VINUNIVERSITY Semester: Fall 2022
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE
FINAL EXAM FOR UNDERGRADUATE
Student’s Full Name (IN CAPITALS):
Student’s ID:
Course name: Differential Equations
Course code: MATH2030
Time allowed: 2 hours
Number of questions: 3
Number of pages: 3 (including cover page and appendix)
Instructor’s name: Le Hai Khoi
INSTRUCTIONS
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE PROCEEDING
1. Write your name and student number on the top of this paper and on ALL answer booklets
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to use reference documents
3. YOU MUST WRITE YOUR ANSWER IN PEN. Paper written in pencil that are illegible or difficult
to read will be deemed incorrect and will receive a zero mark
DO NOT TAKE THIS PAPER FROM THE EXAMINATION ROOM
1
QUESTION 1. (6 marks)
The following initial-value problem describes the spring-mass system
d2 y dy dy
2
+ 2a + b2 y = 0, y(0) = y0 , (0) = 0,
dt dt dt
where y(t) denotes the displacement of the spring from its equilibrium position at
time t, and a, b are positive constants.
(i) Assume that a < b. Solve the IVP to obtain
y0
y(t) = e−at [ω cos(ωt) + a sin(ωt)] ,
ω
√
where ω = b2 − a2 .
(ii) Show that the solution in (i) can be written in the form
by0 −at
y(t) =e sin(ωt + ϕ),
ω
where ϕ = tan−1 (ω/a). Explain whether the predicted motion is reasonable.
QUESTION 2. (8 marks)
Consider the differential equation
′′
xy − (ax + b)y ′ + aby = 0, x > 0,
where a and b are non-zero constants.
(i) Given that y1 (x) = eax is a solution to the given equation, use reduction of
order to derive the second linearly independent solution
Z
y2 (x) = e ax
xb e−ax dx.
(ii) Determine whether it is true that if a = 1 and b = n, a positive integer, then
1 2 1 n
y2 (x) = −n! 1 + x + x + · · · + x .
2! n!
Justify your answer.
QUESTION 3. (6 marks)
(i) Let
f (x) = x, −π < x ≤ π; f (x + 2π) = f (x).
Determine the Fourier series of this function.
(ii) Sketch the approximation to f (x) = x on the interval (−π, π) obtained by
considering the first three terms in the Fourier series of f .
END OF PAPER
2
APPENDIX
Antiderivatives
xn+1
Z Z
n 1
x dx = + C, n ̸= −1 dx = ln |x| + C
Z n+1 Z x
sin x dx = − cos x + C cos x dx = sin x + C
Z Z
sec2 x dx = tan x + C csc2 x dx = − cot x + C
Z Z
tan x sec x dx = sec x + C cot x csc x dx = − csc x + C
Z Z
tan x dx = ln | sec x| + C ex dx = ex + C
Z Z
sec x dx = ln | sec x + tan x| + C csc x dx = − ln | csc x + cot x| + C
Z Z
1 1
dx = sin−1 xa + C 1 −1 x
√ dx = a
tan a
+C
a2 − x 2 a2 + x 2
