Section outline

  • Let y be a function of the variable x that can be differentiated n times. We call each differential equation of order n

    An equation of the form:

    Where: yNo is the nth derivative of y

    The general form of y(x) that satisfies equation (1) is called the general solution of the differential equation. We call a special solution to the differential equation. Every solution satisfies some special conditions, and these conditions are called the initial conditions.

    Order and degree of the differential equation:

    The order of the differential equation: It is the order of the highest differential coefficient in the equation

    Degree of the differential equation: It is the degree (strength) of the highest differential coefficient in the equation, provided that all differential coefficients are free of fractional powers.

    Example:

    • y’’’2+2y’3-5y=0 is a third-order and second-order differential equation.

    • y’+xy=x2 is a differential equation of first order and first order.

    • y’’’+y’3+y=cos x is a third-order and first-order differential equation.

    Types of differential equations:

    Differential equations can be divided into two parts, ordinary differential equations and partial differential equations.