Analyzing the Setup
Welcome, future engineer. Today, we are going to dismantle a problem that, at first glance, looks like a chaotic mess of exponents.
When you see an equation like dxdy+2x−12x−y(2y−1)=0, it is natural to feel a moment of hesitation. But remember, in the world of JEE Advanced, complexity is often just a mask for elegance.
Let us peel back that mask together.
The Art of Decoupling
The first step in any battle is to organize your forces. We have a differential equation, and our goal is to isolate the derivative. By moving the fraction to the right-hand side, we get:
Now, look at that term 2x−y. It is the anchor dragging us down. But we have a powerful tool in our arsenal: the laws of exponents.
We know that am−n=anam. Applying this, we transform the equation into:
dxdy=−2y⋅(2x−1)2x⋅(2y−1)
Suddenly, the fog clears. We have successfully separated the x terms from the y terms. This is the Variable Separable method in its purest form.
By cross-multiplying, we bring all the y terms to the left and all the x terms to the right:
The Integration Dance
Now that we have our variables in their respective corners, we integrate. This is where many students stumble, but you are not going to be one of them. We are looking at integrals of the form ∫f(x)f′(x)dx.
Recall that the derivative of 2x is 2xln2. Our numerator is 2x, which is missing that ln2 factor. So, we introduce it by multiplying and dividing by ln2.
The integral becomes:
ln21ln∣2y−1∣=−ln21ln∣2x−1∣+C
See how the ln2 appears on both sides? We can multiply the entire equation by ln2 to clear the denominators. The constant C multiplied by ln2 is still just a constant, which we can call C′.
Now we have:
The Logarithmic Bridge
We are nearing the finish line. Using the property lnA+lnB=ln(AB), we combine the left side into a single logarithm:
To liberate our variables from the logarithm, we exponentiate both sides. eC′ is just another constant, which we will call K.
Thus, we arrive at our general solution:
The Final Reveal
We are given the initial condition y(1)=1. This means when x=1, y=1. Let us plug these values in to find the identity of K:
(21−1)(21−1)=K⇒(1)(1)=K⇒K=1
Our particular solution is now locked in: (2y−1)(2x−1)=1. The final question asks for y(2), so we set x=2:
Solving for 2y:
Finally, we take the logarithm base 2 of both sides:
y=log2(34)=log24−log23
Since log24=2, we get our final, elegant answer:
And there you have it. What seemed like a daunting differential equation was simply a sequence of logical steps, each building upon the last. Keep this clarity of mind, and no problem will ever be too complex for you.