Troubleshooting Integration: Help with Basic Integration Mistakes

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around troubleshooting a basic integration problem involving the equation \(\frac{dh}{dt} = -0.064*\sqrt{h}\). The original poster expresses difficulty in identifying a mistake made during the integration process, particularly in relation to an initial value problem.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts integration by substitution and expresses concern about missing a term in their solution. They question the accuracy of their integration steps and the resulting general solution. Other participants suggest checking the manipulation of the equation and provide alternative forms of the solution.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different interpretations of the integration steps and the implications of the initial conditions. Some guidance has been offered regarding the manipulation of the equations, but no consensus has been reached on the correct approach or solution.

Contextual Notes

The original poster indicates that this is an initial value problem with the condition \(h(0) = 10\). There are references to discrepancies between their results and those obtained using Maple, suggesting potential misunderstandings in the integration process.

EtherealMonkey
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This is the integral that I am having trouble with
[tex]\frac{dh}{dt} = -0.064*\sqrt{h}[/tex]

I hope you will kindly nudge me to the point where I have made a mistake
I did this problem by hand (and can scan and present if anyone is interested.)
Anyway, I used Maple to check my work and found that I must have made a mistake during integration because I am missing a term.

Here is my work:

[tex]\int \frac{1}{\sqrt{h}} dh = -0.064 \int dt[/tex]

Using integration by substitution:

[tex]u = \sqrt{h}[/tex]

[tex]du = \frac{1}{\sqrt{h}} dh[/tex]

[tex]\int \frac{1}{\sqrt{h}} dh \rightarrow 2\int \frac{u}{u} du \rightarrow 2*\sqrt{h}[/tex]

After integration by substitution and the simple integration on the RHS:
[tex]2*\sqrt{h} = -0.064*t+C_{1}[/tex]

Putting the equation in General form:
[tex]\sqrt{h}+0.032*t=C_{1}[/tex]

The problem is occurring before this point (I believe)
[tex]h = -0.001024*t^{2}+C_{1}[/tex]

This was an initial value problem with h(0) = 10;
But, the problem occurs before this point (as I stated above).
Because, the general solution of the IVP in Maple includes a single term in t, where the solution I found below - does not.

Using h(0)=10;
[tex]h = -0.001024*t^{2} + 10;[/tex]

The answer I found with Maple (for my own reference, I suppose
[tex]h(t) = \frac{16}{15625}*t^{2}-\frac{8}{125}*t*\sqrt{10}+10[/tex]
 
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EtherealMonke said:
After integration by substitution and the simple integration on the RHS:
[tex]2*\sqrt{h} = -0.064*t+C_{1}[/tex]

Putting the equation in General form:
[tex]\sqrt{h}+0.032*t=C_{1}[/tex]

The problem is occurring before this point (I believe)
[tex]h = -0.001024*t^{2}+C_{1}[/tex]

After you get √h by itself in the middle equation, square both sides entirely.
 
[tex]h=(\frac{16}{125})^2(t+C)^2[/tex]
 
Thanks all.

Got it.
 

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