National Junior College Mathematics Department 2015

National Junior College

2015 – 2016 H2 Mathematics
Differential Equations Tutorial

Basic Mastery Questions

Finding solutions to DE
1. For each of the following differential equations, find the general solution and the
particular solution for which y 1 when x 0.
dy dy 1 1
(a) xe x , (b) y .
dx dx 2 y

2. It is given that x and y satisfies the differential equation

dy
y 1,
dx
and that y = 0 when x = 0. Find an expression for x in terms of y.

3. Solve the differential equation

d2 y
x cos x.
dx 2
Briefly explain whether it is possible to obtain the particular solution for which y 0
when x 0.

4. Use the substitution y vx to find the general solution of the differential equation
dy
x y x2 .
dx
Hence, sketch on the same diagram, 3 distinct solution curves for the differential
equation such that the stationary points occur at x = 1, 0, and 1 respectively.

Formulating a DE
5. You are not required to solve any differential equation in this question.

(a) A cone is being filled with water such that the rate of increase in the height is
inversely proportional to the square of the height h at time t. Write down a
differential equation for the height of water in the cone as a function of time.

(b) At time t, a spherical raindrop of volume V evaporates at a rate proportional to its

surface area. Formulate a differential equation, giving your answer in the form
dV
f(V ).
dt
4 3
Hint: For a sphere of radius r, volume V r and surface area S 4 r 2.
3

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Practice Questions
1. Solve the following differential equations:
dy dy y 1
(a) 2 y2 , (b) x y.
dx dx y 1

d2 x 1 1 dx
2. Solve the differential equation , given that x and 0 when t 0.
dt 2 1 4t 2 2 dt

3. By means of the substitution y = z sin x, show that the differential equation

dy
( x sin x) (4sin x x cos x) y sin 2 x
dx
dz
reduces to x 4 z 1. Hence find y in terms of x.
dx

4. (i) Show that the differential equation

dy
x2 2 xy 3 0
dx
du 3
can be reduced by means of the substitution y ux 2 to .
dx x4
(ii) Hence show that the general solution for y in terms of x is y Cx 2 1
x , where C is
an arbitrary constant.
(iii) Describe the behaviour of y as x 0, and as x .
(iv) Find the locus where the stationary points lie.
Definition: A locus is a set of points whose location satisfies one or more
specified conditions. This set can be represented by an equation.
3
(v) Sketch the solution curve for x > 0, given that it has a stationary point at x .
2

5. The population for a species of prawns in a farm on Pulau Ubin is initially modelled by
dx 2 x x 2
,
dt 15 150
where x is the number of prawns in thousands at time t months.
(i) Suppose the farmer decides to harvest 500 prawns each month. By modifying the
differential equation to include this constant yield of harvest, show that
dx 1
( x 5)( x 15).
dt 150
(ii) Hence find an explicit solution for the model, given that the initial number of
prawns is 10,000. What is the long term effect of the farmer’s decision?
(iii) Comment on whether the model can be regarded as a good model of the situation
in the real world.

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6. In a chemical reaction, a compound X is formed from a compound Y. The mass in

grams of X and Y at time t seconds after the start of the reaction are x and y
respectively. The sum of the two masses is equal to 100 grams throughout the reaction.
At any time t, the rate of change of the mass of X is proportional to the mass of Y at
that time.
dx
(i) Given that x 5 and 1.9 at the start of the reaction, show that x satisfies the
dt
differential equation
dx
0.02(100 x).
dt
(ii) Find the particular solution, obtaining an expression for x in terms of t.
(iii) Calculate the time taken for the mass of compound Y to decrease to half its initial
mass.
(iv) Sketch the solution curve obtained in (ii). State what happens to the mass of
compounds X and Y for large values of t.

7. Two scientists are investigating the change of a certain population of size n thousand at
time t years.
(i) One scientist suggests that n and t are related by the differential equation
d2n
10 6t.
dt 2
Find the general solution of this differential equation. Sketch three members of
the family of solution curves, given that n 100 when t 0 .

(ii) The other scientist suggests that n and t are related by the differential equation
dn
3 0.02n.
dt
Find n in terms of t, given again that n 100 when t 0 . Explain in simple
terms what will eventually happen to the population using this model.
[N2009/II/4]

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Challenging Question

1. D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson, a noted scientist of natural history, wrote in his book,
On Growth and Form (1917): “But why, in general run of shells, all the world over, in
the past and in the present, one direction of twist is so overwhelmingly commoner than
the other, no man knows.” Most snail species are dextral (right-handed) in their shell
pattern. Sinistral (left-handed) snails are exceedingly rare.

A plausible model for the appearance of such a bias in population handedness can be as
follows: Let p(t ) be the ratio of dextral snails in the population of snails at time t,
where p = 1 means that all snails are right-handed, and p = 0 means that all snails are
left-handed. Assume that the rate of change of p is proportional to the product of p, 1−
p and p 12 ; which has no left-right bias.

(i) By using k as the proportionality constant, write down the differential equation
described by the model. Verify (or prove if you are up to an even bigger
challenge) that the following general solution satisfies the differential equation:
1
1 Be0.5kt .
(2 p 1)2

Hint: The variable p varies with time, and is therefore not a constant.

(ii) For each of the following initial conditions at t = 0 (which is a very long time ago,
perhaps a few hundred million years ago), find p(t ); that is, find an expression
for p in terms of k and t.
(a) p(0) 0.4,
(b) p(0) 0.6.

(iii) Based on D’Arcy’s observation and your answer to (ii)(b), explain why k must be
negative.

(iv) Verify that p(t ) 1

2
is also a solution to the differential equation given in (i); that
is, the dextral and sinistral snails are always evenly divided.

(v) Give arguments to explain why

(a) we should not expect that p(t ) 1
2 as t (i.e., an equal number of
dextral and sinistral snails at the present time), and
(b) our present state of affairs (mostly dextral snails) is an accident (i.e. we
could just as well have mostly sinistral snails now).

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Numerical Answers to Differential Equations Tutorial

Basic Mastery Questions

1. (a) y e x ( x 1) 2 (b) ln y 2 1 x ln 2
2. x ln y 1 or x ln y 1
x3
3. y cos x Ax B
6
4. y Cx x 2
1 2 2
dh k dV dV
5. (a) (k 0) (b) k (36 ) V
3 3
(or KV ) 3
dt h2 dt dt

Practice Questions

1
1. (a) y 2 sin x C (b) ln y 2 1 tan 1 y ln x C
2
1
2. x 4t tan 1 2t ln 1 4t 2 4
8
sin x D
3. y 1 4
4 x
3
4. (iv) y
2x
10
5. (ii) x 5 , where exp(x) denotes e x
1 exp 15t
0.02t
6. (ii) x 100 95e (iii) 34.7 seconds
2 3 0.02t
7. (i) n 5t t Ct 100 (ii) n 150 50e

Challenging Question

1 1 1 1
1. (ii)(a) p 1 (ii)(b) p 1
2 1 24e0.5 kt 2 1 24e0.5kt

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