Problem with Complex Second Order Equations

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    Complex Second order
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around solving a complex second-order differential equation of the form y'' - 2y' + 2y = e^{t}cos(t). Participants explore methods for finding particular solutions and express confusion regarding the appearance of sine and cosine terms in the solution.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant, Lyuokdea, describes their approach to solving the homogeneous equation and expresses confusion about why only a sine term appears in the particular solution.
  • Another participant, Daniel, suggests applying Lagrange's method and later mentions the "Method of Variation of Constants" as an alternative.
  • A different participant proposes using the method of undetermined coefficients, noting that the right-hand side function already satisfies the homogeneous equation and suggests multiplying by t to find a suitable form for the particular solution.
  • A later reply elaborates on applying the differential operator to both sides of the equation to derive the form of the particular solution, leading to specific coefficients for sine and cosine terms.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best method to solve the equation, and multiple approaches are discussed without agreement on a single solution path.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention methods that may not have been covered in their coursework, indicating a potential gap in knowledge or terminology. The discussion includes various assumptions about the applicability of different solution methods.

Who May Find This Useful

Students and individuals interested in solving second-order differential equations, particularly those exploring methods for non-homogeneous equations.

Lyuokdea
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Ok, this one is really sticking me up:

[tex]y'' - 2y' + 2y = e^{t}cos(t)[/tex]

I solved the homogenous version and got roots 1 +/- i and put these into get the equation

[tex]y_h = c_1e^tcos(t) + c_1e^tsin(t)[/tex]

And I found that the root for e^tcos(t) should be (D- (1 +/- i)

But I'm completely stuck on what to do after this, the part that really confuses me is that in the answer, they only have a e^t sin(t) factor in the answer in addition to the normal homogenous answer, why does sin(t) appear without cos(t) ?

Thanks for your help,

~Lyuokdea
 
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Did u try to apply Lagrange's method...?

Daniel.
 
dextercioby said:
Did u try to apply Lagrange's method...?

Daniel.


I don't believe so, I don't think we were ever taught about that, is there another way to solve it? Maybe we called it something different. I'll go back and look through my notes

~Lyuokdea
 
Search for "Method of Variation of Constants" or "Method of Lagrange"...

Daniel.
 
ok, I got it, thanks
 
You should be able to do this by basic "undetermined coefficients".

Normally, if you have "right hand side" like etcos(t), you would try
y= et(Acos(t)+ Bsin(t)).

However, here, functions of that form already satisfy the homogenous equation and can't give you anything but 0 on the right side.

Okay, so you multiply by t:
try y= ett(Acos(t)+ Bsin(t)).

The rest is cranking away.
 
You guys mind if I finish up? He's gone to something else I think. You know school and all:

[tex]y'' - 2y' + 2y = e^{t}cos(t)[/tex]

Because the RHS is a particular solution of a linear ODE, namely:

[tex](D^2-2D+2)y=0[/tex]

can apply this operator to both side of non-homogeneous eq. to collapse the RHS:

[tex](D^2-2D+2)(D^2-2D+2)y=0[/tex]

Since the solution to this equation is:

[tex]y=c_1e^x\cos(x)+c_2e^x\sin(x)+Axe^x\sin(x)+Bxe^x\cos(x) [/itex]<br /> <br /> then the particular solution to the non-homogeneous equation must be of the form:<br /> <br /> [tex]y_p=Axe^x\sin(x)+Bxe^x\cos(x)[/tex]<br /> <br /> Substituting this equation into the non-homogeneous equation and equating coefficients, we find B=0 and A=1/2.<br /> <br /> Thus the general solution is:<br /> <br /> [tex]y(x)=c_1e^x\cos(x)+c_2e^x\sin(x)+\frac{1}{2}xe^x\sin(x)[/tex]<br /> <br /> Using [itex]c_1=1[/itex] and [itex]c_2=0[/itex], I plotted a graph of the solution which is attached.[/tex]
 

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