# How to derive equation from RLC circuit?

1. Oct 20, 2013

### Nat3

1. The problem statement, all variables and given/known data

http://imageshack.com/a/img580/682/z3mt.jpg

Derive a linear differential equation for the above LTI system.

2. Relevant equations
$i_C=C\frac{dV_C(t)}{dt}$

$V_L=L\frac{di_L(t)}{dt}$

3. The attempt at a solution
Using KVL, I can get the following equation:

$V_{in}(t)=L\frac{di(t)_L}{dt}+i(t)R_A+\int\frac{i(t)}{C}dt+V_o(t)$

However, I don't know where to go from here. All of the differential equations describing LTI systems in my textbook look like:

$ay'' + by' + cy = g(x)$

Or something similar to that, and then we factor out the y to get something like

$(aD^2+bD+c)y = g(x)$

Then we factor what's in the parenthesis to find the characteristic roots.

Any advice on how to proceed?

2. Oct 20, 2013

### Pythagorean

so what operation could you do to that whole equation to get it into a form you feel comfortable with?

3. Oct 20, 2013

### Nat3

Well, I thought about differentiating it to get rid of the integral, which results in:

$\frac{dV_{in}(t)}{dt}=L\frac{d^2i(t)}{dt^2}+\frac{di(t)}{dt}R_A+\frac{i(t)}{C}+\frac{dV_{o}(t)}{dt}$

But then I don't know where to go from there.. I think it's the $V_{in}$ and $V_o$ terms that are getting me tripped up.

4. Oct 20, 2013

### Staff: Mentor

Is the objective to find a D.E. that describes Vo(t) when there's a driving function of Vin(t)? Note that the current i(t) depends on RB as well as RA. So RB needs to appear in your equation.

If you find the D.E. for i(t) given Vin(t) (ignoring Vo for the moment), then you can convert it to a D.E. for Vo(t) easily enough since Vo(t) = i(t)*RB.

5. Oct 20, 2013

### Pythagorean

That's what I would have done. I don't know the convention in circuit analysis, but:

$$\Delta V = V_{out} - V_{in}$$

And then you're measuring the potential difference.

6. Oct 20, 2013

### Nat3

The instructions say to derive a linear differential equation describing the circuit I posted, where the equation should be expressed in terms of the differentiation operator D and the circuit parameters (L, RA, RB, etc.)

The next problem is to find the characteristic roots and modes of the system, so I'm pretty sure that I need to get the equation in the standard form of $ay′′+by′+cy=g(x)$, I'm just not sure how to get there :(

7. Oct 20, 2013

### Pythagorean

I think you have it already. You're not asked to solve it right?

edit: gotchya, missed that...

Last edited: Oct 20, 2013