Tutorial Two Problems for BSc in Sciences Education Year Three and BSc in

Mathematical Sciences Year Two in January 2025

Instruction: Attempt to work on all problems on this tutorial paper.

1. Find the auxiliary equation of the differential equation: (6)

d2 y dy
a +b + cy = 0.
dx2 dx

2. Verify that y1 = e4x and y2 = e2x both satisfy the constant coefficient linear homogeneous equation: (8)

d2 y dy
2
−6 + 8y = 0.
dx dx
Write down the general solution of this equation.

3. Find values of k so that y = ekx is a solution of (10)

d2 y dy
− − 6y = 0.
dx2 dx
Hence state the general solution.
4. By substituting y = ekx find values of k so that y is a solution of (6)

d2 y dy
−3 + 2y = 0.
dx2 dx
Hence, write down two solutions, and the general solution of this equation.

5. Find the general solution of: (10)

(a) (8)
d2 y dy
+3 − 10y = 0.
dx2 dx
(b) (8)
d2 y
+ 4y = 0.
dx2
 (c) (5)
y ′′ + 2y ′ + 4y = 0.
(d) (6)
d2 y dy
+8 + 16y = 0.
dx2 dx
6. Show that y = − 14 e2x is a particular integral of (5)

d2 y dy
− − 6y = e2x .
dx2 dx

7. Find a particular integral of the equation (5)

d2 y dy
2
− − 6y = e2x .
dx dx

8. By trying a solution of the form y = Ae−x , find a particular integral of the equation (5)
d2 y dy
+ − 2y = 3e−x .
dx2 dx
9. Obtain a particular integral of the equation:
(a) (6)
d2 y dy
−6 + 8y = x.
dx2 dx
(b) (5)
d2 y dy
2
−6 + 8y = 3 cos x.
dx dx
10. Find the general solution of (10)
d2 y dy
2
+3 − 10y = 3x2 .
dx dx
11. The differential equation governing the flow of current in a series LC circuit when subject to an (10)
applied voltage v(t) = V0 sin ωt is
d2 i 1
L + i = ωV0 cos ωt
dt2 C

L C

Obtain its general solution.

12. Show that y1 = e−3t and y2 = e−t form a fundamental set of solutions for the differential equation (6)

y ′′ + 4y ′ + 3y = 0.

13. Determine the Wronskian of two solutions to the following differential equation. (6)
d2 y dy
t4 2
− 2t3 − t8 y = 0.
dt dt

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14. Find a general solution to the following differential equation (10)

d2 y dy et
− 2 + y = .
dt2 dt t2 + 1

15. A 16 kg object stretches a spring 89 m by itself. There is no damping and no external forces acting (10)
on the system. The spring is initially displaced 6 cm upwards from its equilibrium position and given
an initial velocity of 1 m/sec downward. Find the displacement at any time, s(t).
16. A 3 kg object is attached to spring and will stretch the spring 392 mm by itself. There is no damping (10)
in the system and a forcing function of the form

F (t) = 10 cos(ωt)

is attached to the object and the system will experience resonance. If the object is initially displaced
20 cm downward from its equilibrium position and given a velocity of 10 cm/sec upward find the
displacement at any time t.
17. At a given moment in time, the displacement y of an oscillating guitar string at a distance x from (10)
one of its ends satisfies the differential equation

d2 y
+ k2 y = 0
dx2
for a fixed constant k, which is proportional to the frequency of the oscillation (i.e. the pitch of sound
produced). The string is held fixed at its ends, x = 0 and x = L, so that y(x) satisfies the boundary
conditions y(0) = 0 and y(L) = 0. Find the possible solutions to this boundary-value problem, and
show that solutions can be found only if k = πn/L, where n is an integer.
18. Suppose that the displacement x(t) of a forced damped harmonic oscillator obeys the inhomogeneous (10)
equation
d2 x dx
+ 2Γ + ω02 x = a0 cos(ωt),
dt2 dt
where Γ, ω0 , and a0 are positive constants. Find a particular integral for this equation, and hence
obtain an expression for the amplitude as a function of ω.

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