Jacobs University Bremen

Keivan Mallahi-Karai

Due: February 19, 2015

Assignment 1

Applied Dierential Equations and Modeling

1. For each following dierential equations, determine the order of the given dierential equation
and state whether the equation is linear or non-linear:
2

t
(a) t ddty2 + t 2 dy
dt + e y = sin t.

(b)

d 3z
dt 3

+ z + t = 0.

dy
(c) (1 + y 2 ) dy
ds + s ds = 1.

(d) y 00 + e y = t.
2. Each one of the dierential equations below is either separable or linear. Identify the type and
apply the methods discussed in the class (or cf. sections 2.1 and 2.2 in Brennan and Boyce) and
find the general solution. If possible, express the dependent variable explicitly as a function of the
independent variable.
(a) y 0

2y = 3e t .

(b) ty 0

y = t 2e

(c) ty 0 + (t + 1)y = t.
(d) y 0 = cos x cos2 y
(e)

dy
dx

x2
1+y 2

(f) y 0 = xy 3 (1 + x 2 )

1
2

y (0) = 1.

3. For each one of the following dierential equations, determine all the equilibria and classify them
as asymptotically stable or unstable.
(a) y 0 = y + y 4 .
(b) y 0 = (y

1)(y 2

4).

(c) y = cos y .
4. Another equation that has been used to model population dynamics is the Gompertz model. In
this model, the population function p(t) satisfies the following dierential equation:

dp
K
= r p log
.
(1)
dt
p
where r, K > 0, and, as usual, log denotes the natural logarithm.
(a) Find all the critical points (equilibria) and determine whether each one if asymptotically
stable or unstable.

(b) Use the substitution u = log(K/p) in combination with the chain rule to rewrite (1) as
du
=
dt

r u.

(c) Use part (b) to solve the Gompertz dierential equation subject to the initial condition
p(0) = p0 .
(d) What is the value of limt!1 p(t) in this model?
(e) Plot p(t) for the values p0 = 1, K = 2, r = 1.
5. Consider an organism in which each member of the population requires a partner for reproduction,
and that each member relies on chance encounters for meeting a mate. For such a population
it is reasonable to assume that the birth rate at time t is proportional to p(t)2 , where p(t)
denotes the population at time t, while the death rate is proportional to p(t). Consequently, the
population size p(t) satisfies the dierential equation
dp
= bp 2
dt

a, b > 0.

ap,

(2)

(a) Find all the equilibria and determine their types.

(b) Find the general solution for this dierential equation.
(c) Solve the initial value problem with (2) and the initial condition p(0) = p0 .
(d) Assume that p0 < a/b. Show that the as t ! 1, p(t) approaches zero. What is the
prediction of this model a/b, the population tends to extinction.
6. The following dierential equation is neither linear, nor separable:
dy
y
=
dx
x

3x
.
y

The aim of this problem is to a method to turn it into a separable equation:

(a) Let z = y /x. Show that

dy
dz
=z +x
.
dx
dx

(b) Use part (a) to rewrite the above dierential equation in terms of z and x.
(c) Solve the new dierential equation and substitute back y = xz to find y as a function of x.