Name:

MATH 250 Student Number:

Midterm Exam I Instructor:
July 6, 2010 Section:

This exam has 11 questions for a total of 100 points. In order to obtain full credit for
partial credit problems, all work must be shown. For other problems, points might be
deducted, at the sole discretion of the instructor, for an answer not supported by a
reasonable amount of work. The point value for each question is in parentheses to the right of
the question number.

You may not use a calculator on this exam. Please turn off and put away your
cell phone. At the end of the examination, the booklet will be collected.

Do not write in this box.

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 MATH 250 Summer 2010 Exam I

1. (8 points) Consider the differential equation

y 0 = (y + 2)(2t3 − t + 1).

Answer the following questions.

(a) (2 points) What is the order of this equation?

(b) (2 points) Is this equation linear? Why or why not?

(c) (2 points) Is this equation separable? Why or why not?

(d) (2 points) Is this equation autonomous? Why or why not?

2. (4 points) Write a second order linear equation that has y1 (t) = 9e−t and y2 (t) = −11e9t as
two solutions.

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 MATH 250 Summer 2010 Exam I

3. (5 points) Consider the initial value problem

2t + 1 0 t + 2 e−2t
sin(t) y 00 − y − y = , y(−1) = 1, y 0 (−1) = 2.
et t−3 t + 10
Without solving the equation, what is the largest interval in which a unique solution is guar-
anteed to exist?

(a) (−2, −1
2 )

(b) (−π, 0)

(c) (−10, 3)

(d) (0, 3)

4. (5 points) Suppose y1 (t) = 2e2t + t e2t and y2 (t) = −e5t + t e2t are both solutions of the second
order linear equation
y 00 + p(t) y 0 + q(t) y = g(t).
Which of the functions below is also a solution of the same equation?

(a) y = 2e2t − e5t + 2t e2t

(b) y = −2e2t − t e2t

(c) y = 2e5t + t e2t

(d) y = 2e2t + e5t

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 MATH 250 Summer 2010 Exam I

5. (10 points) Solve the initial value problem

sin t
t y 0 + 4y = , y(π) = 0.
t2

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 MATH 250 Summer 2010 Exam I

6. (10 points) Solve, explicitly for y as a function of t, the initial value problem

y 0 = (2t + 5) sec(y), y(1) = 0.

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 MATH 250 Summer 2010 Exam I

7. (12 points) Consider the first order autonomous equation

y 0 = y(6 − y)(y + 3)2 .

Answer the following questions without solving the equation.

(a) (8 points) Find all equilibrium solutions. For each equilibrium solution, classify its sta-
bility. Justify your answer.

(b) (2 points) If y(6) = −3, what is y(60)?

(c) (2 points) If y(−6) = 0.3333, what is lim y(t)?

t→∞

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 MATH 250 Summer 2010 Exam I

8. (14 points) A mixing tank initially contains 40 liters of fresh water. Solution containing 5
grams/liter of ammonia flows into the tank at the rate of 2 liters/min. The well-stirred mixture
flows out of the tank at the rate of 4 liters/min.
(a) (5 points) Set up an initial value problem (give both a differential equation and an initial
condition) modeling this process, for 0 < t < 20.

(b) (6 points) Solve the initial value problem thus obtained.

(c) (3 points) When will the amount of ammonia in the tank reach its maximum?

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 MATH 250 Summer 2010 Exam I

9. (10 points) Consider the initial value problem

9y 00 − 6y 0 + y = 0, y(500) = 6, y 0 (500) = 1.

(a) (8 points) Solve the initial value problem.

(b) (2 points) What is the limit as t → ∞ of the solution you found in (a)?

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 MATH 250 Summer 2010 Exam I

10. (10 points) Given that y1 (t) = (t+1)2 is a known solution of the second order linear differential
equation
(t + 1)2 y 00 − 4(t + 1)y 0 + 6y = 0.
Find the general solution of this equation.

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 MATH 250 Summer 2010 Exam I

11. (12 points) Consider the nonhomogeneous second order linear equation of the form

y 00 − 6y 0 + 10y = g(t).

(a) (3 points) Find its complementary solution, yc (t).

For each of the parts (b) through (d), write down the correct choice of the form of par-
ticular solution that you would use to solve the given equation using the Method of Unde-
termined Coefficients. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SOLVE THE COEFFICIENTS.

(b) (3 points) y 00 − 6y 0 + 10y = −3e3t + 2t

(c) (3 points) y 00 − 6y 0 + 10y = 5t2 et − cos 3t

(d) (3 points) y 00 − 6y 0 + 10y = πt2 e3t sin t

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