Pure 1
Pure 2
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AS/A2 Pure 1 Pure 2 |
| P3 Topic 4: Differentiation | |
| Simple differential equations |   |
| A rate of change, like speed or acceleration, can be expressed using differentiation. For example a speed of 30 metres per second can be written as ds/dt = 30, where s represents distance and t represents time. | |
| Any equation which includes in it a derivative is a differential equation. Some examples: | |
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| The first two are first order differential equations because they both include only the first derivative and no higher derivatives. The third is a second order differential equation. Some simple first order differential equations are easily solved by reversing the differentiation (ie., by integration). | |