Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2014/paper-2/14/a/solution

Writing the two coefficients as , their mixed derivatives satisfy , so the smooth form is exact on . Integrating the first coefficient with respect to gives . Matching gives . One potential is therefore
The integral curves of are its level curves. Absorbing a factor of two into the constant gives
on real graph branches. The initial condition fixes and selects the positive branch:
This is the maximal smooth graph interval containing ; at either endpoint the level curve has a vertical tangent, so cannot remain finite.

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