Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2002/paper-2/7/a/solution

The characteristic equation of the associated homogeneous linear ordinary differential equation is , so the complementary function is . For a particular solution, try . Substitution gives , so , . The unrestricted solution is therefore
Its derivative at zero is . The single prescribed condition imposes and leaves one arbitrary constant. Thus the most general permitted solution is
There is no condition fixing , so the remaining arbitrary constant is essential.

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