + 2c + e

1
1
3
= e x + x3 a = , b = , c = 0, d = 3b = , e = 2c = 0
3
2
2
A particular solution is therefore
1
1
3
y P = e x + x3 x
3
2
2
103 The characteristic equation is
0 = 2 + 2 + 1 = ( + 1)2
with roots = i. The complementary function is therefore
yC = c1 cos x + c2 sin x
Since the RHS x2 is quadratic, we must try the particular solution y P = ax2 + bx + c. Then
y0P = 2ax + b

y00P = 2a

whence
y00P + 2y0P + y P = 2a + 2(2ax + b) + ax2 + bx + c = ax2 + (4a + b) x + 2a + 2b + c

= x2 a = 1, b = 4a = 4, c = 2a 2b = 6
The general solution to the ODE is therefore
y( x ) = yC + y P = c1 cos x + c2 sin x + x2 4x + 6
Now apply the initial conditions.
(
y( x ) = c1 cos x + c2 sin x + x2 4x + 6
y0 ( x ) = c1 sin x + c2 cos x + 2x 4

y (0) = 1 = c1 + 6
y 0 (0) = 2 = c2 4

Thus c1 = 5 and c2 = 6 for the solution

y( x ) = 5 cos x + 6 sin x + x2 4x + 6
105 y00 2y = sin( x + c) has complementary function

y C ( x ) = c1 e

2x

+ c2 e

2x

Try a particular solution y P = a sin( x + c) (Dont need the cosine since the second derivative of sine
is also sine. . . ). Then
1
y00P 2y P = a(1 2) sin( x + c) = sin( x + c) a =
3
The general solution is therefore

y ( x ) = c1 e

2x

+ c2 e

2x

1
sin( x + c)
3