Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 2 5A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
Use a power-series solution of a differential equation, . Comparing coefficients givesIn particular , while and are free. The two prescribed derivative pairs select and . The next coefficients are , , , . HenceThese are the first three nonzero terms when the respective parameter is nonzero; if or , the corresponding solution vanishes identically.
For closed forms, set . Cancellation of the first-derivative terms reduces the equation, for , to . The analytic solutions extend across zero, and their hyperbolic cosine and hyperbolic sine expansions identifyThis is the hyperbolic reduction of a regular-singular differential equation: although the original leading coefficient vanishes at zero, both selected power-series solutions of a differential equation are entire.