Separable Equations
The next simplest case is when the rate of change dydx can be factored in a way that separates the dependance of x and y. In particular,
A differential equation is called separable if it's of the form
dydx=f(x)g(y).
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If g≠0, we can cross-multiply to get dyg(y)=f(x)dx and then integrate both sides. This yields G(y)=F(x)+C, where F and G are anti-derivatives of f and 1/g, respectively. As always, we need to plug in the value of one point to determine C.
Example: Find the solutions of
dydx=xy2+x.
Solution:
The equation is separable, since the rate of change dydx can be written as f(x)g(y)=x(y2+1). Notice that y2+1≠0. Hence,
dyy2+1=xdx
We integrate both sides
∫dyy2+1=∫xdx
to get
arctan(y)=x22+C,
or,
y=tan(x22+C).
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