Math 216 Second Midterm

12 November, 2012
Name:
Instructor:

Section:

1. Do not open this exam until you are told to do so.

2. This exam has 9 pages including this cover and the scoring page at the end of the exam.
There are 7 problems. Note that the problems are not of equal difficulty, so you may want
to skip over and return to a problem on which you are stuck.
3. Do not separate the pages of this exam. If they do become separated, write your name on
every page and point this out to your instructor when you hand in the exam.
4. Please read the instructions for each individual problem carefully. One of the skills being
tested on this exam is your ability to interpret mathematical questions, so instructors will
not answer questions about exam problems during the exam.
5. Show an appropriate amount of work (including appropriate explanation) for each problem,
so that graders can see not only your answer but how you obtained it. Include units in your
answer where that is appropriate.
6. You may use no aids (e.g., calculators or notecards) on this exam.
7. If you use graphs or tables to find an answer, be sure to include an explanation and sketch
of the graph, and to write out the entries of the table that you use.
8. Turn off all cell phones and pagers, and remove all headphones.
9. Some formulas which may or may not prove useful:
Eulers method iteration step for x = f (t, x): xj+1 = xj + hf (tj , xj ) (x and f scalar or
vector).
Improved Euler method iteration step for x = f (t, x): xj+1 = xj + h2 (f (tj , xj ) +
f (tj+1 , u)), where u = xj + hf (tj , xj ) (x and f scalar or vector).
Runge Kutta method step for x = f (t, x): xj+1 = xj + h6 (k1 + 2k2 + 2k3 + k4 ), where
k1 = f (tj , xj ), k2 = f (tj + h2 , xj + h2 k1 ), k3 = f (tj + h2 , xj + h2 k2 ), and k4 = f (tj+1 , xj +hk3 )
(x and f scalar or vector).
Some
integration formulas:
R
2
2
R 1/ a2 x2 dx = arcsin(x/a) + C
+ x ) dx = arctan(x/a)/a + C
R 1/(a
2
sin
(x)
dx = x/2 sin(2x)/4 + C
R
2
R cos 2(x) dx = x/2 + sin(2x)/4 + C
tan (x) dx = tan(x) x + C.

Math 216 / Exam 2 (12 November, 2012)

page 2

1. [16 points] Find real-valued solutions to each of the following, as indicated.

a. [8 points] Find the general solution to y + 4y + 5y = 3x e2x . The general solution to
y + 4y + 5y = 0 is y = c1 e2x cos(x) + c2 e2x sin(x).

b. [8 points] Find the solution to y y = 4ex + 3 cos(x), y(0) = 0, y (0) = 1. The general
solution to y y = 0 is y = c1 ex + c2 ex .

Math 216 / Exam 2 (12 November, 2012)

page 3

2. [14 points] Use the eigenvalue

method
to find a real-valued general solution to the matrix


5 2
equation x = A x if A =
.
1 3

Math 216 / Exam 2 (12 November, 2012)

page 4

3. [12 points] Consider the system

x1 = a x1 + 2x2
x2 = 4x1 + x2
(where a is a constant) and the linear constant-coefficient differential equation given in operator
form by (D2 4D 5)[y] = 0.
a. [6 points] If the system and differential equation are equivalent, what is the value of a?

b. [6 points] The general solution to (D2 4D 5)[y] = 0 is y = c1 e5t + c2 et . Using this,

what is the general solution to the given system of differential equations?

Math 216 / Exam 2 (12 November, 2012)

4. [12 points] Consider the differential equation x + a x + b x =

A0 cos(t), modeling dispacement x of the mass in the massspring system shown to the right. In this equation, a, b, A0 and
are constant parameters.
a. [6 points] If a representative graph of x as a function of
time t is shown in the figure to the right, can you determine
if any of a, b, A0 or must be zero or must be non-zero?
Must any of a, b, A0 or be related in any way? Can you
tell what value any of them must have?

b. [6 points] If a representative graph of x as a function of time

t is shown in the figure to the right, can you determine if
any of a, b, A0 or must be zero or must be non-zero?
Must any of a, b, A0 or be related in any way? Can you
tell what value any of them must have?

page 5

000
111
1111111111111111111
0000000000000000000
0000000000000000000
1111111111111111111
000
111
0000000000000000000
1111111111111111111
000
111
0000000000000000000
1111111111111111111

oscillation period

}| . . .{

Math 216 / Exam 2 (12 November, 2012)

page 6

5. [16 points] Identify each of the following as true or false. Give a one-sentence explanation for
your response in each case.


 
t 0
0

a. [4 points] Eulers method applied to the system x =

x, x(0) =
gives, after
1 t2
1


0
2 steps with h = 0.5, x(1)
.
1.25
True

False


 t
et
2e
b. [4 points] Given that x1 =
and x2 =
are solutions to x = Ax for some
3et
6et
2 2 matrix A, a general solution is x = c1 x1 + c2 x2 .
True

False

c. [4 points] If x1 (t), x2 (t), . . . , xn (t)

aresolutions toa system of n linear
first-order

1
0
0
0
1
0



0
0

differential equations, and if x1 (0) = , x2 (0) = , . . . , xn (0) = 0, then a
..
..
..
.
.
.
0
0
general solution to the system is given by x = c1 x1 + c2 x2 + + cn xn .

True

False

d. [4 points] If one or more of the eigenvalues of the constant matrix A are zero, the linear
system x = Ax has no solution.
True

False

Math 216 / Exam 2 (12 November, 2012)

page 7

6. [15 points] Consider the phase portrait shown

to the right, which is for a system x = f (x, y),
y = g(x, y).
a. [3 points] Explain why this system must be
nonlinear.

b. [8 points] Now suppose that the system is given by

x = a y y 2
y = x + b y

What are the parameters a and b? Why?

c. [4 points] For each of the critical points of the system shown in the figure above, indicate
whether it appears to be unstable, stable, or asymptotically stable; and whether it is a
node, saddle point, center or spiral point.

Math 216 / Exam 2 (12 November, 2012)

7. [15 points] The figure to the right shows two (hypothetical) skydivers,
with a spring connecting them. We assume that the mass of the first,
m1 , is less than the mass of the second, m2 . The distances that each
has fallen are x1 and x2 , and the spring constant is k. Let L be the
equilibrium length of the spring. Then the system is modeled as


kL
k

(x1 + x2 ) + g
x1 =
m1
m1


k
kL
x2 =
(x1 x2 ) + g +
.
m2
m2

page 8

x1
m1

k
x2

m2

a. [3 points] If we write this as a matrix equation x = Ax + f , what

are x, A and f ?

b. [4 points] Now suppose that were interested in finding the solution to the homogeneous
problem associated with this system. If we take x = vet , what equation must v and
satisfy? How are v and related to the matrix A that you found above?

c. [8 points] Now suppose thatthe

 eigenvalues and eigenvectors
  of the matrix A you found
1
3
in (a) are 1 = 0, with v1 =
and 2 = 4 with v2 =
. Write the complementary
1
1
homogeneous solution to your system.

Math 216 / Exam 2 (12 November, 2012)

page 9

Problem

Points

16

14

12

12

16

15

15

Total

100

Score