MHB MCK's questions at Yahoo Answers regarding an inexact ODE

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The discussion centers on solving the inexact ordinary differential equation (ODE) given by y + 3y^7 = (y^5 + 6x)y'. The ODE is transformed into differential form, revealing it is inexact, prompting the search for an integrating factor. The integrating factor is determined to be μ(y) = 1/y^7, allowing the equation to become exact. After integration, the general solution is expressed as F(x,y) = xy^{-6} + 3x + y^{-1} = C, where C is an arbitrary constant. The conversation also includes a suggestion to post further questions in a dedicated differential equations forum due to access issues on Yahoo.
MarkFL
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Here is the question:

Find the general solution of the following differential equation...?

y+3y^7=(y^5+6x)y′.

Write your solution in the form F(x,y)=C, where C is an arbitrary constant.

Thank you.

I have posted a link there to this topic so the OP can see my work.
 
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Hello MCK,

I would first write the ODE in differential form:

$$\left(y+3y^7 \right)dx+\left(-y^5-6x \right)dy=0$$

Next, let us compute:

$$\frac{\partial}{\partial y}\left(y+3y^7 \right)=1+21y^6$$

$$\frac{\partial}{\partial x}\left(-y^5-6x \right)=-6$$

Hence, we find the equation is inexact. So we look for an integrating factor. To do this, we consider:

$$\frac{(-6)-\left(1+21y^6 \right)}{y+3y^7}=-\frac{21y^6+7}{3y^7+y}$$

Since this is a function of just $y$, we find our special integrating factor with:

$$\mu(y)=\exp\left(\int -\frac{21y^6+7}{3y^7+y}\,dy \right)$$

To compute the integrating factor, we need to compute:

$$\int \frac{21y^6+7}{3y^7+y}\,dy$$

Let's write the integrand as:

$$\frac{21y^6+7}{3y^7+y}=\frac{21y^6+1}{3y^7+y}+ \frac{6}{3y^7+y}$$

The first term is easily integrated, and for the second term, let's use partial fraction decomposition to write:

$$\frac{6}{3y^7+y}=\frac{6}{y}-\frac{18y^5}{3y^6+1}$$

And so, putting all of this together, we find:

$$\mu(y)=e^{-\left(\ln\left|3y^7+y \right|+6\ln|y|-\ln\left|3y^6+1 \right| \right)}$$

Hence:

$$\mu(y)=\frac{3y^6+1}{y^6\left(3y^7+y \right)}=\frac{1}{y^7}$$

Multiplying the ODE by this factor, we obtain:

$$\left(y^{-6}+3 \right)dx+\left(-y^{-2}-6xy^{-7} \right)dy=0$$

Now, it is easy to see that we have an exact ODE. Hence:

$$\frac{\partial F}{\partial x}=y^{-6}+3$$

Integrating with respect to $x$, we find:

$$F(x,y)=xy^{-6}+3x+g(y)$$

Now, to determine $g(y)$, we differentiate with respect to $y$, recalling $$\frac{\partial F}{\partial x}=-y^{-2}-6xy^{-7}$$:

$$-y^{-2}-6xy^{-7}=-6xy^{-7}+g'(y)$$

Thus, we find:

$$g'(y)=-y^{-2}$$

Hence, by integrating, we obtain:

$$g(y)=y^{-1}$$

And so we have:

$$F(x,y)=xy^{-6}+3x+y^{-1}$$

And so the solution to the ODE is given implicitly by:

$$xy^{-6}+3x+y^{-1}=C$$

edit: Hello MCK, I saw your message at Yahoo asking me to take a look at another of your questions posted there, however, Yahoo will not let me access the link, nor will it let me post a comment there. As an alternative, you could post the question here in our differential equations forum.
 
Here is a little puzzle from the book 100 Geometric Games by Pierre Berloquin. The side of a small square is one meter long and the side of a larger square one and a half meters long. One vertex of the large square is at the center of the small square. The side of the large square cuts two sides of the small square into one- third parts and two-thirds parts. What is the area where the squares overlap?

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