Is There a General Solution to This Second-Order ODE?

[Undoubtedly0]

Is there a general solution to

\frac{d}{dt}\left[p(t)\frac{dx(t)}{dt}\right] + q(t)x(t) = 0

for x(t) when p(t) and q(t) are arbitrary functions? Better yet, does this question have a name, or some identifier, that I could look in to? It might appear more familiar written as

\left[p(t)x^\prime\right]^\prime + q(t)x = 0

 

[JJacquelin]

Is there a general solution to
\frac{d}{dt}\left[p(t)\frac{dx(t)}{dt}\right] + q(t)x(t) = 0
for x(t) when p(t) and q(t) are arbitrary functions?

No, there is no genertal solution
.

 

[Chestermiller]

Is there a general solution to

\frac{d}{dt}\left[p(t)\frac{dx(t)}{dt}\right] + q(t)x(t) = 0

for x(t) when p(t) and q(t) are arbitrary functions? Better yet, does this question have a name, or some identifier, that I could look in to? It might appear more familiar written as

\left[p(t)x^\prime\right]^\prime + q(t)x = 0

Look up Sturm-Liouville problems or equations.

 

[GarageDweller]

I think that's just a ODE with non constant coeffecients, since expanding yields

P(t)x''+P'(t)x'+q(t)x=0

You may be able to solve this with power series if P and q fit them.
Non linear differential equations rarely have closed form solutions.
But that's okay, we have computers

 

[JJacquelin]

Of course, when I say "There is no general solution", I mean "No general analytical solution espressed on a closed form".
Obviously, in some particular cases, with some particular forms of functions p(t) and q(t), the solutions might be known on closed form, and/or be expressed as infinite series.
Even more generally the solutions can be accurately approached thanks to numerical methods.