1st Order Differential

Equations
Compiled by: Nyasha P. Tarakino (Trockers)

+263772978155/+263717267175

ntarakino@gmail.com

08 APRIL 2020

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SYLLABUS (6042) REQUIREMENTS

 formulate a statement involving a rate of change

as a differential equation
 solve differential equations by integration in the
case where variables are separable
 sketch typical examples of a family of curves
representing a general solution of a differential
equation
 find a particular solution of a differential
equation given initial conditions
 solve problems involving 1st order differential
equation

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 1st ORDER DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

Definition: A differential equation (or DE) is any equation which contains a function and a

differential coefficient e.g. .

A differential equation is called a 1st order ODE if it has a linear differential coefficient i.e.
.

FAMILY OF CURVES

Suppose we have a differential equation , the by integration .

is called the general solution of the differential equation

If we are to draw the graphs of for various values of , we would obtain a ‘family
of curves’
NB: All the curves would give the gradient .

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If more information is given, the value of the constant can be found by substituting them into
the general solution. Hence the particular solution is obtained.

e.g. For the above equation find if and .

is the particular solution.

SEPARABLE 1st ORDER ODEs

A 1st order ODE is called separable if it can be written in general as:

Steps to solve 1st order ODEs by separation of variable

o Make the DE look like ( Unless it’s already been done for you – in which case

you can just identify the various parts or you may have to do some algebra to get it into
the correct form.)
o Separate the variables: Set all the on the LHS by multiplying both sides by and
get all the on the RHS by multiplying by i.e. .
o Integrate both sides:

o This gives us an implicit solution. Solve for (if possible). This gives us an explicit
solution. From this stage the solution is expressed in terms of arbitrary constants and we
have the general solution.
o If there are initial conditions, use them to solve for unknown parameters in the solution.
This gives us a particular solution.

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Worked Problems

Example 1

Find the general solution of the equation .

Solution

Example 2

Solve the equation , given that

Solution

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When

Example 3

Find the general solution of and a particular solution that satisfies the

condition

Solution

When

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Example 4
Cambridge Question
The variables and are related by the differential equation

where . When . Solve the differential equation, obtaining an

expression for in terms of , and simplifying your answer as far as possible.

Solution

Remember, using integration by recognition that:

When

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Example 5
Cambridge Question

(i) Express in partial fractions.

(ii) Given that and , solve the differential equation

obtaining an expression for in terms of .

Answer

When When

Comparing coefficients of

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Given that and

Example 6

If and when , solve the differential equation to obtain an

expression for in terms of

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Suggested Solution

when

Example 6
ZIMSEC November 2004 Paper 2

A car travels a distance of with an initial speed of .

Given that the car’s speed is proportional to the distance that remains to be covered, find the
time to the nearest minute that the car takes to cover three-fifths of the distance. [9]

Suggested Solution

Let the covered distance at any instant be thus the remaining distance is

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 Aside:

Now when

Now when

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Example 7
Cambridge Question
A curve is defined by the differential equation

Given that the curve passes through the point where and , find the equation of the

curve and hence find the value of when , giving your answer correct to significant
figures.
Solution

Aside: RHS

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Also remember that

Now:

Use integration by parts on the RHS

and :

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 when :

PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Question 1

Find the general solution of

Question 2

Find the general solution of

Question 3

Find the general solution of

Question 4

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Find the general solution of

Question 5

Find the general solution of

Question 6

Solve the equation , given that .

Question 7

Solve the equation , given that .

Question 8

Solve the equation , given that .

Question 9

Solve the equation , given that .

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Question 10

Solve the equation , given that .

Question 11

Solve the equation , given that .

HINT: Factorise both numerator and denominator

Question 12

Solve the equation , given that .

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 PAST EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

Question 1

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2004 PAPER 2

Find the general solution of the differential equation

[4]

Question 2

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2013 #7

Solve the differential equation giving the general solution in the form

, where is an arbitrary constant and is a constant.

Find the particular solution when the y-intercept is . [6]

Question 3

Cambridge

a) Express in partial fractions. [3]

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 b) Hence obtain the solution of for which , giving

your answer in the form . [4]

Question 4

Cambridge November 2012 Paper 3

The variables and are related by the differential equation

It is given that when . Find the expression for in terms of . [6]

Question 5

Cambridge November 2014 Paper 3

The variables and are related by the differential equation

(i) Find the general solution, giving in terms of . [6]

(ii) Given that when , find the value of when [3]

Question 6

Cambridge June 2016 Paper 3

The variables and are related by the differential equation

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for and it is given that when . Solve the differential equation and

calculate the value of when .

Question 7

Cambridge November 2017 Paper 3

The variables and are related by the differential equation

for and when . Solve this differential equation and find the value of

when .

Question 8

Cambridge June 2018 Paper 3

(i) Express in partial fractions. [2]

(ii) The variables and are related by the differential equation

and when . Solve the differential equation, obtaining an expression for in

terms of . [6]

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Question 9

Cambridge June 2019 Paper 3

The variables and are related by the differential equation

It is given that when . Solve the differential equation, obtaining an expression

for in terms of . [7]

Question 10

Cambridge June 2019 Paper 3

The variables and satisfy the differential equation

It is given that when .

(i) Using partial fractions, solve the differential equation, obtaining an expression for in
terms of . [9]
(ii) State what happens to the value of when becomes large. [1]

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 RATES OF CHANGE

Definition: Rate of change is the rate that describes how one quantity changes in relation to
another. If is the independent variable and is the dependant variable then:

o Rates of change can be positive or negative. This corresponds to an increase or

decrease in dependant value between the two data points.
o For rates of change, the differential coefficient has in the denominator i.e.

since the change is with respect to time.

o When the rate of change is increasing, the differential coefficient is positive i.e.

o When the rate of change is decreasing, the differential coefficient is negative i.e.

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 RELATED RATES PROBLEMS

Worked Examples

Example 1

Find the rate of decrease of an area of circle when its radius is and is decreasing at

Solution

The rate of decrease of the area of the circle is .

Example 2

The radius of a sphere is and it is increasing at the rate Find the rate of
increase of

a) the volume,

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b) the surface area.

Solution

a)

The rate of increase of the volume of the circle is .

b)

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 The rate of decrease of the area of the circle is .

Example 3

At time the length of the side of a cube is , the surface area is and the
Volume of the cube is

The surface area of the cube is increasing at a constant rate of . Show that

a) , where is a constant to be found.

b)

Given that when ,

c) solve the differential equation in part (b), and find the value of when

Solution

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b)

Now

c) Separating variables and solving:

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Given that when ,

Finding when ,

Example 4
A spherical balloon is blown. The volume increases at .

(i) Show that .

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 (ii) Find the rate of increase of the radius when the volume is .

Suggested Solution

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Example 5
The length of a cube is increasing at a rate of per . Find the rate of change of the
cube’s volume when the length is equal to .

Suggested Solution
Let the length be .

Now:

Now:

Example 6
A watermelon is assumed to be spherical in shape while it is growing. Its mass, , and
radius, , are related by the formula , where is a constant. It is also assumed
that the radius is increasing at a constant rate of centimetres per day. On a particular day
the radius is and the mass is .
Find the value of and the rate at which the mass is increasing on this day.

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Suggested Solution

Now

Also

Now

Example 7
Cambridge Question

Sand falls on to the horizontal ground at the rate of per minute and forms a heap in the
shape of a right circular cone with vertical angle . Show that after the sand

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begins to fall, the rate at which the radius of the base of the pile s increasing is per

minute.

Suggested Solution

Now:

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Now:

Calculating :

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But

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Example 8
ZIMSEC November 2019 Paper 2

The diagram shows a container in the form of a right circular cone of height and radius .
The height of the cone is and the diameter is . The container catches water from a
tap leaking at a constant rate of , the height and the radius are always proportional.

Find the rate at which the top surface area of water is increasing when the water is halfway up
the cone. [9]

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The height of the cone is
The diameter is
The height and the radius are always proportional

When the water is halfway up the cone

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The top surface area of water circle

The rate at which the top surface area of water is increasing

Example 9
A cylindrical glass with radius of is being filled with water from a tap at a rate of
. How fast is the water level in the glass rising?

Suggested Solution

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Now:

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 PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Question 1
ZIMSEC November 2008 Paper 1

A solid consists of a hemisphere of radius joined to a cone of constant height . The

base of the cone is the plane face of a hemisphere (See diagram).

If increases at a rate of per , calculate the rate of increase of the volume of the
solid when . Leave your answer in terms of . [4]

Answer:

Question 2

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A tall funnel is being drained with water at a constant rate of per . The
mouth of the funnel is in diameter. How far is the solution level dropping when there is
left in the funnel?

Answer:

Question 3

A water tank (inverted cone) with radius and height . If water is pumped in at a rate
of , find the rate at which the water level is rising when the water is deep.

Answer: or

Question 4

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Water is draining from a conical reservoir at a rate of . How fast is the water
level falling when the water is deep? The tank is tall with a radius is deep.

Answer:

Question 5
Sand is poured into a conical pile at a rate of . The radius is half the height of the
cone. When the cone is high, how fast is the height of the sand changing at this instant.

Answer: or

Question 6
Water is being poured into a cone-shaped cup at a rate of . The radius is half the
height of the cone. If the cup has a height of and maximal radius of , how fast is the
water rising when it is full.

Answer:

Question 7
River sand is being is dumped from a conveyor belt a rate of . It forms a pile
of the shape of a right circular cone whose base diameter and height are always equal. How
fast is the height of the pile increasing when the pile is high?

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Answer:

Question 8
An inverted conical container has a diameter of and a depth of . If water is
flowing out of the vertex of the container at a rate of , how fast is the depth of
the water dropping when the height of the water is ?

Answer:

Question 8

A cylindrical water tank with a radius of is being drained. The fluid is being
drained from the tank at a rate of . At what rate is the fluid level inside the
tank changing?

Answer:

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Question 9

A coffeepot has the shape of a cylinder with radius as shown in the diagram above.
Let be the depth of the coffee in pot, measured in inches, where is a function of time ,
measured in seconds. The volume of coffee in the pot is changing at the rate of
cubic inches per second. Show that

Question 10

A water tank has the shape of an inverted circular cone with the base radius and height
. If water is being pumped into the tank at the rate of , find the rate at which
the water level is rising when the water is

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Answer:

Question 11
Air is being pumped into a spherical balloon so that the volume increases at a rate of
. How fast is the radius of the balloon increasing when the diameter is ?

Answer:

Question 12
Gravel is being is dumped from a conveyor belt a rate of and its coarseness is
such that it forms a pile of the shape of a cone whose base diameter and height are always
equal. How fast is the height of the pile increasing when the pile is high?

Answer:

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 FORMULATION OF SIMPLE STATEMENTS INVOLVING RATES

OF CHANGE AS A DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION

NOTES

o The proportional sign is replaced by an equal sign and a constant or any other
letter.
o Initially means .
o Transforming a constant yields another constant e.g.
= .

o The differential coefficient is negative when there is a

decrease.
o Examples: Death, decay, fishing, melting, harvesting, destroying, grazing leakages,
exhausting something, burning, decreasing something etc.

o The differential coefficient is negative when there is an

increase.
o Examples: Birth, replenishing, planting, heating, cooling, addition of substances, refilling
of liquid/gas/substances, pouring of liquid/sand, increasing something,
planting, breeding etc.

STEPS

o Express the information involving a rate of change in algebraic form (as a

differential equation)

o Make the DE look like ( Unless it’s already been done for you – in

which case you can just identify the various parts or you may have to do some

algebra to get it into the correct form.)

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o Separate the variables: Set all the ’ on the LHS by multiplying both sides by

and get all the ’ on the RHS by multiplying by i.e. .

o Integrate both sides: . This gives us an implicit solution. Solve

for (if possible). This gives us an explicit solution. From this stage the solution is

expressed in terms of arbitrary constants and we have the general solution.

o If there are initial conditions, use them to solve for unknown parameters in the

solution. This gives us a particular solution.

GENERAL ODES – Rates of Change

Worked Example

ZIMSEC November 2006 #14

(a) Solve the differential equation , given that when , expressing

in terms of . [4]
(b) A liquid is being kept in an oven maintained at a temperature of .. It is assumed that
the rate of increase in temperature of the liquid, is proportional to , where
is the temperature of the liquid at time minutes.
Form a differential equation relating to and . [2]
Show that the general solution of the differential equation is

where is a constant. [3]

If the temperature of the liquid rises from to in minutes, find the

temperature of the liquid after minutes, giving your answer to the nearest . [6]

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Solution

When

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When ,

When minutes

When minutes,

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 RELATED ODES PAST EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

ZIMSEC June 2012 #16

(a) Solve the differential equation , given that when ,

expressing in terms of . [4]

(b) A liquid is kept in a cold room. It is assumed that the rate of decrease in temperature
of the liquid, is proportional to , where is the temperature of the liquid at time
minutes. When and after minutes .
(i) Form a differential equation relating to and .
(ii) Solve the differential equation and find the temperature of the liquid after
further minutes. [8]

Answers: a)

b)(i)

(ii) ; .

ZIMSEC June 2018 #16

(a) Solve the differential equation , given that when , expressing

in terms of . [4]
(b) A spray for cockroaches kills at a rate which inversely proportional to the square root
of the number, , of live cockroaches at time, minutes after spraying.
(i) Show that the information can be modelled by the differential equation

[2]
(ii) Solve the differential equation given that initially there were live
cockroaches and minutes later, live cockroaches remained. [5]
(iii)Find the number of live cockroaches left one hour after spraying. [2]

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Answers: a)
b)(i)

(ii) .

ZIMSEC November 2018 Paper 2 #11

It is assumed that the length, , in of a certain snake at time, , months after birth

increases at a rate proportional to .

When

(i) Show that and satisfy the differential equation.

[2]

(ii) Solve the differential equation and obtain an expression for in terms of . [6]
(iii)Find the maximum length of the snake. [2]

Answers: (i)

(ii)

ZIMSEC November 2019 Paper 1 #14

The height , , of a tree at time, , after being planted assumes that the rate of

increase of its height is directly proportional to .

When

(i) Show that this satisfies the differential equation.

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 (ii) Solve the differential equation to obtain an expression for in terms of . [6]
(iii)Find the maximum height of the tree and the time taken to reach his height after
planting [2]

(iv) Find the time taken to reach of its maximum height. [2]

Answers: (ii)

(iii)

(iv)

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 ODES INVOLVING VOLUMES & AREAS

Worked Examples

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2005 #13

A cylindrical water tank of a height metre and a cross sectional area of has a tap
at the base

When the tank is full, the tap is opened and water flows out at the rate of per
second. The depth of water which remains seconds after the tap is opened is .

Given that no water enters the tank, show that satisfies the differential equation

. [5]

Solve the differential equation, giving in terms of . [5]

When the tap is closed, the tank is found to be three-quarters full. Find, to the nearest second,
the time for which the tap has been open. [2]

Solution

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Now

Now

Solving the ODE:

When

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When

Example 2
Cambridge Question
A rectangular reservoir has a horizontal base of area . At time , it is empty and
water begins to flow into it at a constant rate of . At the same time, water begins to
flow out at a rate proportional to , where m is the depth of the water at time s. When

(i) Show that satisfies the differential equation .

It is given that, after making the substitution , the equation in part (i) becomes

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 (ii) Using the fact that when , solve this differential equation, obtaining an
expression for in terms of .
(iii) Find the time at which the depth of water reaches .
Suggested Solution
(i) Inflow rate:

Outflow rate:

The rate of volume at any instant is given by:

Now:

Also

When

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Given that when

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Example 3
Cambridge Question
Liquid is flowing into a small tank which has a leak. Initially the tank is empty and minutes
later, the volume liquid in the tank is . The liquid is flowing into the tank at a constant
rate of per minute. Because of the leak, liquid is being lost from the tank at a rate
which, at any instant, is equal to per minute, where is a positive constant.
(i) Write down a differential equation describing this situation and solve it to show that

(ii) It is observed that when , so that satisfies the equation

Use an iterative formula based on this equation, to find the value of correct to
significant figures. Use the initial value of and show the result of each
iteration correct to significant figures.
(iii)Determine how much liquid is in the tank minutes after the liquid started flowing
and state what happens to the volume of the liquid in the tank after a long time.

Suggested Solution

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Now:

Initially the tank is empty and

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The root is

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NB: After a long time

Now:

After a long time the liquid in the tank will approach .

Example 4
CAMBRIDGE NOVEMBER 2009 PAPER 3
In a model of the expansion of a sphere of radius cm, it is assumed that, at time seconds
after the start, the rate of increase of the surface area of the sphere is proportional to its

volume. When , and .

(i) Show that satisfies the differential equation . [4]

[The surface area A and volume V of a sphere of radius r are given by the formulae
, ]

(ii) Solve this differential equation, obtaining an expression for in terms of . [5]
(iii)Deduce from your answer to part (ii) the set of values that can take, according to
this model. [1]

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Suggested Solution

Now:

When , and .

Now:

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When , and .

Also:

and

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 RELATED ODES PAST EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2015 #17

A rectangular tank has a square base with sides long and height .

The tank is initially full of water. The water leaks through the base and sides of the tank at a
rate proportional to the total area in contact with water. When the depth is , the level of
water is falling at a rate of .

If denoted the depth of water in the tank after hours,

(i) show that . [5]

(ii) solve the differential equation in (i), giving in terms of . [6]

(iii)find how long it takes for the tank to be half full. [2]

Answers: ii)

iii)

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2010 #16

a) Some juice is tapped into a cylindrical container at a rate of per minute. It is

sieved out through a hole at the bottom of the cylinder at a rate of per
minute, where is the height of the juice in the cylinder at time minutes. The
radius of the cylinder is .

1. Show that . [4]

2. Solve the differential equation to find in terms of , given that at time

Hence or otherwise state the maximum value of and explain why this height
cannot be exceeded. [8]

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 b) The delivering tap in part (a) was closed off when the juice was at maximum height,
and the juice was allowed to drain out. The differential equation satisfied by the

drainage process only is .

Solve the differential equation to find in terms of and show that the time taken to
make juice go down to a height of is nearly hours. [4]

Answer: a)(ii)

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2011 #14

a) Find the general solution of the differential equation , given that the

curve passes through the point . [4]

b) A water tank has the shape of a cuboid with base area and a height and is
initially empty. Water is poured into the tank at a constant rate of per minute.
There is a small hole at the bottom of the tank through which water leaks out. The
depth of the water in the tank is metres when water has been poured in for
minutes.
(i) In a simple model it is assumed that the water leaks out of the tank at a constant
rate of per minute.

1. Show that the variable satsfies the differential equation

2. Hence or otherwise, find the time when the tank starts to overflow.
(ii) In a more refined model the variable, , satisfies the differential equation

1. Solve the differential equation, expressing in terms of .

2. Hence sketch the graph of against . [13]

Answers: a)
b)

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ZIMSEC JUNE 2005 #11

During a flood water is entering a lake at a constant rate of 12 cubic metres per second. The
volume of water in the lake at any given time is cubic metres, where is the depth, in
metres, of the water at the dam wall and is a constant.

Show that the rate of change of depth is given by the equation . [4]

Obtain the general solution of this equation. [2]

Given that when the flood starts, the depth of water at the walls is , find in terms of ,
the time that it will take to increase to a depth of . [3]

Answers:

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2003 #13

A water tank with a uniform cross-section has a tap at its base. When the tap is opened, water
flows out at a rate proportional to the square root of the depth of water in the tank. Given that
cross-sectional area of the tank is and the depth of water, minutes after opening is

metres, show that . [6]

Give that the tap is opened when the depth of water is metres, find an expression in term of
for the time taken for the depth to reach metres. [5]

Answer:

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Edexcel January 2008

Liquid is pouring into a large vertical circular cylinder at a constant rate of and
is leaking out of a hole in the base at a rate proportional to the square root of the height of the
liquid already in the cylinder.

The area of the circular cross section of the cylinder is .

a) Show that at time , the height of liquid in the cylinder satisfies the
differential equation:

, where is a positive constant. [3]

When , water is leaking out of the hole at

b) Show that [1]

c) Separate the variables of the differential equation , to show that the

time taken to fill the cylinder from empty to a height of is given by

[2]

Using the substitution , or otherwise,

d) find the exact value of

[6]

e) Hence find the time taken to fill the cylinder from empty to a height of , giving
your answer in to the nearest [1]

Answers: d)
e)

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 ODES INVOLVING PARTIAL FRACTIONS

Worked Example

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2014 #11

(a) The gradient function of a curve is given by , and is a point

on the curve.
Find the equation of the curve. [4]
(b) The rate of increase of the number of people, , who own a laptop is proportional to
the product of and , where is the total population.
Initially and after one week .

(i) Form a differential equation from the above information and show that
after weeks,

(ii) Find the time, , in (i) when

(iii)Sketch the graph against for the equation in (i)

[11]

Solution

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When

Resolving to partial fractions yields

When

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When

(ii) , when

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 s

(iii)

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 RELATED ODES PAST EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

UCLES NOVEMBER 1998 #16

a. Find the general solution of the differential equation

where is a positive constant, expressing in terms of and in your answer. [4]

b. Solve the differential equation

where and are positive constants, given that when . Express in terms

of and in your answer. [6]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2013 #12

In any chemical reaction in which a compound is formed from a compound , the masses
of and present at time , are and respectively. The sum of the masses and is
and at any time the rate at which is increasing is proportional to the product of the two
masses at that time.

(i) Show that the situation can be modelled by the differential equation

where is a constant. [2]

(ii) Find the general solution of this differential equation. [2]

Hence find correct to significant figures when , given that , when

and when . [4]

Answers: ii)

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ZIMSEC JUNE 2014 #9

A mathematics teacher is going on vacation leave before his students write their final
examination. He has tried to keep it a secret, but the rumour is already spreading in the
school, at the rate which is proportional to the product of the proportion of those who have
heard it and , those who have not heard it.

The situation is modelled by the differential equation

If initially a proportion of the population has heard the rumour, show that

[8]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2017 #15

At any time at a college, the number of people infected with a disease is and the
number infected with disease is . The sum of the infected people with disease and those
infected with disease is . At any time , the rate at which is increasing is proportional to
the product of and .

(a) Show that the situation can be modelled by the differential equation

where is a constant. [2]

(b) Solve the differential equation expressing in terms of and another constant .
[6]
(c) If at time , find, in terms of and , the time when . [5]

Answers: b)

c)

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ZIMSEC JUNE 2019 #12

The rate at which the quantity is decreasing is proportional to the product of those who
and .

(i) Form a differential equation which models this situation. [1]

(ii) Initially , and the rate of decrease is unites per unit time. Solve the
differential equation. [8]

Answers: i)

ii)

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ASANTE SANA

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*******THERE IS A LIGHT AT THE END OF EVERY TUNNEL *******

CONTRIBUTIONS ARE WELCOME; FEEL

FREE TO CONTACT ME SO THAT WE CAN
IMPROVE THE DOCUMENT TOGETHER.
***ENJOY***

Nyasha P. Tarakino (Trockers)

+263772978155/+263717267175

ntarakino@gmail.com

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