Concordia University March 20, 2009

Applied Differential Equations

Section J
Exam II (B)

ANSWER KEY

(1) (8 points) We evaluate the Wronskian of the three functions (by developing along the second
column)
 
1 + x2 x x2 µ ¶ µ ¶
  2x 2x 1 + x2 x2
det 2x 1 2x = −x · det + 1 · det
2 2 2 2
2 0 2

= x · (4x − 4x) + (2 + 2x2 − 2x2 ) = 2 6= 0,

for any x, hence the functions are linearly independent on any interval of the real line, in
particular on (1, ∞).
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(2) (15 points) Consider first the homogeneous equation

√ y 00 + 2y 0 + 2y = 0. Its auxiliary equation
−2 ± 4 − 8 −2 ± 2i
is r2 + 2r + 2 = 0 and has the roots = = −1 ± i. This makes the
2 2
complementary part of the general solution of the nonhomogenous equation equal to
yc (x) = C1 e−x cos x + C2 e−x sin x, C1 , C2 arbitrary constants.

We will now continue with the method of undetermined coefficients to find a particular
solution to the nonhomogenous equation. Set yp (x) = Ae−2x , thus yp0 (x) = −2Ae−2x and
yp00 (x) = 4Ae−2x . By substitution in the nonhomogenous ODE, we obtain 2Ae−2x = e−2x , or
1
A = 1/2. So, we obtain that yp (x) = e−2x .
2
Therefore the general solution of the nonhomogenous ODE is
1 −2x
ygen (x) = yc (x) + yp (x) = C1 e−x cos x + C2 e−x sin x + e , C1 , C2 arbitrary constants.
2

We’ll find the constants from the initial conditions. First, y(0) = 0 ⇒ 0 = C1 + 12 ⇒
C1 = − 12 . Then we find the first derivative of ygen : ygen
0 (x) = C (−e−x cos x − e−x sin x) +
1
C2 (−e−x sin x+e−x cos x)−e−2x . Since y 0 (0) = 0, we get 0 = −C1 +C2 −1 ⇒ C2 = C1 +1 = 21 .
Thus the solution to the given initial value problem is the function
1 1 1
y(x) = − e−x cos x + e−x sin x + e−2x .
2 2 2
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1
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(3) (12 points) Like in the previous problem, consider the homogeneous ODE associated: y 00 + y =
0. Its auxiliary equation is r2 + 1 = 0 with the roots ±i, hence the general solution of
the homogeneous ODE (and the complementary of the nonhomogenous ODE) is yc (x) =
C1 cos x + C2 sin x, C1 , C2 arbitrary constants.

By denoting y1 (x) = cos x, y2 (x) = sin x, we proceed now with the method of variation of
parameters to find yp . Its form is yp = u1 y1 + u2 y2 .

µ ¶ µ ¶
cos x sin x 0 sin x sin x
W = det = 1, W1 = det = − sec2 x sin x = − 2
− sin x cos x sec2 x cos x cos x
and
µ ¶
cos x 0
W2 = det = sec2 x cos x = sec x,
− sin x sec2 x
1
due to the definition of sec x = cos x .
Thus u02 = sec x ⇒ u2 = ln | sec xR + tan x| (following the formula provided). On the
sin x sin x
other hand, u01 = − cos 2x ⇒ u1 = − cos 2 x dx. We may find this antiderivative by using
R
the substitution v = cos x, dv = − sin x dx. Since, v −2 dv = −v −1 + C (we actually chose
C = 0), we have that u1 (x) = −1/ cos x = − sec x.
So, yp (x) = cos x · (− sec x) + sin x · (ln | sec x + tan x|) = −1 + sin x ln | sec x + tan x|.
Finally we can state the general solution of the given ODE:
ygen (x) = C1 cos x + C2 sin x + sin x · (ln | sec x + tan x|) − 1, C1 , C2 arbitrary constants.
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(4) (5 points) After multiplication by x, this ODE becomes an Euler-Cauchy equation. Hence we
seek solutions of the form xm . This leads to the auxiliary equation m(m − 1) − 3m = 0 ⇒
m2 − 4m = 0 ⇒ m = 0 and m = 4.
Therefore the general solution of the ODE is ygen (x) = C1 +C2 x4 , C1 , C2 arbitrary constants.
This is not the only method possible. One can also denote w = y 0 and reduce the second
order ODE to a first order linear ODE. After finding w, we integrate once more to find y,
which is the antiderivative of w, and arrive at the same answer.
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