2nd Order Diff EQ with 2 intial conditions, got complex roots, i f'ed it up

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around solving a second-order differential equation of the form 81y'' + 126y' + 79y = 0, with initial conditions y(0) = 2 and y'(0) = 9. Participants are exploring the implications of complex roots in the solution process.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to solve the differential equation but expresses frustration over incorrect results. Some participants question the handling of signs in the expressions and suggest simplifications. Others discuss the necessity of differentiating the solution to find constants and question the validity of eliminating certain terms based on initial conditions.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants providing feedback on each other's approaches. There is an ongoing examination of the steps taken in the solution process, particularly regarding the treatment of constants and the differentiation of expressions. No consensus has been reached on the correct method yet.

Contextual Notes

Participants are grappling with the implications of complex roots and the specific initial conditions provided. There is mention of external resources that may influence their understanding of the problem.

mr_coffee
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OKay i havn't gotten 1 2nd order Diff EQ right yet! I'm on a role! wee!
Find y as a function of t if
81y'' + 126y' + 79y = 0,
y(0) = 2, y'(0) = 9 .

Here is my work:
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4605/lastscan5ag.jpg


I submitted this and it was wrong!
http://cwcsrv11.cwc.psu.edu/webwork2_files/tmp/equations/dd/f306e7661e8e096c8df72710cdf8c21.png
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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Why have you kept your minus inside your sine function?
It's an odd function, simplify your expression a bit.
 
Thanks for the responce, but I fixed it and still ddin't like the answer:
http://cwcsrv11.cwc.psu.edu/webwork2_files/tmp/equations/da/3cf156e7f497d032020dd2db1c553b1.png
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Last I looked "minus minus yield plus"...
 
Whoops, it didn't like that either unless I'm messing up on another sign :o
http://cwcsrv11.cwc.psu.edu/webwork2_files/tmp/equations/06/82cb0df2333f86d332411fe87ea6fb1.png
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Your line 8 is wrong.
After determining your first constant, you should have:
y(t)=e^{-\alpha{t}}(2\cos(wt)+c_{2}\sin(wt)),\alpha=\frac{7}{9},
and your expression for w.
 
Why do i have to take the derivative of all that? If i already found c1, can't i just eliminate c1, and take the derivative of the expression with c2 in it and solve for c2? It comes out quite messy if i introduce the e^(-7/9)*2cos(wt);

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/6304/lastscan0ji.jpg

I'm looking off this site here:
http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/AllBrowsers/3401/ComplexRoots.asp

and it says:
http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/AllBrowsers/3401/ComplexRoots_files/eq0019M.gif

Now, you’ll note that we didn’t differentiate this right away as we did in the last section. The reason for this is simple. While the differentiation is not terribly difficult, it can get a little messy. So, first looking at the initial conditions we can see from the first one that if we just applied it we would get the following.
http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/AllBrowsers/3401/ComplexRoots_files/eq0023M.gif

In other words, the first term will drop out in order to meet the first condition. The makes the solution, along with its derivative

http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/AllBrowsers/3401/ComplexRoots_files/eq0024M.gif
A much nicer derivative than if we’d done the original solution.

http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/AllBrowsers/3401/ComplexRoots_files/eq0025M.gif
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That is valid in the tutorial because they got the constant c_{1} to be 0 (zero). In your case it is not zero and can hence not be eliminated like you did.
 

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