Solving Laplace Transforms: x'' + 2x' + 5x = 3e^{-t}cos(2t)

In summary, the speaker was struggling to solve a differential equation using laplace transforms and was not getting the correct answer. They shared their work and asked for help in identifying where they went wrong. Eventually, they realized their mistake and thanked the other person for their assistance.
  • #1
epheterson
22
0
I hope somebody's up tonight, this is due in the morning and I'm so close.

So I was assigned to solve this differential equation using laplace transforms and although I (think I) can solve it, I'm not getting the same answer that Maple spits out.

The DE is:

[tex]x'' + 2x' + 5x = 3e^{-t}cos(2t); x(0) = x'(0) = 1[/tex]

Let L(x) = Laplace(x)

So here's my work:
Take the Laplace of everything
[tex]L(x'')+2L(x')+5L(x) = 3L(e^{-t}cos(2t))[/tex]

Becomes:
[tex]s^2L(x)-s(1)-(1)+2sL(x)+2(1)+5L(x)=3L(e^{-t}cos(2t))[/tex]

Let L(x) = X

[tex]X(s^2+2s+5)-s+1=\frac{3(s+1)}{(s+1)^2+4}[/tex]

I solved for X, simplified and broke it into partial fractions to figure out the Inverse Laplase but got the wrong answer. Is there anywhere I messed up in what you can see?
 
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  • #2
epheterson said:
Becomes:
[tex]s^2L(x)-s(1)-(1)+2sL(x)+2(1)+5L(x)=3L(e^{-t}cos(2t))[/tex]
It should be [tex]s^2L(x)-s(1)-(1)+2sL(x)-2(1)+5L(x)=3L(e^{-t}cos(2t))[/tex] instead. You missed the minus sign.
 
  • #3
A thank you, took a little while to figure that out

... dang algebra
 

FAQ: Solving Laplace Transforms: x'' + 2x' + 5x = 3e^{-t}cos(2t)

What is a Laplace Transform?

A Laplace Transform is a mathematical tool used to solve differential equations. It transforms a function from the time domain to the complex frequency domain, making it easier to solve.

How do you solve for x(t) in the given equation?

To solve for x(t), we first take the Laplace Transform of both sides of the equation. Then, we use the table of Laplace Transforms to simplify the transformed equation. Finally, we take the inverse Laplace Transform to get the solution for x(t).

How do you handle the initial conditions in Laplace Transforms?

The initial conditions can be incorporated into the Laplace Transform by multiplying the transformed equation by e^(-st), where s is the complex variable. This will result in a shifted version of the transformed equation, which can then be solved for x(t).

Can you use Laplace Transforms to solve any differential equation?

No, Laplace Transforms can only be used to solve linear differential equations with constant coefficients. Nonlinear and variable coefficient equations require different methods of solving.

How do you handle complex numbers in Laplace Transforms?

In Laplace Transforms, complex numbers are represented as s, the complex variable. When solving for x(t), we can use the properties of complex numbers to simplify the transformed equation and find the real part of the solution.

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