Practice Exam 1

MATH 211

Fall 2014

Rice University, Fall, 2014

NAME (Please print legibly):
You have 90 minutes to complete this exam.
Calculators are not allowed. Do not consult your notes or books during this
exam.
Please show all your work for full credit. You may use back pages if necessary.
You will not receive full credit for a correct answer if there is no work shown.
Sign the honor pledge after completing the exam.
Honor pledge: On my honor, I have neither given nor received any unauthorized
help on this exam.
Signature:
Question
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Total

Value Score
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
-

1 of 9

Practice Exam 1

MATH 211

Problem 1. Solve the initial value problems.

(a)

dy
dx

1+y2
,
y(x1)

y(0) = 1.

(b) y 0 = ex+y , y(0) = 0.

2 of 9

Fall 2014

Practice Exam 1

MATH 211

Fall 2014

Problem 2. Consider the differential equations:

(a) y 0 = 6 + y y 2 ;
(b) y 0 = (y 2 + 4y + 4)y;
(i) Find the equilibrium solutions
(ii) Classify the equilibria as stable, unstable, or semistable.
(iii) Sketch the equilibrium solutions int he ty plane. They divide the plane into
regions. Sketch at least one solution in each region.

3 of 9

Practice Exam 1

MATH 211

Problem 3. Let y(t) be the solution to the IVP

y 0 = (y 1)2 (y 3), y(4) = 2.
Find lim y(t).
t

(Hint: Consider the phase-line)

4 of 9

Fall 2014

Practice Exam 1

MATH 211

Problem 4. Let

1 1 1
a 0 0
2
3a 1

A = 1 2 2 , B = 0 b 0 , x = 1 , y = 1
2a
1 2 3
0 0 c
a
(a) Compute AB, BA. Show that if they commute, then a = b = c.
(b) Determine the values of a for which x and y are perpendicular.

5 of 9

Fall 2014

Practice Exam 1

MATH 211

Problem 5. Let y(t) be a solution to the IVP

y 0 = (y 2 1)ety , y(1) = 0.
Show that for all t for which y(t) is defined, 1 < y(t) < 1.

6 of 9

Fall 2014

Practice Exam 1

MATH 211

Problem 6. Let
x0 =x y
y 0 =x2 + y 2 4
be a system of differential equations.
(a) Find the nullclines and the equilibrium points.
(b) Draw a rough sketch of the phase plane.

7 of 9

Fall 2014

Practice Exam 1

MATH 211

Fall 2014

Problem 7. Two trout species compete for resources in a river. Their respective
populations, x(t) and y(t), are goverened by the system
x0 = x(y 2 x)
y 0 = y(x2 y)
(a) Suppose at time t0 = 0 the populations x(t0) and y(t0) are both positive. Is there
a time t when just one of the populations will become extinct?
(b) Can one find initial conditions x(t0) = x0 and y(t0) = y0 so that at a later time, on
of the populations is declining, while the other is neither growing nor declining?

8 of 9

Practice Exam 1

MATH 211

Fall 2014

Problem 8. A 600-gallon tank is filled with 300 gal of pure water. A spigot is
opened and a salt solution containing 1 lb of salt per gallon of solution begins flowing
into the tank at a rate of 3 gal/min. Simultaneously, a drain is opened at the bottom
of tank allowing the solution to leave the tank at a rate of 1 gal/min. What will be
the salt content in the tank at the precise moment that the volume of solution in the
tank reaches the tanks capacity of 600 gal?

9 of 9