Ordinary Differential Equations: Definitions and Examples

In course

Description

This lecture introduces ordinary differential equations (ODEs) by defining them as equations relating a variable, an unknown function, and its derivatives. The concept of the order of an ODE is explained, along with examples illustrating different orders and solutions. The notion of a general solution and the distinction between singular and general solutions are discussed. The lecture also covers separable first-order ODEs, showing how to solve them by integrating. Various examples are provided to demonstrate the process of finding general solutions. The instructor emphasizes the importance of understanding the general solution and solving ODEs with initial conditions, known as Cauchy problems.

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Related concepts (73)

Ordinary differential equation

In mathematics, an ordinary differential equation (ODE) is a differential equation (DE) dependent on only a single independent variable. As with other DE, its unknown(s) consists of one (or more) function(s) and involves the derivatives of those functions. The term "ordinary" is used in contrast with partial differential equations which may be with respect to one independent variable. A linear differential equation is a differential equation that is defined by a linear polynomial in the unknown function and its derivatives, that is an equation of the form where a_0(x), .

Linear differential equation

In mathematics, a linear differential equation is a differential equation that is defined by a linear polynomial in the unknown function and its derivatives, that is an equation of the form where a0(x), ..., an(x) and b(x) are arbitrary differentiable functions that do not need to be linear, and y′, ..., y(n) are the successive derivatives of an unknown function y of the variable x. Such an equation is an ordinary differential equation (ODE).

Separation of variables

In mathematics, separation of variables (also known as the Fourier method) is any of several methods for solving ordinary and partial differential equations, in which algebra allows one to rewrite an equation so that each of two variables occurs on a different side of the equation. A differential equation for the unknown will be separable if it can be written in the form where and are given functions. This is perhaps more transparent when written using as: So now as long as h(y) ≠ 0, we can rearrange terms to obtain: where the two variables x and y have been separated.

Homogeneous differential equation

A differential equation can be homogeneous in either of two respects. A first order differential equation is said to be homogeneous if it may be written where f and g are homogeneous functions of the same degree of x and y. In this case, the change of variable y = ux leads to an equation of the form which is easy to solve by integration of the two members. Otherwise, a differential equation is homogeneous if it is a homogeneous function of the unknown function and its derivatives.

Partial differential equation

In mathematics, a partial differential equation (PDE) is an equation which computes a function between various partial derivatives of a multivariable function. The function is often thought of as an "unknown" to be solved for, similar to how x is thought of as an unknown number to be solved for in an algebraic equation like x2 − 3x + 2 = 0. However, it is usually impossible to write down explicit formulas for solutions of partial differential equations.