# Differential eqn notation

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• November 25th 2008, 12:47 PM
Stonehambey
Differential eqn notation
Hi guys,

I'm having a little trouble with this differential equation, I'm not even sure where to start (Worried)

$\frac{dy}{dx}=y^2(x)+1$

Does it mean y is a function of x? Or is it simply a product written in a strange way? Any help on where to go next would be greatly appreciated :)

Stonehambey
• November 25th 2008, 02:12 PM
shawsend
It's ambiguous. Just solve $\frac{dy}{dx}=1+y^2$. Ok, now just separate variables and integrate both sides. You can do that right? The equation:

$\frac{dy}{dx}=xy^2+1$ I think is a little more difficult.
• November 25th 2008, 02:15 PM
skeeter
looks to me like $y^2$ as a function of $x$ ... if it was multiplication, wouldn't it be written as $xy^2$ ?

makes it easier to find a solution anyway.
• November 25th 2008, 02:34 PM
Stonehambey
Thanks, I had guessed y as a function of x, makes it easier to solve anyway :) I would have to look up how to solve it if it wasn't, or ask here, hehe

The question was from a friend of mine, so I wasn't sure what context the question was set in. I know different areas of mathematics can have different notation so I thought I'd see what people here thought.