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General information
Types of DEs
  • 1th and 2th orders od DEs
  • Linear ODEs with constant coefficients
  • Linear ODEs with variable coefficient

  • Manipulation
    Examples

    Linear ODEs with constant coefficients

    The first method of integrating linear ordinary differential equations with constant coefficients is due to Euler, who made the solution of the form

    \frac {d^{n}y} {dx^{n}} + A_{1}\frac {d^{n-1}y} {dx^{n-1}} + \cdots + A_{n}y = 0

    depend on that of the algebraic equation of the nth degree,

    F(z) = z^{n} + A_{1}z^{n-1} + \cdots + A_n = 0

    in which zk takes the place of

    \frac {d^{k}y} {dx^{k}}\quad\quad(k = 1, 2, \cdots, n).

    This equation F(z) = 0, is the "characteristic" equation considered later by Monge and Cauchy.

    Example
    y'''' - 2y''' + 2y'' - 2y' + y = 0

    has the characteristic equation

    z4 - 2z3 + 2z2 - 2z + 1 = 0.

    This has zeroes, i, −i, and 1 (multiplicity 2). The solution basis is then

    eix, e - ix, ex, xex.

    This corresponds to the real-valued solution basis

    cosx, sinx, ex, xex.

    If z is a (possibly complex) zero of F(z) of multiplicity m and k\in\{0,1,\dots,m-1\} then y = xkezx is a solution of the ODE.

    If the Ai are real then real-valued solutions are preferable. Since the complex z values will come in conjugate pairs, so will their corresponding y values; replace each pair with their linear combinations \Re y and \Im y.

    A case that involves complex (\mathbb{C}) root can be solved with the aid of Euler's formulae. Recall that Maclaurin series are defined as:

    e^x  = \sum_{k = 0}^\infty  {\frac{{x^{k} }}{{k!}}},

    \cos x = \sum_{k = 0}^\infty  {\frac{{\left( { - 1} \right)^k x^{2k} }}{{\left( {2k} \right)!}}}, \sin x = \sum_{k = 0}^\infty  {\frac{{\left( { - 1} \right)^k }}{{\left( {2k + 1} \right)!}}x^{2k + 1} }

    And since

    \begin{matrix} i = \sqrt { - 1}  \\ i^2  =  - 1 \\ i^3  =  - i \\ i^4  = 1 \\ \end{matrix} , e^{i\theta }  = \sum_{k = 0}^\infty  {\frac{{\left( i \right)^k }}{{k!}}\theta ^k  = } \sum_{k = 0}^\infty  {\frac{{\left( { - 1} \right)^k }}{{\left( {2k} \right)!}}\theta ^{2k}  + i} \sum_{k = 0}^\infty  {\frac{{\left( { - 1} \right)^k }}{{\left( {2k + 1} \right)!}}\theta ^{2k + 1}  = } \cos \theta  + i\sin \theta

    Giving the Euler's Formulae, eiθ = cosθ + isinθ

    • Example: Suppose P(D)y = 0 for P(D)=D2 - 4D + 5

    (Note: Here operator's notation is used to represent the linear ODE, y"-4y'+5=0),

    Complete the square to find \mathbb{C} roots by writing above Eq. in form:

    P(D)=\left[ {P - a} \right] + b^2 roots are r = a \pm bi.
    P(D) = \left[ {D^2  - 4D + 4} \right] + 1 = \left[ {D - 2} \right]^2  + 1^2.\ \mathrm{Here}\ r = 2 \pm i

    are the characteristic roots. Hence solution in the form of y = erx are to be written as

    e^{\left( {2 + i} \right)x}  = e^{2x + ix}  = e^{2x} e^{ix}  = e^{2x} \left( {\cos x + i\sin x} \right) = e^{2x} \cos x + ie^{2x} \sin x

    We think of r = 2 \pm i{\rm{ }} as a root of multiplicity of 2. So seek two linearly independent solution to above equation yields:

    \left\{ {\begin{matrix} {y_1  = e^{2x} \cos x} \\ {y_2  = e^{2x} \sin x}  \\\end{matrix}} \right.

    Any other solution to eq. has form of: yc = c1e2xcosx + c2e2xsinx . Note the arbitrariness of C1 and C2 absorbs \pm i.

    Also, for repeated complex roots, multiply y1 and y2 repeatedly by x to generate a family of solutions, but only to multiplicity.





    Solving linear equations

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