2 complex roots 2nd ODE, did I mess up finding a constant?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around solving a second-order ordinary differential equation (ODE) with complex roots, specifically the equation 81y'' + 126y' + 79y = 0, along with initial conditions y(0) = 2 and y'(0) = 9. Participants are examining the process of finding the correct constants in the solution.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are discussing the differentiation process and checking for potential arithmetic errors in the original poster's calculations. There is a focus on the constants involved in the solution and the implications of differentiation on those constants.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided insights into potential mistakes in differentiation and suggested re-evaluating the calculations. There appears to be a collaborative effort to verify results and clarify misunderstandings, with one participant confirming alignment with another's findings.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of the original poster submitting their work multiple times, indicating possible constraints or rules regarding the homework submission process. The discussion also reflects on the importance of reviewing work to catch errors.

mr_coffee
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It is me again, 2 problems later I ran into another problem, I've submitted it a few different times but still is incorrect. Anyone see my mistake? I entered this as the answer:
http://cwcsrv11.cwc.psu.edu/webwork2_files/tmp/equations/a0/13092fac04d4a01ec22b57e193ed051.png

Here is the problem:
Find y as a function of t if
81y'' + 126y' + 79y = 0,
y(0) = 2, y'(0) = 9 .
y =

Here is my work:
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/9167/lastscan5tu.jpg

Any help would be fantastical.
:biggrin:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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Hmm...I got B=\frac{95}{\sqrt{30}} but I could have made a mistake. I think there is a mistake in your differentiation. Check it again. I can see that you have multiplied in the 7 coming from differentiation of the exponential, but what happened to the 9? Remember that \frac{d}{dt}e^{-\frac{7}{9}t}=-\frac{7}{9}e^{-\frac{7}{9}t}.
 
I find that working through a problem twice is usually a good way to catch arithmetic errors. Unless you are suffering from a systematic misunderstanding, you will usually not make the same mistake twice.
 
Ahh yes, i did it again and got the same answer as you did assyrian, thanks a ton! http://cwcsrv11.cwc.psu.edu/webwork2_files/tmp/equations/bb/6a9d9ea040028c2ece7c021178bc261.png
 
Last edited by a moderator:

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