UCLA Math 35, Winter 205 Ordinar Differential Equations Review of First-Order Equations from Math 33b 9. Special Equations and Substitution C. David Levermore Department of Mathematics Universit of Marland Januar 29, 205 Contents 9. Special Equations and Substitution (not covered 9.. Linear Argument Equations 9.2. Dilation Invariant Equations 9.3. Bernoulli Equations 9.4. Substitution c 205 C. David Levermore Return to Main Webpage
2 9. Special Equations and Substitution So far we have developed analtical methods for linear equations, separable equations, and equations that can be expressed as an exact differential form. There are other firstorder equations that can be solved b analtical methods. Here we present a few of them. In each case a substitution will transform the problem into a form that we know how to solve. 9.. Linear Argument Equations. These equations can be put into the form (9. = k(ax + b, dx where k(z is a differentiable function over an interval (z L, z R while a and b are constants with b 0. Upon setting z = ax + b we see that dx = d (ax + b = a + b = a + b k(ax + b = a + b k(z. dx dx Therefore z satisfies the autonomous equation (9.2 dx = a + b k(z. If we can solve this equation for z then the solution of (9. is obtained b setting = z ax. b Solutions of (9.2 are given implicitl b (9.3 G(z = x + c, where G (z = a + b k(z. Of course, we will not be able to find an explicit primitive G(z for ever k(z. And when we can find G(z, often we will not be able to solve (9.3 for z as an explicit function of x. Example. Solve the equation dx = (x + 2. Solution. This has the form (9. with k(z = z 2 and a = b =. Rather than remember the form (9.2, it is easier to remember the substitution z = x + and rederive (9.2. Indeed, we see that dx = d (x + = + dx dx = + (x + 2 = + z 2. Solutions of this autonomous equation satisf x = + z = 2 tan (z + c. This equation can be solved explicitl to obtain z = tan(x c. Because = z x, a famil of solutions to the original equation is = tan(x c x.
9.2. Dilation Invariant Equations. These equations can be put into the form ( (9.4 dx = xp k, for some p 0, x p where k(z is a differentiable function over (,. A first-order equation in the form = f(x,, dx can be put into the form (9.4 if and onl if f(x, satisfies the dilation smmetr (9.5 f(λx, λ p = λ p f(x, for ever λ 0. Indeed, if f(x, satisfies has this smmetr then b choosing λ = /x we see that ( f(x, = λ p f(λx, λ p = x p f x x, x = x p f (,, p x p whereb k(z = f(, z. When f(x, satisfies (9.5 with p = then equation (9.4 is said to be homogeneous. This notion of homogeneous should not be confused with the notion of homogeneous that arises in the context of linear equations. We can transform (9.4 into a separable equation b setting z = /x p. B using (9.4 we see that dx = x p dx p Therefore z satisfies the separable equation x = ( p+ x p xp k p x p x p+ = ( ( k = k(z pz. x x p x x( p k(z pz (9.6 =. dx x If we can solve this equation for z then the solution of (9.4 is obtained b setting = zx p. Solutions of (9.6 are given implicitl b (9.7 log( x = G(z + c, where G (z = k(z pz. Of course, we will not be able to find an explicit primitive G(z for ever k(z. And when we can find G(z, often we will not be able to solve (9.7 for z as an explicit function of x. Example. Solve the equation dx = + x2 + 2 Solution. This equation can be expressed as dx = x + + 2 x. 2 x for x > 0. 3
4 It thereb has the dilation invariant form (9.4 with p = and k(z = z + + z 2. Rather than remember the form (9.6, it is easier to remember the substitution z = /x and rederive (9.6. Indeed, we see that dx = d dx x = x dx x 2 = x ( x + + 2 x 2 x 2 = x Solutions of this separable equation satisf log(x = = + z 2 sinh (z + c. + 2 x 2 = + z 2. x This equation can be solved explicitl to obtain z = sinh ( log(x c = elog(x c e log(x+c 2 = 2 Because = xz, a famil of solutions to the original equation is = x2 e 2c 2e c. ( x e ec. c x 9.3. Bernoulli Equations. These equations can be put into the form (9.8 = a(t b(t+m, where a(t and b(t are continous over an interval (t L, t R while m is a constant. If m = 0 this reduces to a homogeneous linear equation, which can be solved the method of Section 2.2. So here we will treat onl the case m 0. If m = then equation (9.8 is a nonhomogeneous linear equation, which can be solved the method of Section 2.3. Remark. Jacob Bernoulli wrote down such equations in a 695 letter to Gottfried Leibniz. The next ear Leibniz showed that the can be transformed into a nonhomogeneous linear equation for ever m 0 b a simple substitution. Bernoulli then showed that the can be transformed into a separable equation b another simple substitution. Leibniz transformed (9.8 into a linear equation b setting z = m. We see that = m m = m m ( a(t b(t +m = m a(t m + m b(t = m a(tz + m b(t. Therefore z satisfies the nonhomogeneous linear equation (9.9 + m a(tz = m b(t. If we can solve this equation for z then a solution of (9.8 is obtained b setting = z m.
Equation (9.9 can be solved b the recipe of Section 2.3. Let A(t and B(t satisf A (t = m a(t, B (t = m e A(t b(t. Then the general solution of (9.9 is given b (9.0 z = e A(t B(t + e A(t c, where c is an arbitrar constant. Therefore a solution of (9.8 is given b (9. = ( e A(t B(t + e A(t c m, where c is an arbitrar constant. Remark. Because equation (9.9 is linear, if a(t and b(t are continuous over a time interval (t L, t R then its solution z will exist over (t L, t R and be given b (9.0. However, formula (9. for the solution of (9.8 can break down for several reasons. Example. Solve the logistic model for populations dp = (r app. Remark. Earlier we solved this using our autonomous equation recipe. Here we treat it as a Bernoulli equation. Solution. The equation has the form dp = rp ap2, which is the Bernoulli form (9.8 with a(t = r, b(t = a, and m =. If we appl formula (9.0 with A(t = rt and B(t = e rt a = a r ert + c, 5 then we obtain p = a r +, where c is an arbitrar constant. e rt c This solution breaks down where the denominator vanishes. Remark. Bernoulli transformed (9.8 into a separable equation b setting z = e A(t, where A (t = a(t. We see that = d ( e A(t A(t = e e A(t a(t = e ( A(t a(t b(t +m e A(t a(t = e A(t b(t +m = b(te ma(t ( e A(t +m = b(te ma(t z +m. Therefore z satisfies the separable equation (9.2 = b(tema(t z +m.
6 If we can solve this equation for z then a solution of (9.8 is obtained b setting = e A(t z. Equation (9.2 is separable and can be solved b the recipe of Section 3.2. Because m 0, it has the separated form m z +m = mb(tema(t. Therefore an implicit general solution is z m = F (t + c, where F (t = mb(te ma(t. An explicit general solution is z = (F (t + c m whenever this expression makes sense. 9.4. Substitution. The idea behind each of the examples above is to transform the original differential equation into an equation with a form that we know how to solve. In general, let the original equation be (9.3 = f(t,. Upon setting z = Z(t, and using (9.3 we see that = tz(t, + Z(t, = tz(t, + Z(t, f(t,. We then assume the relation z = Z(t, can be inverted to obtain = Y (t, z, and substitute this result into the above to find = tz ( t, Y (t, z + Z ( t, Y (t, z f ( t, Y (t, z. We thereb obtain the transformed equation (9.4 = g(t, z, where g(t, z is given in terms of f(t,, Z(t,, and Y (t, z b g(t, z = t Z ( t, Y (t, z + Z ( t, Y (t, z f ( t, Y (t, z. This relation can be inverted to give f(t, in terms of g(t, z, Y (t, z, and Z(t, as f(t, = t Y ( t, Z(t, + z Y ( t, Z(t, g ( t, Z(t,. Therefore if ou can solve equation (9.4 then ou can solve equation (9.3, and vice versa.