MHB Douglas' questions about Laplace Transforms

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SUMMARY

This discussion revolves around Douglas' inquiries regarding the application of Laplace Transforms in solving differential equations. He presents three specific questions related to the syntax and correctness of his answers compared to the solutions provided by the Weblearn platform. Key topics include the use of Heaviside functions, the necessity of specific formatting in answers, and the application of partial fractions in Laplace Transform solutions. The correct interpretations and formatting are crucial for accurate electronic marking in the course.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Laplace Transforms and their properties
  • Familiarity with differential equations and their solutions
  • Knowledge of Heaviside step functions and their applications
  • Experience with partial fraction decomposition in the context of Laplace Transforms
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the application of the Heaviside function in Laplace Transforms
  • Learn about the syntax requirements for electronic marking in platforms like Weblearn
  • Explore the method of partial fraction decomposition in detail
  • Review examples of solving differential equations using Laplace Transforms
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Students studying differential equations, particularly those using Laplace Transforms, as well as educators and anyone involved in electronic assessment systems for mathematics courses.

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Hi, I got 2 questions extremely close to the solution provided by weblearn, I was wondering you could explain if my answers were right but in the wrong syntax or where I made a mistake (whenever you have the time).

_________________________________________________________________
Question 1/
d^2y/dx^2 + 7*dy/dx + 12*y = -36H(t-2) , y(0) = 0 y'(0) = 0

Find y(t)?

My answer was y(t) = -1/3 - 9*exp(-4*t) + 12exp(-3*t)

The solution was y(t) = -3H(t-2) [ 1 - 4exp(-3*(t-2)) + 3exp(-4*(t-2))

Partway through my working out I rearranged the equation to get Y(s) = -36/ s*(s^2 + 7s + 12)
Which I solved using partial fractions. A= -1/3 B=-9 C= 12

Where does the shift come in and how can I recognise it? The Heaviside on the right hand side was only to a constant, 36 not a function f(t)?

___________________________________________________________________
Question 2/

Inverse Laplace of 2(s^2 +48s -36) / s( s^2 - 36) e^-2s

The answer I got was 2 + 16sinh(6(t-2)) H(t-2)

The solution on weblearn was 2H(t-2)( 1 + 8sinh( 6(t-2)) )

- In weblearn does the Heaviside component always need to be written at the front of the answer to be registered?
- Am I right by thinking both answers are the same just with 2 taken as a factor? Does weblearn only register a single format for the answer?

_______________________________________________________________________
Question 3/

L[ f(t) = -2t + 11 + H(t-4) ( 8t^2 - 32t) ]

My answer with the exact syntax used -
(-2/s^2) + (11/s) + (exp(-4*s) * ((16/s^3) - (32/s^2) ) )

Weblearn Solution:
-2/s^2 + 11/s + [ 16/s^3 + 32/s^2 ] * e^-4s

The only difference I can see is the + sign in front of the last term and that e^-4s is written at the end and not the front.

- Why is it positive and not negative?
- Will weblearn register the answer correctly if the exponent is in front or does it need to be at the end of the brackets?

- Are square brackets registered on weblearn?
____________________________________________________________________________

I know most of these questions are about the syntax but it's better to clarify now rather than towards the end of semester. It's mostly because electronic marking can be a bit finicky sometimes.

Thanks in advance

Douglas

1.
$\displaystyle \begin{align*} y''(t) + 7y'(t) + 12y(t) &= -36H(t - 2) \textrm{ with } y(0) = 0, y'(0) = 0 \\ \mathcal{L} \left\{ y''(t) + 7y'(t) + 12y(t) \right\} &= \mathcal{L} \left\{ -36H(t-2) \right\} \\ s^2\,Y(s) + s\,y(0) + y'(0) + 7 \left[ s\,Y(s) - y(0) \right] + 12Y(s) &= -\frac{36}{s}e^{-2s} \\ s^2\,Y(s) + 7s\,Y(s) + 12Y(s) &= -\frac{36}{s}e^{-2s} \\ Y(s) \left( s^2 + 7s + 12 \right) &= -\frac{36}{s}e^{-2s} \\ Y(s) \left( s + 3 \right) \left( s + 4 \right) &= -\frac{36}{s} e^{-2s} \\ Y(s) &= -\frac{36}{s \left( s + 3 \right) \left( s + 4 \right) } e^{-2s} \end{align*}$

So now applying partial fractions

$\displaystyle \begin{align*} \frac{A}{s} + \frac{B}{s + 3} + \frac{C}{s + 4} &\equiv \frac{36}{s \left( s + 3 \right) \left( s + 4 \right) } \\ \frac{A \left( s + 3 \right) \left( s + 4 \right) + B\,s \left( s + 4 \right) + C \, s \left( s + 3 \right) }{s \left( s + 3 \right) \left( s + 4 \right) } &\equiv \frac{36}{s \left( s + 3 \right) \left( s + 4 \right) } \\ A \left( s + 3 \right) \left( s + 4 \right) + B \, s \left( s + 4 \right) + C\,s \left( s + 3 \right) &\equiv 36 \end{align*}$

Let $\displaystyle \begin{align*} s = 0 \end{align*}$ to find $\displaystyle \begin{align*} 12A = 36 \implies A = 3 \end{align*}$. Let $\displaystyle \begin{align*} s = -3 \end{align*}$ to find $\displaystyle \begin{align*} -3B = 36 \implies B = -12 \end{align*}$. Let $\displaystyle \begin{align*} s = -4 \end{align*}$ to find $\displaystyle \begin{align*} 4C = 36 \implies C = 9 \end{align*}$. So that means $\displaystyle \begin{align*} \frac{36}{s \left( s + 3 \right) \left( s + 4 \right) } \equiv \frac{3}{s} - \frac{12}{s + 3} + \frac{9}{s + 4} \end{align*}$. So for starters, a mistake is that you have 1/3 as one of the coefficients instead of 3. Anyway...

$\displaystyle \begin{align*} Y(s) &= -\frac{36}{s \left( s + 3 \right) \left( s + 4 \right) } e^{-2s} \\ Y(s) &= \left( -\frac{3}{s} + \frac{12}{s + 3} - \frac{9}{s + 4} \right) \, e^{-2s} \end{align*}$

and now we apply the rule $\displaystyle \begin{align*} \mathcal{L}^{-1} \left\{ e^{-a\,s} \, F(s) \right\} = f(t-a)\,H(t-a) \end{align*}$. Notice that $\displaystyle \begin{align*} \mathcal{L}^{-1} \left\{ -\frac{3}{s} + \frac{12}{s + 3} - \frac{9}{s + 4} \right\} = -3 + 12e^{-3t} - 9e^{-4t} \end{align*}$, so that means

$\displaystyle \begin{align*} Y(s) &= \left( -\frac{3}{s} + \frac{12}{s + 3} - \frac{9}{s + 4} \right) \, e^{-2s} \\ y(t) &= \mathcal{L}^{-1} \left\{ \left( -\frac{3}{s} + \frac{12}{s + 3} - \frac{9}{s + 4} \right) \, e^{-2s} \right\} \\ y(t) &= \left[ -3 + 12e^{-3 \left( t - 2 \right) } - 9 e^{-4 \left( t - 2 \right) } \right] \, H(t - 2) \end{align*}$2. If you had entered:

( 2 + 16sinh(6(t-2)) ) H(t-2)

you would have gotten the answer correct. Yes, what the solution gives is the same as this with a factor of 2 taken out.3. Starting with $\displaystyle \begin{align*} 8t^2 - 32t &= 8 \left( t^2 - 4t \right) \end{align*}$, let $\displaystyle \begin{align*} u = t - 4 \implies t = u + 4 \end{align*}$, then we have

$\displaystyle \begin{align*} 8 \left( t^2 - 4t \right) &= 8 \left[ \left( u + 4 \right) ^2 - 4 \left( u + 4 \right) \right] \\ &= 8 \left( u^2 + 8u + 16 - 4u - 16 \right) \\ &= 8 \left( u^2 + 4u \right) \\ &= 8 \left[ \left( t - 4 \right) ^2 + 4 \left( t - 4 \right) \right] \end{align*}$

This is why there is a + instead of a - where your answer differ. Continuing we have...

$\displaystyle \begin{align*} \mathcal{L} \left\{ -2t + 11 + H(t - 4) \, \left( 8t^2 - 32t \right) \right\} &= \mathcal{L} \left\{ -2t + 11 + 8H(t-4) \, \left[ \left( t - 4 \right) ^2 + 4 \left( t - 4 \right) \right] \right\} \\ &= -\frac{2}{s^2} + \frac{11}{s} + 8e^{-4s} \, \mathcal{L} \left\{ t^2 + 4t \right\} \\ &= -\frac{2}{s^2} + \frac{11}{s} + 8e^{-4s} \left( \frac{2}{s^3} + \frac{4}{s^2} \right) \end{align*}$

To answer your other question, Weblearn uses the same syntax as Maple, and all brackets (even nested brackets) should be entered as round brackets.
 
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So in your case, your final answer could have been entered into Weblearn as:

(-2/s^2) + (11/s) + (8*exp(-4*s)) * ( (2/s^3) + (4/s^2) )

I hope that helps.

 

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