MATH 1005H Fall 2015

Test Three Solutions

1. (8 marks) Given the fact that the homogeneous equation x2 y 00 − 2xy 0 − 10y = 0
has two independent solutions y1 = x−2 and y2 = x5 , use variation of parameters
to find a particular solution yp for the equation

x2 y 00 − 2xy 0 − 10y = 7x5

Do not give the general solution. (Don’t forget to put the equation in standard
form first!)
Solution: The equation in standard form is
2 10
y 00 − y 0 − 2 y = 7x3 ,
x x
and so f (x) = 7x3 . The Wronskian is

x−2
 
x5
W (x) = det = (x−2 )(5x4 ) − (x5 )(−2x−3 ) = 7x2 .
−2x−3 5x4

Thus
−y2 f (x) −x5 (7x3 )
Z Z Z
1
u1 = dx = dx = − x6 dx = − x7
W (x) 7x2 7
and
x−2 (7x3 )
Z Z Z
y1 f (x) 1
u2 = dx = dx = dx = ln x.
W (x) 7x2 x
Thus a particular solution is
1 1
yp = u1 y1 + u2 y2 = − x7 x−2 + (ln x)(x5 ) = − x5 + x5 ln x.
7 7
Since x5 is a solution to the homogeneous equation, we can drop it from yp and
take
yp = x5 ln x.
 0 
x = −3x + 2y
2. (a) (6 marks) Find a fundamental matrix for the system .
y 0 = −5x + 4y
(b) (4 marks) Use your answer from part (a) to find solutions x(t) and y(t) of
the initial-value problem
 0 
x = −3x + 2y
, x(0) = 3, y(0) = −3.
y 0 = −5x + 4y

Solution:

1
(a) We must find the eigenvalues and corresponding eigenvectors for the matrix
 
−3 2
.
−5 4
We have
 
 λ + 3 −2 
det(λI − A) =  
5 λ−4 
= (λ + 3)(λ − 4) − (−10)
= λ2 − λ − 2
= (λ − 2)(λ + 1) = 0
for λ1 = 2 and λ2 = −1. These are theeigenvalues
 of A.
a
For λ1 = 2, (λ1 I − A)v = 0 with v = yields
b
    
5 −2 a 0
= .
5 −2 b 0
Thus 5a − 2b = 0. We choose b = 5, and thus a = 2. Therefore
 
2
v1 =
5
is an eigenvector corresponding to λ1 = 2 (note that any non-zero scalar
multiple of this vector may be used instead).
 
a
For λ2 = −1, (λ1 I − A)v = 0 with v = yields
b
    
2 −2 a 0
= .
5 −5 b 0
Thus 2a − 2b = 0. We choose b = 1, and thus a = 1. Therefore
 
1
v2 =
1
is an eigenvector corresponding to λ2 = −1 (note that any non-zero scalar
multiple of this vector may be used instead).
Two linearly independent solutions are
   2t 
λ1 t 2t 2 2e
x1 (t) = e v1 = e =
5 5e2t
and
2e−t
   
λ2 t −t 1
x2 (t) = e v2 = e = .
1 e−t
Thus a fundamental matrix is
2e2t e−t
 
X(t) = .
5e2t e−t

2
 −1
(b) The solution
 to the initial-value problem is x(t) = X(t)X(0) x0 where
3
x0 = . We have
−3
 
2 1
X(0) = ,
5 1

and so  
−1 1 1 −1
X(0) =− .
3 −5 2
The solution is
1 2e2t e−t
   
1 −1 3
x(t) = −
3 5e2t e−t −5 2 −3
 2t −t   
2e e −2
= 2t −t
5e e 7
−t
 2t

−4e + 7e
= .
−10e2t + 7e−t

That is,
x(t) = −4e2t + 7e−t
y(t) = −10e2t + 7e−t .
 
1 −3
3. (6 marks) Given that the matrix A = has complex eigenvalue λ =
3 1
 
−1
1 + 3i with corresponding eigenvector v = , find two real, linearly
i
independent solutions x1 (t) and x2 (t) of the system
 0 
x = x − 3y
.
y 0 = 3x + y

Solution: We have α = 1 and β = 3. Since

     
−1 −1 0
v= = +i ,
i 0 1

we have    
−1 0
a= and b = .
0 1
Two independent solutions are

x1 (t) = eαt (cos(βt)a − sin(βt)b)

    
t −1 0
= e cos(3t) − sin(3t)
0 1
 
− cos(3t)
= et
− sin(3t)

3
 and

x2 (t) = eαt (sin(βt)a + cos(βt)b)

    
t −1 0
= e sin(3t) + cos(3t)
0 1
 
− sin(3t)
= et .
cos(3t)
 
1 1
4. (6 marks) The matrix A = has only one eigenvalue λ1 = 3, which
−4 5  
1
has only one independent corresponding eigenvector v1 = . Thus one
2
solution of the system
x0 = x + y
 

y 0 = −4x + 5y
 
3t 1
is x1 (t) = e . Find a second independent solution x2 (t) to this system.
2
Solution: To find a second solution, we look at (A − λ1 I)u1 = u0 . We can use
 
1
u0 = v1 = .
2
 
a
Let u1 = . Then
b
    
−2 1 a 1
= ,
−4 2 b 2

which yields the equation −2a + b = 1 (the second equation is a 

multiple
 of this
1
equation). We choose a = 1, and thus b = 3. We have u1 = . Thus a
3
second independent solution is

x2 (t) = eλ1 t (tu0 + u1 )

    
3t 1 1
=e t +
2 3
 
t+1
= e3t .
2t + 3