Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2023 / Paper 1 / 13 / a

On an interval with $x\ne 0$, division by $x^2$ gives the separable differential equation $y^{\prime }=(4/x^2-1/x)y^2$. For $y\ne 0$, take antiderivatives:Renaming the constant yields the explicit nonzero familyFor $x\ne 0$, the interval of definition must avoid zeros of the denominator. Division by $y^2$ excluded the additional solution $\boxed{y(x)\equiv 0}$, which must also be included.

The original undivided differential equation also makes sense at $x=0$, where it requires $y(0)=0$. For continuation through a zero of the leading ODE coefficient, rewrite the nonzero family asIt extends differentiably with $y(0)=0$ and $y^{\prime }(0)=1/4$, since $y(x)/x\to 1/4$. One may choose the integration constants independently on the two sides of zero and obtain a differentiable solution through zero. The zero solution also extends through zero, with derivative $0$; joining a nonzero branch on just one side to a zero branch on the other would fail differentiability.