A little about Myself

1. BS (2007): COMSATS Islamabad

2. MS /M.Phil. (2009): COMSATS, Abbottabad

3. PhD (2019): Shanghai Jiao Tong University,

China

Total 06 years teaching research experience.

For queries: [email protected]
Course Title: Ordinary Differential Equations
Course code: MTH 241

Dr. M. Ateeq Tahir

Topic: Definitions and Terminology

 Motivation

Why do we study this course?

• The subject of differential equations is an extremely important one
in mathematics and science, as well as many other branches of
studies (engineering, economics, commerce) in which changes
occur and in which predictions are desirable.
• In most such circumstances, the systems studied come with some
kind of "Natural Laws", or observations that, when translated into
the language of mathematics, become differential equations.

Remember, you must have a good understanding of Calculus I/ Single

variable calculus(MTH104) and Basic Physical Laws.
 Our Aims

Main topics
• Basic definitions and terminology.
• 1st/2nd Order Differential Equations and their Applications.
• Higher Order Linear Homogeneous and Non-homogeneous Differential
Equations with Constant/variable Coefficients.
• Series Solution of Differential Equations.
• Laplace Transformation
• System of Simultaneous Linear Differential Equations.
 Books Recommended

Course Book:

A First Course in Differential Equations with Modelling

Applications, By Dennis G. Zill [10th Edition]

For interest:

1. Advanced Engineering Mathematics by Erwin Kreyszig, 8th Ed.

2. Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value problems
by William E. Boyce & Richard C. DiPrima [7th Edition]
How fast does a disease spread ? How fast does a population change?
 Definitions and basic terminology

What is a differential equation?

Definition:
An equation containing the derivatives of one or more dependent variables,
with respect to one or more independent variables, is said to be a differential
equation (DE).

Examples: There is one differential equation that everybody probably

knows that is Newton’s 2nd law of motion. If an object of mass m is moving
with acceleration a and being acted on with force F, then Newton’s 2nd law
tells us
F  ma
Since, we can write acceleration as
dv d 2u
a or a 2
dt dt
So, with all these things in mind Newton’s 2nd law can now be written as
differential equation in terms of either the velocity v or the position u of the
object as follows:

dv
m  F t , v 
dt
d 2u  du 
m 2
 F t, u , 
dt  dt 

These are actually the differential equations.

Classification by type
Classification by order
Classification by linearity
 Classification by type

Ordinary differential equation:

If an equation contains only ordinary derivatives of one or more variables with
respect to a single independent variable, it is said to be an ordinary differential
equation (ODE).

Examples
d2y d 2x
1. 2
 2
 x
dt dt
dy
2.  5y  1
dt
3 .  y  x dx  4 xdy  0
2 3
d y  dy 
4. 2
 7  8y  0
dx  dx 
Partial differential equation:
An equation involving partial derivatives of one or more dependent
variables with respect to two or more independent variables is called
a partial differential equation (PDE).

Examples

f f
1. x  y  nf
x y
u v
2.  
y x
 2u  2u u
3.   2
x 2
t 2
t
 4
u  2
u
4. a 2
  0
x 4
t 2
 Classification by order
Definition:
The order of a differential equation (either ODE or PDE) is the order
of the highest derivative in the equation.

Examples
3
d2 y  dy
1. 2  2b   y  0  2nd orderODE
dx  dx
dy
2. 4x  y  x  1st orderODE
dx
2u u
4 2
3. a 4  2  0  4th orderPDE
x t
In symbols we can express an nth-order ordinary differential equation in
one dependent variable by the general form

 dy dny
F  x , y , , . . . , n   0
 dx dx 
or
F x , y , y  , . . . , y n    0
Definition :
The degree of a differential equation is the greatest exponent of the highest
order derivative that appears in the equation. (The dependent variable and its
derivatives should be expressed in a form free of radicals and fractions).

Examples

3
d2y  dy 
1. 2
 2b   y  0  degree 1st
dx  dx 
2
 dy 
2.    5 y  1  degree 2
 dt 
2 3/ 2
  dy   d2y
3. 1      2  degree 2 after removing the radical
  dx   dx
by squaring both sides of the eq.
 Classification by linearity
Definition :
A differential equation is said to be linear if it can be written in the
form
dny d n1 y dy
an x n  an1 x n1 . . .  a1 x  a0 x y  gx
dx dx dx
It should be observed that linear differential equations are characterized by two
properties:
i) The dependent variable y and all its derivatives are of the first
degree, i.e. the power of each term involving y is one.

ii) Each coefficient depends on only the variable x or function of

x only.

An equation that is not linear is said to be non-linear

 Examples

1. xdy  ydx  0  linear

2 y   2 y   y  0  linear
3 2
d y d y dy
3. x 3
3
 x 2
2
 3 x  5 y  e x
 linear
dx dx dx
4. x y  xy  x  n y  4 x 
2
  2 2 3
linear
5. yy   2 y   x  non  linear
d3y
6. 3
 y 2
0  non  linear
dx
dy
7.  1  xy  y 2
 non  linear
dx
 Practice Questions

Exercise 1.1

Questions 1-10

A First Course in Differential Equations with Modelling Applications

By Dennis G. Zill [10th Edition]
 What we studied

• Motivation and introduction.

• What is a differential equation?

• Classification by types.

• Classification by order.

• Degree of the DE.

• Classification by linearity.