Power Series/series solutions near a point

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around finding independent solutions to a second-order differential equation given in the form (2+x²)y'' - xy' + 4y = 0. Participants are tasked with determining the first four terms of the corresponding series solution expressed as Σa(n)x^n.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the formulation of the series and the derivatives of the series terms. There are attempts to derive a recurrence relation for the coefficients a(n) and to express the solutions in terms of a(0) and a(1). Some participants express uncertainty about the correctness of their derived equations and seek clarification on the steps taken.

Discussion Status

There is an ongoing exploration of the series solutions, with multiple participants sharing their attempts and questioning the correctness of their approaches. Some guidance has been offered regarding the need for specific cases for the first few terms and the importance of aligning the powers of x in the series. However, no explicit consensus has been reached on the correct formulation or solution.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the constraints of homework rules, which may limit the extent of assistance provided. There is a focus on ensuring that the series representation is correctly aligned with the differential equation's terms, and some participants express confusion regarding the treatment of constants during differentiation.

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Homework Statement


given the equation (2+x2)y''-xy'+4y determine the first four terms of the coresponding independent solutions (a(0),a(1))
given the solution is [itex]\Sigma[/itex]a(n)xn

Homework Equations


when I calculated the series i got a(n+2)= (n(n-2)+4)/2(n+2)(n+1)


The Attempt at a Solution


so when I used values of 0-7 for n i got a(0),a(1)/4,...ect I'm not sure if my series equations is incorrect any help would be great
 
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show your steps

There should be 2 independent solutions as it is a 2nd order DE. These can be presented in terms of the first coefficients a(0) and a(1)

Generally you should find a general recurrence relation for general n, however you may need specific cases for the first few terms
 
show your steps

There should be 2 independent solutions as it is a 2nd order DE. These can be presented in terms of the first coefficients a(0) and a(1)

Generally you should find a general recurrence relation for general n, however you may need specific cases for the first few terms
 
I find two series with a(0) and a(1) but its wrong and no matter how many times I try to equate my equation for a(n+2) i get the same equation I posted so I'm not sure where I am screwing up
 
I can't be sure either without seeing what you've tried... ;) if you show your attempt I can have a look though
 
Last edited:
dp182 said:

Homework Statement


given the equation (2+x2)y''-xy'+4y determine the first four terms of the coresponding independent solutions (a(0),a(1))
given the solution is [itex]\Sigma[/itex]a(n)xn

also that's not quite an equation, do you mean
(2+x2)y''-xy'+4y=0?
 
from the beginning:
since the answer is of the form y=[itex]\Sigma[/itex]anxn so the first and second order derivatives are y'=[itex]\Sigma[/itex]nanxn-1 and y''=[itex]\Sigma[/itex]n(n-1)anxn-2 so plugging those into the original equation we get
(2+x2)[itex]\Sigma[/itex]n(n-1)anxn-2-x[itex]\Sigma[/itex]nanxn-1+4[itex]\Sigma[/itex]anxn and from that equation you can see that the zero terms for the first order and second order for x2 will be zero so you won't need to change the order, and for the 2y'' term setting the sigma to 0 gives the form
2[itex]\Sigma[/itex](n+2)(n+1)an+2xn
so you can then factor out the [itex]\Sigma[/itex] and the xn terms so what's left i used to formulate the equation for an+2 and then subbed in values for n to get terms for a2...a10 in terms of a0 and a1
thats how I did it and it follows my instructors example completely but I am unable to get the correct answer hope this is helpful
 
ok so following along (note you can write a whole equation in tex)

first in these problems its worth including the sum as terms will be a little different at low n as the derivative of a constant is zero
[tex]y = \sum_{n=0}a_nx^n[/tex]
[tex]y' = \sum_{n=1}a_nnx^{n-1}[/tex]
[tex]y'' = \sum_{n=2}a_nn(n-1)x^{n-2}[/tex]
 
Last edited:
the sums and powers can get a little confusing so here's a reasonably foolproof recipe for putting it all together

now calculating each term in the DE
[tex]4y = 4\sum_{n=0}a_nx^n[/tex]
[tex]xy' = x\sum_{n=1}a_n n x^{n-1} = \sum_{n=1}a_n n x^{n}[/tex]
[tex]2y'' = 2\sum_{n=2}a_n n (n-1)x^{n-2}[/tex]
[tex]x^2y'' = x^2\sum_{n=2}a_nn (n-1)x^{n-2}= \sum_{n=2}a_nn (n-1)x^{n}[/tex]

the next trick I find useful is to re-write each sum so the sum has the power of x expressed in the same form and change the indexes to align.

so we can group three terms together, those with x to the power of n, and these need no change but we change m to n for clarity
[tex]m = n[/tex]
[tex]4y = 4\sum_{m=0}a_m x^m[/tex]
[tex]xy'= \sum_{m=1}a_m m x^{m}[/tex]
[tex]x^2y'' = \sum_{m=2}a_m m (m-1) x^{m}[/tex]

now for the n-2 power term we do the following shift
[tex]m = n-2\implies n=m+2[/tex]
[tex]2y'' = 2\sum_{n=2}a_nn(n-1)x^{n-2}= 2\sum_{m=0}a_{m+2}(m+2)(m+1)x^{m}[/tex]

from here it should be a simple case to substitute into the original and compare terms,

note the sums start at different m values so you may want to write out the terms for m<2 explicitly and have sums form m=2 up
 
Last edited:
  • #10
That is the same as what I did except there are no constants when you took the derivative's of the series how come you don't add any new terms when you took your derivatives
 
  • #11
sorry i don't understand the question?
[tex]\frac{d}{dx} (a_0x^0) = \frac{d}{dx} (a_0.1) = 0[/tex]
 
  • #12
when you took the answer to the ode
y=[itex]\sum[/itex]anxn and then derived it to get
y'=[itex]\sum[/itex]anxn-1 shouldn't you bring down the n as a constant? and if not then wouldn't your solution for am+2=am?
 
  • #13
woops that one slipped through cutting & pasting tex, sorry, have corrected above
 
Last edited:
  • #14
so then the equation for am+2 would be
am+2=(-m(m-1)+m-4)am/(m+2)(m+1) which would be the same one I got before
 
  • #15
Nvm I am an idiot lol thanks a lot you've really helped
 
  • #16
yeah so i think you got it but it should become
[tex](2+x^2)y''-xy'+4y=0[/tex]
[tex] =2\sum_{m=0}a_{m+2}(m+2)(m+1)x^{m}+<br /> \sum_{m=2}a_m m (m-1) x^{m}+<br /> \sum_{m=1}a_m m x^{m}+<br /> 4\sum_{m=0}a_m x^m[/tex]
[tex] =2\sum_{m=0}a_{m+2}(m+2)(m+1)x^{m}+<br /> \sum_{m=2}a_m m (m-1) x^{m}+<br /> \sum_{m=1}a_m m x^{m}+<br /> 4\sum_{m=0}a_m x^m[/tex]
[tex] =2a_{2}+6a_{3}x+<br /> a_1 x+<br /> a_0 +a_1 x+<br /> +\sum_{m=2}(a_{m+2}(m+2)(m+1)+a_m m (m-1)+a_m m +a_m )x^{m}<br /> =0[/tex]
 

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