Question Details

The integrating factor of the differential equation  x d y d x 2 y = x 3 is

Options

A

x2

B

1/x2

C

-x2

D

-1/x2

Show Answer

Correct Answer :

Option B

1/x2

Solution :

The correct option is 1/x2.

To find the integrating factor of the given differential equation, we first need to write it in the standard form of a first-order linear differential equation.

The given differential equation is:

x d y d x 2 y = x 3

The standard form of a first-order linear differential equation is:

d y d x + P ( x ) y = Q ( x )

To convert the given equation into standard form, we divide every term by x (where x0):

d y d x 2 x y = x 2

By comparing this with the standard form, we can identify the coefficient function P(x) as:

P ( x ) = 2 x

The integrating factor (I.F.) is calculated using the formula:

I.F. = e P ( x ) d x

Substitute the value of P(x) into the formula:

I.F. = e 2 x d x

Evaluate the integral in the exponent:

2 x d x = 2 ln ( x )

Using the logarithmic property aln(b)=ln(ba), we can rewrite the exponent as:

2 ln ( x ) = ln ( x 2 )

Now, substitute this back into the expression for the integrating factor:

I.F. = e ln ( x 2 )

Since the exponential function and natural logarithm are inverse operations, eln(f(x))=f(x). Therefore, we have:

I.F. = x 2 = 1 x 2

Thus, the integrating factor is 1/x2.

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