Chemical Engineering Department
CHAPTER 4. SEPARABLE FIRST-ORDER
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
COURSE CODE: KMÜ 237
COURSE TITLE: ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS
COURSE TEXTBOOK: Bronson, R., Costa, G., "Schaum's Outlines Differential
Equations" 3rd Ed., McGraw-Hill Companies, USA, 2006
4. Separable First-Order Differential
Equations
General Solution: The solution to the first-order separable
differential equation
𝐴 𝑥 𝑑𝑥 + 𝐵 𝑦 𝑑𝑦 = 0
is ∫ 𝐴 𝑥 𝑑𝑥 + ∫ 𝐵 𝑦 𝑑𝑦 = ∫𝑜
where c represents an arbitrary constants.
Solutions to the Initial-Value Problem:
The solution to the initial-value problem
𝐴 𝑥 𝑑𝑥 + 𝐵 𝑦 𝑑𝑦 = 0
y( x ) = y
0 0
can be obtained, as usual, by first using
ò A( x)dx + ò B( y )dy = c
to solve the differential equation and then applying the
initial condition directly to evaluate c.
Alternatively, the solution to
A( x)dx + B( y )dy = 0 y( x ) = y
0 0
can be obtained from
x y
ò A( x)dx + ò B( y )dy
x0 y0
=0
Example 4.1 Solve xdx - y 2 dy = 0
A(x)=x B(y)=-y2
∫ 𝑥𝑑𝑥 + ∫ −𝑦2𝑑𝑦 = C
!"!
#
- y 3 = 3C
! !
𝑦3 = # x2 - 3C y = (# x2 + k)1/3
k
Problem 4.5. Solve
x +1
y = 4
ı
y +1
(x+1) dx + (-y4 – 1) dy = 0
A(x) B(y)
İs separable
∫ 𝑥 + 1 𝑑𝑥 + ∫ −𝑦4 − 1 𝑑𝑦 = ∫ 0 = 𝐶
"! $"
+ x- - y=C y=?
# %
Reduction of Homogeneous Equations
The homogeneous differential equation
dy
= f ( x, y )
dx
having the property that f (tx, ty) = f ( x, y)
can be transformed into a separable equation by making
the substitution y = xv
dy dv
along with its corresponding derivative =v+x
dx dx
The resulting equation in the variables v and x is solved as
a separable differential equation; the required solution to
dy
= f ( x, y )
dx
is obtained by back substitution.
dy
Alternatively, the solution to = f ( x, y )
dx
can be obtained by rewriting the differential equation as
dx 1
=
dy f ( x, y )
and then substituting x = yu
and the corresponding derivative
dx du
=u+ y
dy dy
into
dx 1
=
dy f ( x, y )
After simplifying, the resulting differential equation will
be one with variables (this time, u and y) separable.
Problem 4.12. Solve
homogeneous differential
2y + x 4 4
equation or not?
y =
ı
xy 3 Homogeneous differential equation
&$ &' ( '#
𝑦=𝑥𝑣 =𝑣+𝑥 ∫ " 𝑑𝑥 − ∫ $ 𝑑𝑣 =0
&" &" ' )(
𝑣4 + 1 = 𝑢 ; du = 4𝑣3d𝑣
(
ln 𝑥 - * ln (𝑣4 + 1) = C = - ln k
𝑣4 + 1 = (k 𝑥)4
$$
$ + 1 = k 𝑥 𝑦4 = C1 𝑥8 - x4
4 4
"
Problem 4.13. Solve the diferential equation of Problem 4.12 by
using x=yu
&" &+
&$
=𝑢+𝑦 &$
&$ #$$)"$ &" "$# &+ +)+"
&"
= "$# &$
= #$$)"$ 𝑦 &$
= - #)+$
( #)+$ ( #)+$
d𝑦 + d𝑢 = 0 ∫ $ 𝑑𝑦 +∫ d𝑢 = ∫ 0 = 𝐶
$ +)+" +)+"
, -+#
( + ) A = 2 B = -1
+ ()+$
( (
ln 𝑦 + 2 ln 𝑢 − ln (1 + 𝑢 ) = C = − ln k
*
4
*
" 4
k𝑦4𝑥8 = 1+ (𝑢)4 k𝑦4𝑥8 = 1+ ( )
$
Problem 4.42
1
(x 2 +1)dx + dy = 0 [ y(−1) = 1]
y
&$ &$
𝑥2dx + d𝑥 + $
=0 ∫ 𝑥2dx + ∫ dx + ∫ $ =∫0
"# ! #
5 " )"
!
+𝑥 + 𝑙𝑛y = 𝑙𝑛C =𝑒 "
$
!
5 (7()#
)(7()
(
=𝑒 " = 𝑒 7*/! C = 𝑒 7*/!
! # #$ ! #
: #$/" " )" 7 "" 7"
=𝑒 " 𝑦= 𝑒 "
!
$ 7 "("#)!")*)
𝑦= 𝑒
Problem 4.44
x2 y − y
y' = ; y(3) = −1
y +1
&$ $ ("! 7() ("! 7()
&"
= $)(
= !
(()&)
1
; 1+ 𝑑𝑦 − ; 𝑥2 − 1 𝑑𝑥 = 𝐶
𝑦
𝑥3 33
𝑦 + ln 𝑦 − + 𝑥 = 𝐶 −1 + ln −1 − + 3 = 𝐶
3 3
𝐶 = −7
𝑥3
𝑦 + ln 𝑦 − + 𝑥 = −7
3
Example: Solve
x2 (y + 1) dx + y2(x – 1) dy = 0
(
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 ($)()("7()
reduces the equation to
"! $!
dx + dy = 0
"7( $)(
1
(𝑦 − 1 + )
1 𝑦+1
𝑥+1+
𝑥−1
1 1
I 𝑥+1+ 𝑑𝑥 + I 𝑦 − 1 + 𝑑𝑦 = 0
𝑥−1 𝑦+1
1 2
½𝑥 + 𝑥 + 𝑙𝑛 𝑥 − 1 + 𝑦 − 𝑦 + 𝑙𝑛 𝑦 + 1 = 𝐶2
2
2 2𝐶2 = 𝐶1
𝑥2 + 𝑦2 + 2𝑥 − 2𝑦 + 2 𝑙𝑛 𝑥 − 1 𝑦 + 1 = 𝐶1
𝑥+1 2 + 𝑦−1 2 + 2 ln 𝑥 − 1 𝑦 + 1 = 𝐶 𝐶1 − 2 = 𝐶