UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

Faculty of Engineering
MATH II - Assignment # 2
Problem I

(a) Without using the Laplace Transform, find the complete solution

y(t) = yc (t) + yp (t)

where yc (t), yp (t) are respectively the complementary solution (of the homogeneous equation)
and the particular solution (of the non-homogeneous equation), for the following differential
equations

(i)
dy(t)
+ a0 y(t) = u(t)
dt
where u(t) is the unit step function
{
0, t < 0
u(t) =
1, t ≥ 0

You many assume for the final answer that a0 =1 and that the initial condition is given
as y(0) = 100
(ii)
d2 y(t) dy(t)
2
+ a1 + a0 y(t) = u(t)
dt dt
where u(t) is the unit step function and the initial conditions are given as y(0) =
1; ẏ(0) = 0. You may use for the final answer the value of a1 = 4 and a0 = 3

Problem II
Using the basic definition of the Laplace Transform X(s)of x(t):
∫ ∞
X(s) = x(t)e−st dt
−∞

obtain the Laplace Transform of the following (be sure to state the region of convergence (ROC)
and any other assumptions you make:

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 (a) u(t)

(b) e±at u(t)

dy(t)
(c) dt

Problem III
Repeat Problem I using a Laplace Transform approach

Problem IV Applications of 1st Order LTI ODEs

(a) Consider the civil engineering application of differential equations in the model of pollutant
in a lake as described at:
http://mathforcollege.com/nm/mws/civ/08ode/mwsc ivo dep hyp roblem.pdf.
Explain the model and use any method you like to solve the resulting first order LTI ODE
using Laplace transform methods.

(b) Consider a lake infested by microbes and given that the concentration microbes at time t is
given by C(t) and that the rate of change of C(t) is proportional to C(t), namely

d
C(t) = kC(t)
dt
where k is the constant of proportionality. Solve this differential equation using any method
you like, assuming that C(0) =10 and calculate the time when the concentration is doubled.

(c) Consider a radioactive substance with mass m(t) at time t and given that the rate of change
of m(t) with time is proportional to m(t), namely

d
m(t) = −km(t)
dt
where -k indicates that the rate of change is negative (i.e. m(t) is decreasing with time as
more of the radioactive mass decays).
Use any method you like to solve the differential equation assuming that m(0) = 10 and
calculate the half-life of the radioactive substance, namely the time t = τ such that m(τ ) =
1
2
m(0).

(d) An electrical circuit consisting of the series connection of a Resistor of R Ohms and a Capacitor
of C Farads is characterized the differential equation

dy(t)
RC + y(t) = v(t)
dt
where y(t) is the voltage across the capacitor and v(t) is the input voltage. Use any method
you like to find y(t) assuming the circuit is initially un-energized, namely y(0) =0.

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(e) Newton’s law of cooling states that the rate of change of the temperature T (t) of an object is
proportional to the difference between the temperature of the object and the temperature of
its environment Te , namely

d
T (t) = k(T (t) − Te )
dt
Use any method you like to obtain an expression for the evolution of the temperature T (t)
with time, assuming the T (0) = T0 .

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 Problem V An Application of Second Order LTI ODEs

(a) Let h(t) be the height above the surface of the earth of a falling object. Then the velocity
v(t) of the falling object is given by v(t) = dh(t)
dt
and the acceleration a(t) of the object is
dv(t)
given by a(t) = dt . Obtain a second order differential equation for acceleration in terms
of h(t), given that the the acceleration of the object a(t) = 9.8ms−2 subject to the earth’s
gravitational field. Use any method you like to solve this differential equation assuming that
at t = 0, h(0) = h0 , the initial height of the object, and that at t = 0, ḣ(0) = v0 the initial
velocity.

(b) Reformulate the second order differential equation as a set of 2 first order differential equations
and express them in matrix form.