A family of curves is given by the differential equation .
- (i)
By substituting , show that the family of curves is given by
.
- (ii)
Sketch, on a single diagram, three members of the family of curves corresponding to positive values of .
- (iii)
Find a cartesian equation of the locus of the stationary points for the family of curves corresponding to positive values of .
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Worked solution
2(i)
1. Differentiate the substitution equation with respect to $x$.
Given .
Using the product rule,
2. Substitute $y$ and $\frac{dy}{dx}$ into the original differential equation and simplify.
Substitute and into :
Assuming , dividing by gives:
3. Separate the variables and integrate.
Separating variables:
4. Solve for $v$ and introduce the arbitrary constant $A$.
Let , which is an arbitrary constant.
5. Back-substitute to express $y$ in terms of $x$.
Substitute :
2(ii)
1. Determine the asymptotic behaviour of the curves.
As , , which implies .
Therefore, .
The line is an oblique asymptote for all curves in the family. Since and for large , the term is negative, meaning the curves approach the asymptote from below.
As , , so .
2. Identify the axes intercepts for different positive values of $A$.
Substitute into the equation: . Thus, all curves pass through the origin .
Substitute to find the -intercepts:
Choosing representative positive values for :
- For , the second intercept is negative.
- For , the only intercept is (the origin is a turning point).
- For , the second intercept is positive.
3. Sketch the three representative curves on a single diagram, paying attention to their relative positions.
Using a graphing calculator or by deduction, sketch the curves for .
Note that the curves only intersect at the origin since .
For , a larger yields a smaller (curve is lower).
For , a larger yields a larger (curve is higher).
- Curve : Intersects at and . Lowest for , highest for .
- Curve : Touches the -axis at the origin (minimum point).
- Curve : Intersects at and . Highest for , lowest for .
Draw all three possessing minimum points and approaching from below.
A sketch with the following features:
- and axes with the oblique asymptote drawn as a dashed line.
- Three distinct curves plotted for representative values (e.g., ).
- All three curves approach the line from below as , and tend towards as .
- All curves intersect at the origin and nowhere else.
- The curve for has an additional -intercept at a positive value , and is the lowest of the three curves for .
- The curve for touches the -axis exactly at the origin, which is its minimum turning point.
- The curve for has an additional -intercept at a negative value , and is the highest of the three curves for .
2(iii)
1. Set $\frac{dy}{dx} = 0$ in the differential equation to find the condition for stationary points.
At a stationary point, .
Substituting this into the given differential equation :
2. Rearrange to find the cartesian equation of the locus.
3. Determine the domain restriction based on the condition $A > 0$.
From part (i), , which can be rearranged to .
Substitute into this expression:
Since we are given and we know for all real , it follows that:
Thus, the locus is valid only for .
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