Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2008 / ia / Paper 2 / 1A (Differential Equations)

The complementary solution comes from the characteristic equation $r^4-a^4=0$, whose roots are $a,-a,ia,-ia$. It is thereforeFor the resonant exponential particular solution, the forcing is already a homogeneous exponential, so the method of undetermined coefficients needs the resonant trial $y_p=Kx{e}^{-ax}$. If $P(r)=r^4-a^4$, the identity $P(D)[x{e}^{rx}]=P^{\prime }(r)e^{rx}$ when $P(r)=0$ gives $P^{\prime }(-a)=-4a^3$. Hence $K=-1/(4a^3)$ andThe decay condition first eliminates the growing exponential, $C_1=0$. A nonzero combination of the sine and cosine has a fixed nonzero amplitude and cannot tend to zero, so $C_3=C_4=0$ as well. Both remaining exponential terms decay because $a>0$. Finally $y(0)=C_2=1$, giving the unique answerThis is an instance of resonance in a differential equation: multiplication by $x$ supplies the particular solution when the forcing exponent is a simple characteristic root.