Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
In
applications, the functions usually represent physical quantities, the derivatives represent their rates
of change, and the equation defines a relationship between the two. Because such relations are
extremely common, differential equations play a prominent role in many disciplines
including engineering, physics, economics, and biology.
An ordinary differential equation (ODE) is an equation containing a function of one independent
variable and its derivatives.
A partial differential equation (PDE) is a differential equation that contains unknown multivariable
functions and their partial derivatives.
Applications of Differential
Equations
We present examples where differential equations are widely applied to model natural
phenomena, engineering systems and many other situations.
Application 5 : RL circuit
Let us consider the RL (resistor R and inductor L) circuit shown above. At t = 0 the
switch is closed and current passes through the circuit. Electricity laws state that the
voltage across a resistor of resistance R is equal to R i and the voltage across an
inductor L is given by L di/dt (i is the current). Another law gives an equation relating all
voltages in the above circuit as follows:
L di/dt + Ri = E , where E is a constant voltage.
Let us solve the above differential equation which may be written as follows
L [ di / dt ] / [E - R i] = 1