Dirst order ODE's with x & expontials

  • Context: Undergrad 
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around solving a first-order ordinary differential equation (ODE) of the form y' - xy = -x. Participants explore methods for finding particular integrals and address challenges encountered during integration, particularly integration by parts and substitutions.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents the ODE and expresses difficulty in solving it using integration by parts, mentioning a potential trick for handling terms involving x and exponentials.
  • Another participant suggests an alternative approach by separating variables, leading to the equation dy/(y-1) = x dx, which simplifies the problem.
  • A third participant points out a correction regarding the manipulation of the equation, clarifying that the expression xy - x can be factored as x(y-1).
  • A later reply reiterates the separable form and provides a solution involving a natural logarithm, but also returns to the original integration challenge, suggesting a substitution to simplify the integrand.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present multiple approaches to solving the ODE, with some agreeing on the separable form while others focus on the integration by parts method. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach to take.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the integration techniques and the applicability of certain substitutions. There are also indications of potential misprints or slips in reasoning that have been corrected or clarified during the discussion.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in differential equations, integration techniques, or those seeking help with similar ODE problems may find this discussion relevant.

Pixter
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hej
have a ode that looks like this:

y'-xy=-x
so i find the particular integral which is e^-(x^2)/2

but then when i try to solve the eqn i have to do a integration by parts
ie:
ye^-(x^2)/2 = integrate[ -xe^-(x^2)/2 dx]
but when i do this integration by parts i end up with having to do another, and i never ends..
i know that there is some trick when dealing with simple x*e^x bla bla bla..

but don't know how to do it.. would someone please show me, or help me out?
 
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Why not solve:

[tex]\int \frac{dy}{y-1}=\int x dx[/tex] ?
 
HallsofIvy said:
dy/dx= xy- x= y(x-1)

I think there was a slip of the mind on that last step:

xy - x = x(y-1), so dy/(y-1) = xdx, as originally stated by J77.

I'm sure it was just an accident, but I figured it warranted correction.
 
Pixter said:
hej
have a ode that looks like this:

y'-xy=-x
As J77 pointed out, this is a separable first order equation:
dy/dx= xy- x= x(y-1) so you get
(edited to correct misprint)
[tex]\frac{dy}{y-1}= xdx[/tex]
and so [itex]ln(y-1)= \frac{1}{2}x^2+ c[/itex].
Then
[tex]y(x)=1+ Ce^{\frac{x^2}{2}[/tex]

so i find the particular integral which is e^-(x^2)/2

but then when i try to solve the eqn i have to do a integration by parts
ie:
ye^-(x^2)/2 = integrate[ -xe^-(x^2)/2 dx]
but when i do this integration by parts i end up with having to do another, and i never ends..
i know that there is some trick when dealing with simple x*e^x bla bla bla..

but don't know how to do it.. would someone please show me, or help me out?
But if you really want to do that integration, just use a simple substitution: your integrand is NOT "[itex]xe^x[/itex]" (which could be done easily by parts) but [itex]xe^{x^2}[/itex]. Let u= x2.
 

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