Dierential Equations (MAT 371)

EXAM 1 ( 50 Points Total) 2-22-2005.

Name Score
1. Given
dy
dt
= f(y) = y
2
(1 y
2
) , < y(t
0
) = y
0
< .
The graph f(y) versus y is given.
(a) ( 9 %) Determine the critical (equilibrium) points, and classify each one as asymp-
totically stable, unstable, or semistable. (If a constant equilibrium solution has the
property that solutions lying on one side of the equilibrium solution tend to approach
it, whereas solutions lying on the other side depart from it, the equilibrium solution
is said to be semistable).
Solution: The equilibrium solutions are: y = 1, y = 0,and y = 1. y = 1 is
asymptotically stable, y = 0 is semistable, y = 1 is unstable.
(b) (2%) If 1 < y
0
< 0, determine the behavior of the solution as t .
Solution:If 1 < y
0
< 0,, lim
t
y(t) = 0.
(c) (2 %) If 0 < y
0
< 1, determine the behavior of the solution as t .
Solution: If 0 < y
0
< 1, lim
t
y(t) = 1.
2. ( 4% ) Determine (without solving the problem) an interval in which the solution of the
given initial value problem is certain to exist.
(9 t
2
)
dy
dt
+ 2ty = t
2
, y(2) = 3.
Solution: Since the given DE can be written as a rst order linear dierential equation.
Its solution exists when t < 3, or 3 < t < 3, or t > 3. Since y(2) = 3, the solution
exists for 3 < t < 3.
1
3. (7%) Solve the initial value problem.
dy
dt
=
1 + 3t
2
3y
2
6y
, y(0) = 1 .
Solution: The given dierential equation is separable. We then have,

(3y
2
6y) dy =

(3t
2
+ 1) dt .
Then
y
3
3y
2
= t
3
+ t + c .
y(0) = 1 implies that c = 2. Therefore, y
3
3y
2
= t
3
+ t 2 .
y(t) has vertical tangents when 3y
2
6y = 0. y = 0, or y = 2.
If y = 0, t
3
+ t 2 = 0, t = 1.
If y = 2, t
3
+ t 2 = 0, t = 1. Thus when 1 < t < 1, the solution is valid.
4. A pond initially contains 1,000,000 gal of water and an unknown amount of an undesirable
chemical. Water containing 0.01 gram of this chemical per gallon ows into the pond at
a rate 300 gal/hr. The mixture ows out at the same rate, so the amount of water in the
pond remains constant. Assume that the chemical is uniformly distributed throughout the
pond.
(a) ( 4%) Write a dierential equation for the amount of chemical in the pond at any
time.
Solution:Let Q(t) be the amount of chemical in the pond at time t. Then
dQ
dt
= 0.01 300
Q
1000000
300 = 3
3Q
10000
.
(b) ( 4 %) How much of the chemical will be in the pond after a very long time? Does
this limiting amount depend on the amount that was present initially? (Do not solve
the dierential equation.)
Solution: The DE obtained in part (a) is a rst order autonomous dierential equa-
tion. It has only one equilibrium solution Q = 10000. When Q < 10000,
dQ
dt
> 0;
while when Q > 10000,
dQ
dt
< 0. Thus Q = 10000 is asymptotically stable. Therefore
lim
t
Q(t) = 10000, no matter what Q(0) was.
2
5. Consider the initial value problem
dy
dt
2y = 4t + 2e
t
y(0) = y
0
.
(a) ( 14 % ) Find the value of y
0
that separates solutions that grow positively as t
from those that grow negatively. How does the solution that corresponds to this
critical value of y
0
behave as t ?
Solution: The dierential equation is rst order linear. The integrating factor (t) =
e
2t
. Multiplying the ODE by (t), we have
e
2t
dy
dt
2e
2t
y = 4te
2t
+ 2e
t
,
It follows that
d
dt
(e
2t
y) = 4te
2t
+ 2e
t
.
Hence,
e
2t
y =

(4te
2t
+ 2e
t
) dt
= 2te
2t
e
2t
2e
t
+ c .
Thus,
y(t) = 2t 1 +2e
t
+ ce
2t
.
y(0) = y
0
implies that c = y
0
+ 3, and
y(t) = 2t 1 +2e
t
+ (y
0
+ 3)e
2t
= 2t 1 + e
2t
(y
0
+ 3 2e
t
) .
Therefore, if y
0
> 3, lim
t
y(t) = ;if y
0
< 3, lim
t
y(t) = ;, if y
0
= 3,
lim
t
y(t) = . Thus y
0
= 3.
(b) ( 4% ) If y
0
= 0. Find approximate values of the solution of the given initial value
problem at t = 0.1 and t = 0.2 using the Eulers method with stepsize h = 0.1.
dy
dt
= 2y 4t + 2e
t
, f(t, y) = 2y 4t + 2e
t
, h = 0.1.
t
0
= 0,y
0
= 0, k
0
= f(t
0
, y
0
) = 2
t
1
= t
0
+ h = 0.1, y
1
= y
0
+ k
0
h = 0.2. Thus y(0.1) 0.2.
k
1
= f(t
1
, y
1
) = 2(0.2) 4(0.1) + 2e
0.1
3.01.
t
2
= t
1
+ h = 0.2, y
2
= y
1
+ k
1
h = 0.2 + 3.01 0.1 0.501. Thus y(0.2) 0.501.
3