Analyzing the Setup
Imagine you are standing on a vast, flat coordinate plane. You are presented with a differential equation:
(2x+3y−2)dx+(4x+6y−7)dy=0
At first glance, it looks like a tangled mess of variables. However, look at the linear expressions 2x+3y−2 and 4x+6y−7.
The coefficients of x and y in the second expression are exactly double those in the first. Geometrically, these represent two parallel lines. This is a structural invitation to simplify.
The Power of Substitution
Since the lines are parallel, we can exploit this symmetry. We define a new variable v=2x+3y.
By bundling this repeating pattern into a single variable, we are essentially changing our coordinate system to align with the geometry of the problem. Differentiating
v with respect to
x gives:
dxdv=2+3dxdy
Rearranging this, we find that:
dxdy=31(dxdv−2)
This serves as our bridge between the old world of
x and
y and the new, simpler world of
v and
x.
The Transformation
Now, we rewrite our original differential equation in terms of
dxdy:
dxdy=−4x+6y−72x+3y−2
Substituting our new variable
v, the equation becomes:
31(dxdv−2)=−2v−7v−2
The variables
x and
y have vanished, leaving us with a separable differential equation. After algebraic manipulation, we arrive at:
dxdv=2v−7v−8
The Art of Integration
With the variables separated, we have:
∫v−82v−7dv=∫dx
To integrate the left side, we use an adjustment trick. We rewrite the numerator to match the denominator:
v−82(v−8)+9=2+v−89
Now, the integration is straightforward:
∫(2+v−89)dv=∫dx
This yields the result
2v+9ln∣v−8∣=x+C.
The Final Polish
Finally, we substitute
v=2x+3y back into our solution to return to the original variables:
2(2x+3y)+9ln∣2x+3y−8∣=x+C
Simplifying this, we get:
3x+6y+9ln∣2x+3y−8∣=C
To match the target format
αx+βy+3ln∣2x+3y−γ∣=6, we divide the entire equation by
3:
x+2y+3ln∣2x+3y−8∣=C′
Using the initial condition y(0)=3, we find C′=6. By direct comparison, α=1, β=2, and γ=8.
The final calculation is:
α+2β+3γ=1+4+24=29