Differential Equations for Dummies

Colin Mayo AP Calculus Croatan High School

Table of Contents
Slide 3. What is a differential equation? Slide 4. Example Newtons Law of Cooling Slide 5. Differential Equation A model Slide 6. Graphical solution Slope Field

Slide 7. Analytical solution Separation of Variables

Slide 9. Numerical solution Eulers Method Slide 10. Works cited

What is a Differential Equation?

Any equation that includes a rate of change Usually contains a derivative
Examples: dH/dt = -k(H -20) dP/dt = 2P-2T dy/dx = -y/x

Example: Newtons Law

When a murder is committed, the body, originally at 37C, cools according to Newtons Law of Cooling. Suppose that after two hours the temperature is 35C, and that the temperature of the surrounding air is a constant 20C. 1. Find the temperature, H, of the body as a function of t, the time in hours since the murder was committed. 2. If the body was found at 4 pm at a temperature of 30C, when was the murder committed?

Differential Equations: A Model

dH/dt = -.063(H - 20)
The change in body temperature with respect to time will equal a constant times the difference between the body and the surrounding air temperature

Solution: Slope Field

Solution can be found graphically Particular solution can be found using initial value Using initial value of (37,0) and trace shows t is around 8.5 when H is 30. Therefore time of death was approximately 8.5 hours before 4 pm or around 7:30 am.

Solution: Separation of Variables

Solution can found analytically Separating variables gives equation for family of solutions Particular solution can be found using initial value
dH/dt = -.036(H-20)

dH = -.036(H-20)dt
1/(H-20) dH = -.036dt 1/(H-20) dH = -.036dt ln(H-20) = -.036 t + C H-20 = e-.036 t + C H-20 = A e-.036 t H(t) = A e-.036 t + 20

H(0) = 37 = A e-.036 (0) + 20

37 = A + 20 A= 17 H(t) = 17 e-.036 t + 20

Solution: Separation of Variables

General Solution can be used to find when the body temperature is 30 degrees. Time of death was approximately 8.4 hours prior to 4 pm which is around 7:30 am.
H(t) = 17 e-.036 t + 20
30 = 17 e-.036 t + 20 30 20 = 17 e-.036 t 10 = 17 e-.036 t 10/17 = e-.036 t ln(10/17) = -.036 t

ln(10/17)/-.036 = t
t = 8.4 hours

Solution: Eulers Method

H Hnew 37 36.4645

Solution can be found numerically Eulers Method gives a particular solution ynew = ynew + x(y) Since 30 occurs between 8 and 8.5, time of death occurred at approximately 8 hours before 4 pm which would be 7:30 am

0 .5

1
1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5

35.94586825
35.4435734 34.95710084 34.4859216 34.02964467 33.58771086 33.15969797 32.74516748 32.34369471 31.95486832 31.57828997 31.21357384 30.86034626 30.51824535 30.18692063 29.86603263

Works Cited
Hughes-Hallett, Deborah, et al. Calculus. 3rd ed. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2002.