Differential Equations

How to solve

A differential equation assigns a slope to every point: plug (x, y) into f to read the slope there.

Steps

  1. Identify f(x, y) from y' = f(x, y).
  2. Substitute the given x and y.
  3. Simplify — that number is the slope of the solution through that point.

Example

y' = x² − 2y at (3, 1). Slope?

  1. 3² − 2·1 = 9 − 2.
  2. Slope = 7.

Answer: 7

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