Question

(a) For what values of r does the function y = erx satisfy the differential equation 5y'' + 34y' − 7y = 0? (Enter your answers as a comma-separated list.) r = ___.b) If r1 and r2 are the values of r that you found in part (a), show that every member of the family of functions y = aer1x + ber2x is also a solution. (Let r1 be the larger value and r2 be the smaller value.)

Answer 1

Answer:

a) r=-7 and r=1/5

b) See proof below

Step-by-step explanation:

Let y(x) be the function

$\large y(x)=e^{rx}$

Then

$\large y'(x)=re^{rx}\\y''(x)=r^2e^{rx}$

a)

Replacing these values in the differential equation

5y'' + 34y' − 7y = 0

we get

$\large 5r^2e^{rx}+34re^{rx}-7e^{rx}=0$

dividing both sides by $\large e^{rx}$ we get the quadratic equation

$\large 5r^2+34r-7=0$

whose solutions are r = -7 and r=1/5

b)

We must show that for any constants a, b, the function

$\large y(x)=ae^{-7x}+be^{x/5}$

 

is also a solution of the differential equation

We have

$\large y'(x)=-7ae^{-7x}+\frac{be^{x/5}}{5}\\\\y''(x)=49ae^{-7x}+\frac{be^{x/5}}{25}$

So

$\large 5y'' + 34y'-7y=\\\\ =5 \left( 49ae^{-7x}+\frac{be^{x/5}}{25}\right)+34\left( -7ae^{-7x}+\frac{be^{x/5}}{5}\right)-7\left( ae^{-7x}+be^{x/5}\right)=\\\\=245ae^{-7x+}\frac{be^{x/5}}{5}-238ae^{-7x}+\frac{34be^{x/5}}{5}-7ae^{-7x}-7be^{x/5}=\\\\=ae^{-7x}(245-238-7)+be^{x/5}(1/5+34/5-7)=0$

Hence

$\large y(x)=ae^{-7x}+be^{x/5}$

is also a solution for any values of a and b.