Q.Solve the differential equation (xy2+x)dx+(yx2+y)dy=0.
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Separation Of Variables
Separation of Variables: From Intuition to Precision
Imagine you're baking a cake. The recipe says "mix the dry ingredients separately, then add the wet ones." You keep things that belong together together, and things that don't apart — until the right moment. Separation of Variables does exactly that for certain kinds of equations.
The Core Intuition
Some equations involve two different kinds of change happening at once. Think of a cup of hot coffee cooling down. The rate at which it cools depends on:
- The temperature difference between the coffee and the room (a function of time)
- The surface area of the cup (a function of shape, not time)
These two influences are tangled together in one equation. Separation of Variables is the mathematical trick that untangles them — it lets you handle the time part first, then the space part separately.
The Precise Statement
Separation of Variables applies to ordinary differential equations (ODEs) of the form:
dxdy=f(x)⋅g(y)
where the right-hand side is a product of a function of x alone and a function of y alone. The method works in three clean steps:
dxdy=f(x)⋅g(y)⟹g(y)1dy=f(x)dx
Step 1: Separate. Multiply both sides by dx and divide by g(y) (assuming g(y)=0). This moves all y's to one side and all x's to the other.
Step 2: Integrate. Put an integral sign on both sides:
∫g(y)1dy=∫f(x)dx
Step 3: Solve. Evaluate both integrals and solve for y explicitly if possible.
You cannot separate if the equation is not in product form. For example, dxdy=x+y cannot be separated — the sum x+y is not a product f(x)g(y).
Why This Works
The justification is the chain rule in reverse. From dxdy=f(x)g(y), rewrite it as:
g(y)1dxdy=f(x)
Now integrate both sides with respect to x:
∫g(y)1dxdydx=∫f(x)dx
The left side is a substitution waiting to happen: dxdydx=dy, so you get ∫g(y)1dy. That's the entire trick — the chain rule dressed up.
A Concrete Example
Solve dxdy=2xy, with y(0)=3.
Step 1: Separate. Divide both sides by y (assuming y=0):
y1dy=2xdx
Step 2: Integrate.
∫y1dy=∫2xdx⟹log∣y∣=x2+C
Step 3: Solve for y.
∣y∣=ex2+C=eC⋅ex2
Let A=±eC (absorbing the absolute value): y=Aex2. Now use y(0)=3: 3=Ae0=A, so A=3.
Final answer: y=3ex2 …
Factor each bracket and separate the variables; each side integrates to a logarithm. …
Factoring gives x2+1xdx+y2+1ydy=0; integrating gives (x2+1)(y2+1)=C.
Factor:
(xy2+x)dx+(yx2+y)dy=0⇒x(y2+1)dx+y(x2+1)dy=0.
Separate variables by dividing by (x2+1)(y2+1):
x2+1xdx+y2+1ydy=0.
Integrate (each is of the form 21∫denomd(denom)):
…
Showing the 12 most recent of 44 on this concept.
- CBSE 2026Set 65/2/11 markMCQQ.The general solution of the differential equation dxdy=xy is (A) logy=logx+C (B) y+x=C (C) y−x=C (D) logy+logx=C
›Reveal solutionSolution
This is a separable first-order ODE. Separate variables, integrate, and simplify to get y−x=C, which is option (C).
The key idea: whenever you see dxdy expressed as a ratio of functions of y and x alone, you can "separate" them — move all y terms to one side and all x terms to the other — then integrate each side independently. That's exactly what we have here: dxdy=xy.
Notice that y depends only on y, and x only on x. So the equation is already in separable form — we just need to rearrange it properly.
- Separate the variables. Multiply both sides by dx and divide by y:
ydy=xdx
This is valid as long as x>0 and y>0 (so the square roots are defined and non-zero).
- Integrate both sides. Each side is a standard power integral:
∫y−1/2dy=∫x−1/2dx
1/2y1/2=1/2x1/2+C1
which simplifies to:
2y=2x+C1
- Simplify the constant. Divide through by 2:
y=x+2C1
Let C=2C1 (just renaming the arbitrary constant). Then:
y−x=C
Watch outA common mistake is to forget the constant of integration or to combine the two integration constants incorrectly. When you integrate both sides, you get a constant on each side — but they can be merged into a single constant. Also, don't lose the factor of 2 from the power rule: ∫u−1/2du=2u1/2, not u1/2. …
- CBSE 2026Set 65/3/11 markMCQQ.Questions number 19 and 20 are Assertion-Reason based questions. Two statements are given, one labelled Assertion (A) and the other labelled Reason (R). Select the correct answer from the codes: (A) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A). (B) Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A). (C) Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false. (D) Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true. Assertion (A): A particular solution of the differential equation dxdy=ex+y is ex+e−y=−2. Reason (R): The general solution of the differential equation dxdy=ex+y is ex+e−y=C.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Separate variables in dxdy=ex+y to find the general solution ex+e−y=C; the particular solution ex+e−y=−2 is impossible because the left side is always positive while the right is negative.
The differential equation dxdy=ex+y is separable. The key insight is to rewrite the exponential sum in the exponent as a product: ex+y=ex⋅ey. This lets us collect all x-terms with dx and all y-terms with dy.
Solving the differential equation
- Separate the variables.
dxdy=ex⋅ey
Rearranging:
eydy=exdx
or equivalently,
e−ydy=exdx
- Integrate both sides.
∫e−ydy=∫exdx
The left side gives −e−y and the right gives ex:
−e−y=ex+C1
where C1 is an arbitrary constant.
- Rearrange to standard form. Multiply through by −1:
e−y=−ex−C1
or equivalently,
ex+e−y=−C1
Renaming −C1 as C (still an arbitrary constant):
ex+e−y=C
This is the general solution, so Reason (R) is true.
Checking the particular solution
Now examine the proposed particular solution ex+e−y=−2.
For this to be valid, we need C=−2 in the general solution. But notice:
- ex>0 for all real x …
- CBSE 2026Set CX1 markMCQQ.The solution of dxdy=ex+y is:(a) e−y=ex+c(b) ex+e−y=c(c) e−x−e−y=c(d) e−x+e−y=c
›Reveal solutionSolution
The equation is variable-separable; separating and integrating gives ex+e−y=c — option (b).
Why separate? Since ex+y=exey, the right side factors into an x-part and a y-part, so the variables separate cleanly.
dxdy=exey⇒e−ydy=exdx
…
- CBSE 2026Set A1 markMCQQ.The solution of differential equation dxdy=ex+y is(a) ex+e−y=k(b) ex+ey=k(c) e−x+ey=k(d) e−x+e−y=k
›Reveal solutionSolution
Separate variables in dxdy=ex+y: ∫e−ydy=∫exdx⇒ex+e−y=k.
Write dxdy=ex+y=ex⋅ey and separate:
e−ydy=exdx.
…
- CBSE 2026Set A1 markMCQQ.The solution of differential equation xdxdy=coty is(a) xcosy=k(b) xtany=k(c) xsecy=k(d) xsiny=k
›Reveal solutionSolution
Separate variables: ∫tanydy=∫xdx⇒log∣secy∣=log∣x∣+c⇒xcosy=k.
From xdxdy=coty, separate:
cotydy=xdx⇒tanydy=xdx.
…
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markQ.The general solution of the differential equation dxdy=1+x21+y2 is __________.
›Reveal solutionSolution
Separate variables and integrate both sides using the standard integral of 1/(1+t2).
1+y2dy=1+x2dx
…
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The general solution of the differential equation dxdy=ex+y is:(a) ex+e−y=c(b) ex+ey=c(c) e−x+ey=c(d) e−x+e−y=c
›Reveal solutionSolution
Separate variables using ex+y=ex⋅ey and integrate both sides.
dxdy=ex+y=ex⋅ey
Separating variables: e−ydy=exdx
…
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markQ.Find the general solution of the differential equation \frac{dy}{dx} = (1 + x^2)(1 + y^2).
›Reveal solutionSolution
tan−1y=x+3x3+c.
Concept. A separable differential equation dxdy=g(x)h(y) is solved by collecting all y-terms on one side and all x-terms on the other, then integrating both sides.
Steps.
- dxdy=(1+x2)(1+y2).
- Separate: 1+y2dy=(1+x2)dx. …
- CBSE 2026Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The solution of the differential equation (x2+1)dxdy=1, y(1)=2π is(a) y=tan−1x+3π(b) y=tan−1x(c) y=tan−1x+6π(d) y=tan−1x+4π
›Reveal solutionSolution
Integrating gives y=tan−1x+C; the condition fixes C=4π.
Step 1: (x2+1)dxdy=1⇒dy=x2+1dx.
Step 2: Integrating, y=tan−1x+C.
…
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The general solution to the differential equation yydx−xdy=0 is:(a) y=cx(b) x=cy2(c) xy=c(d) y=cx2
›Reveal solutionSolution
Separate variables and integrate.
yydx−xdy=0⟹ydx=xdy⟹xdx=ydy
…
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The general solution of the differential equation dxdy=ex+y is(a) ex+ey=C(b) e−x+ey=C(c) ex+e−y=C(d) e−x+e−y=C
›Reveal solutionSolution
Separate variables (e−ydy=exdx) and integrate both sides.
dxdy=ex+y=ex⋅ey
Separating variables:
e−ydy=exdx
Integrating both sides: …
- CBSE 2025Set ANNUAL1 markMCQQ.The general solution of the differential equation dy/dx = e^(x+y) is(a) eˣ+eʸ=c(b) eˣ+e⁻ʸ=c(c) e⁻ˣ+eʸ=c(d) e⁻ˣ+e⁻ʸ=c
›Reveal solutionSolution
Separate variables using ex+y=ex⋅ey, then integrate both sides.
Given dxdy=ex+y=ex⋅ey. Separate variables:
e−ydy=exdx
Integrate both sides:
∫e−ydy=∫exdx⇒−e−y=ex+C1
…
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