# I Few maths questions ..??

1. Jul 13, 2016

### awholenumber

i have been trying to learn maths from some basics .. because i had to do programming related to maths which was in my college syllabus ...

i have been trying to narrow it down .. because we lacked proper texts and materials to learn it properly ...

the whole thing sort of looked a bit like this ...

i was wondering about the difference between a differential equations and functions like f(x,y) =

??

2. Jul 13, 2016

### Staff: Mentor

Can we narrow this to "how would I recognize a differential equation if I were to encounter one"?

3. Jul 13, 2016

### awholenumber

is it a differential equation ... ?? i am sorry i am new to differential equation too ...

so its a bit like, function in one variable vs a function in two variables...

i am not sure what to google to learn such functions ...

4. Jul 13, 2016

### Nidum

5. Jul 13, 2016

### awholenumber

Nidum ,

thanks for the link ...
i have few more doubts ...
the simple differential equations i have encountered .. sorts of looked a bit like this ...

is this a function of one variable or two variables ... ??

are these differential equations too ??

6. Jul 13, 2016

### Staff: Mentor

Differential equations are different from the algebraic equations you've earlier encountered. If you google "differential equations" I'm sure you'll find everything you could hope for.

A differential equation might look like this: $\color{blue}{\frac{dy}{dx}=x+3}$

$\frac{dy}{dx}$ is a way of expressing the gradient of the curve, and this equation tells you the gradient of the curve as a function of x. There are an infinite number of curves whose gradients satisfy this equation, those curves being all identical except for their intercept on the y-axis. To specify exactly one of those curves, you just also need to indicate a point lying on it, any point will do.

You have already encountered differential equations, though they were in disguise. Recall this equation of motion: $v=v_{\scriptsize0}+at$, and remember that acceleration is $\frac{∆v}{∆t}$,
so the equation can be written as $v=v_{\scriptsize0}+\frac{∆v}{∆t}t$,
or using differentials, as $v=v_{\scriptsize 0}+\frac{dv}{dt}t$.

So differential equations are not totally new to you, even though this way of writing them is new.

7. Jul 13, 2016

### awholenumber

thanks NascentOxygen ,

very nice explanation ...

the problem i was facing was that since i am not a native english speaker ...i don't always get the terminologies properly ... i might have to google terms like gradient and things like all that to understand what it really means in mathematics terms ...

few more doubts ..
i am basically trying to understand the difference between these two ..

as for differential equations .. i have been making some notes for it in the last couple of days ..so i think i am a bit familiar with differential equations now ..

Last edited by a moderator: Jul 13, 2016
8. Jul 13, 2016

### Staff: Mentor

The gradient $\frac{dy}{dx}$ is the instantaneous change of y with respect to x

9. Jul 13, 2016

### awholenumber

NascentOxygen ,

thanks a lot ...

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