Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/paper-1/17/a/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2009 Paper 1 17 a i Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
The homogeneous first-order differential equation suggests , so . Wherever the original equation is defined,Thus the implicit solution is . The printed initial values force .
There is no classical solution through the printed initial point. There , so the tangent on the right is undefined. The implicit relation nevertheless has two neighboring real branches on which approach that point continuously:Both tend to as , but their derivatives become unbounded with opposite signs. They solve the equation on the open interval , not at its endpoint. Other inverse-sine periods cannot approach the specified initial value. This is an endpoint obstruction in a homogeneous differential equation. Constant-ratio branches also solve the general equation where , but do not meet the initial data.
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