Differential Equations and Their Applications

There are two major changes in the Third Edition of Differential Equations and Their Applications. First, we have completely rewritten the section on singular solutions of differential equations. A new section, 2.8.1, dealing with Euler equations has been added, and this section is used to motivate a greatly expanded treatment of singular equations in sections 2.8.2 and 2.8.3. Our second major change is in Section 2.6, where we have switched to the metric system of units. This change was requested by many of our readers. In addition to the above changes, we have updated the material on population models, and have revised the exercises in this section. Minor editorial changes have also been made throughout the text. New York City March,1983 Martin Braun vi Preface to the First Edition This textbook is a unique blend of the theory of differential equations and their exciting application to 'real world' problems. First, and foremost, it is a rigorous study of ordinary differential equations and can be fully understood by anyone who has completed one year of calculus. However, in addition to the traditional applications, it also contains many exciting 'real life' problems. These applications are completely self contained. First, the problem to be solved is outlined clearly, and one or more differential equations are derived as a model for this problem. These equations are then solved, and the results are compared with real world data. The following applications are covered in this text.