Practice Problem for Midterm #1, Math 1502

1. The population of a country grows at a rate proportional to the current population. Numerical
data show that the proportionality factor is 6% per year. Let P (t) be the population of this country
at time t.
(a) Write down the differential equation for P (t).
(b) Find a formula for P (t).
(c) How many years does it take for the population of this country to double? Find the exact
formula.
2. Solve the following initial value problems:
(a) 2ty 0 + t2 y = t2 , y(0) = 4
(b)

dy
dx

x2
,
y(1+x3 )

y(0) = 3

3. Find the following limits. Show your work/reasoning!

(a) limt1

t3 1
t2 1

(b) limt t e2/t 1

(c) limx0

ex
x

(d) limx cos x1

(e) limn0

1
n

x

1
n2

3. Find the general solution to the following differential equations:

(a) y 00 2y 0 3y = 0
(b) y 00 + 8y 0 + 16y = 0
(c) y 00 2y 0 + 2y = 0
(d) y 0 + 2t y =

cos t
t2

4. Determine if the integral converges and, if so, calculate the integral whenever possible. Show
your work/reasoning!
R1 1
(a) 0 (1t)
2 dt
(b)

(c)

R9

(d)

(e)

dx

1
0 (x1)2/3

x2 +1
10 x3 2
1

dx

dx
2

xex dx
1

5. Determine if the following series converges or diverges. If the series contains positive and negative
terms determine whether it converges absolutely or conditionally. Show your work/reasoning!
P k2 +3
(a)
k=0 3k
P
k ln
k
(b)
k=1 (1)
k
(c)

(d)

(e)

P 

(f)

(g)

1
n=1 (ln n)n

n!
n=1 2n

k=1

k
2k+3

k

n7
n=10 n(n+2)(n+4)
n=1

cos n
n

6. a) Is the series

1
k=1 k2 +1

Explain!
P
b) How does the series
k=2

an overestimate or an underestimate for the following integral:

Z
1
dx?
2
x +1
1
1
k2 +1

compare to the same integral? Explain!

7. Find the Taylor series expansion of the function about the given point and find the radius and
interval of convergence:
(a) e2x expanded about the point x = 1.
(b) ln x expanded about x = 1.

(c) x + 1 expanded about the point x = 0.

8. In a physics experiment water pours through the drain that gets gradually clogged. In the first
hour 1 gallon of water flowed through, and in every subsequent hour the amount of water pouring
through the drain is equal to the 5/6 of the amount that flowed through in the previous hour.
(a) How much water poured through the drain in the second hour? What is the total amount
of water that flowed through the drain in the first 2 hours? Show your work/reasoning!
(b) How much water pours through the drain in the first 10 hours? Show your work/reasoning!
(c) How much water would flow through the drain if the experiment continued indefinitely?
Show your work/reasoning!
9. Find the specified Taylor polynomials for f (x) about x = 0 and estimate the maximum error:
(a) The fourth Taylor polynomial for f (x) = sin x. Find an error bound for using P4 (1) to
estimate sin(1).
(b) The fifth Taylor polynomial for f (x) = ex . Find an error bound for using P5 (3) to estimate
e3 .
9. Newtons law of cooling states that the temperature of an object changes at a rate proportional
to the difference of its temperature and the temperature of its environment. Suppose there is a cup
of tea sitting on the kitchen table. We measure its temperature to be 210 degrees Fahrenheit. We
2

leave the tea for one minute and then measure its temperature again, getting a second temperature
reading of 195 degrees Fahrenheit.
(a) Assuming the air temperature in the kitchen is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, write down a differential equation for the temperature T (t) of the tea after t minutes.
(b) Solve the differential equation and find the formula for T (t).