Math 2280 - Lecture 4: Separable

Equations and Applications

Dylan Zwick
Spring 2013

For the last two lectures we’ve studied first-order differential equations
in standard form

y ′ = f (x, y).

We learned how to solve these differential equations for the special sit-
uation where f (x, y) is independent of the variable y, and is just a function
of x, f (x). We also learned about slope fields, which give us a geometric
method for understanding solutions and approximating them, even if we
cannot find them directly.
Today we’re going to discuss how to solve first-order differential equa-
tions in standard form in the special situation where the function f (x, y) is
separable, which means we can write f (x, y) as the product of a funciton of
x, and a function of y.
The exercises for this section are:

Section 1.4 - 1, 3, 17, 19, 31, 35, 53, 68

1
Separable Equations and How to Solve Them
Suppose we have a first-order differential equation in standard form:

dy
= h(x, y).
dx

If the function h(x, y) is separable we can write it as the product of two

functions, one a function of x, and the other a function of y. So,

g(x)
h(x, y) = .
f (y)

In this situation we can manipulate our differtial equation to put ev-

erything with a y term on one side, and everything with an x term on the
other:

f (y)dy = f (x)dx.

From here we can just integrate both sides of the equation, and then
solve for y as a funciton of x!
So, for example, suppose we’re given the differential equation

dP
= P 2.
dt

We can rewrite this equation as

dP
= dt,
P2

and then integrate both sides of the equation to get

1
− = t + C.
P
2
 Solving this for P as a function of t gives us

1 1
P (t) = .
C−t

Note that this function has a vertical asymptote as t approaches C. If

this is a population model, this is called doomsday!

Examples of Separable Differential Equations

Suppose we’re given the differential equation

dy 4 − 2x
= 2 .
dx 3y − 5

This differential equation is separable, and we can rewrite it as

(3y 2 − 5)dy = (4 − 2x)dx.

If we integrate both sides of this differential equation

Z Z
2
(3y − 5)dy = (4 − 2x)dx

we get

y 3 − 5y = 4x − x2 + C.

This is a solution to our differential equation, but we cannot readily

solve this equation for y in terms of x. So, our solution to this differential
equation must be implicit.
1
Note that we’re playing a little fast and loose with the unknown constant C here.
In particular, if we multiply an unknown constant C by −1, it’s still just an unknown
constant, and we continue to call it (positive) C.

3
 If we’re given an initial value, say y (1) = 3, then we can easily solve
for the unknown constant C:

33_5(3) =4(1)— 1
+C=C=9.
2

So, around the point (1, 3) the differential equation will have the unique
solution given implicitly by the curve defined by

2
—
= —

+ •

Example Find all solutions to the differential equation

-

dy
6x(y-1)
dx

C
(y-i) I

y (/) I i t 150 c

3 4
(y-i)’ 2 7.
If ee e,i ‘,f’/
v/ ptbJei
:?
z o/i4j;

y; (x)

/?/7 07)

4
 L
0
>c
Lfl
fl
qJ
(J
—4-- S ¶
s
o 0
0
- cD -_s
 A very common, and simple, type of differential equation that is used
to model many, many things2 is

dx
= kx
dt

where k is some constant.

Now, this is a separable equation, and so it can be solved by our meth-
ods. First, we rewrite it as

dx
= kdt,
x

and then integrate both sides

Z Z
dx
= kdt
x

to get

ln x = kt + C.

If we then exponentiate both sides we get

x(t) = ekt+C = eC ekt = Cekt .3

So, the solution to our differential equation is exponential growth (if

k > 0) or exponential decay (if k < 0). If k = 0 the answer is just a boring
unknown constant.
2
Compound interest, population growth, radioactive decay, etc...
3
The American Society for the Prevention of Notation Abuse would strongly protest
this last equality. I’m just saying that eC , where C is an unknown constant, is itself just an
unknown constant, and I don’t like having to come up with new letters, so I just continue
to represent the unknown constant as C.

6
 Radioactive decay is quite accurately measured by an exponential de
C decay, the decay constant is k
cay function. For ‘
4 —0.0001216 if t is
measured in years.
Example Carbon taken from a purported relic of the time of Christ con
-

tained 4.6 x 1010 atoms of 140 per gram. Carbon extracted from a present-
day specimen of the same substance contained 5.0 x 1010 atoms of ‘C per
1
gram. Compute the approximate age of the relic. What is your opinion as
to its authenticity?

() (C

(()= -xfo
Co

— Qc)1l/

/ 0
io)
1
q

5) pI

qyd_)