Differential Equation

Differential equations
One thing that will never change is the

fact that the world is constantly changing.
Mathematically, rates of change are described by derivatives.
If you try and use maths to describe the world around you —
say the growth of a plant, the fluctuations of the stock market,
the spread of diseases, or physical forces acting on an object —
you soon find yourself dealing with derivatives of functions.
The way they inter-relate and depend on other mathematical
parameters is described by differential equations.
These equations are at the heart of nearly all modern
applications of mathematics to natural phenomena.
The applications are almost unlimited, and they
play a vital role in much of modern technology.
101 uses of a quadratic equation:
The quadratic equation is one of the
mightiest beasts in maths.
This article describes how several
real-life problems give rise
to differential equations in the shape
of quadratics, and solves them too.
Natural frequencies in m
usic
—
It takes vibrations to
make sound,and
differential equations to
understand vibrations.
The article uses Newton's
second law of motion to
model the behaviour of
mass vibrating on a
string.
The mathematics of diseases —
Over the past one hundred years, mathematics
has been used to understand and predict the
spread of diseases, relating important public-
health questions to basic infection parameters.
This article describes some of the
mathematical developments
that have improved our understanding and
predictive ability and introduces the
differential equations involved.
Maths for the broken-hearted —
You take care of yourself - you eat
right, don't smoke, drink in moderation
and keep fit - but have you considered
differential equations as a secret weapon
in keeping you and your heart healthy?
Chaos in the brain — Saying
that someone is a chaotic
thinker might seem like an
insult — but it could be that
the mathematical
phenomenon of chaos is a
crucial part of what makes our
brains work. Chaos is all
about unpredictable change
and this can be described
using differential equations.
How the leopard got its spots —
How does the uniform ball of
cells that make up an embryo
differentiate to create the dramatic
patterns of a zebra or leopard? How
come there are spotty animals with stripy
tails, but no stripy animals with spotty tails?
Get to know the equations that
explain all this and more.
Going with the flow —
This article describes what happens
when two fluids of different densities
meet, for example when volcanoes
erupt and hot ash-laden air is poured
out into the atmosphere. The article
explains Newton's second law of
motion as a differential equation and
its relation to fluid mechanics.
How plants halt sands —
Plants can stop the desert
from relentlessly invading
fertile territory. But just
how and where should they
be planted? A model
involving differential
equations gives the
answers.
Fluid mechanics researcher —
Trying to solve differential equations
can give you a stomach ache sometimes,
but the equations can also help to prevent
one. André Léger uses fluid dynamics to
understand how food sloshes around the
intestines.
Meteorologist —
If one thing is sure to
change, it's the
weather. Helen
Hewson explains how
she helps to predict
it at the Met Office.
Universal pictures —
Partial differential equations
explored through images:
from the maths of turbulence
to modelling human
interaction.
The dynamic Sun —
The Sun emits light from all across the
electromagnetic spectrum and
understanding its emission is essential in
understanding solar dynamics.
The article introduces the wave equation.
Computer games developer —
In the real world, balls bounce
and water splashes because of
the laws of physics. In computer
games, a physics engine ensures
the virtual world behaves realistically.
Nick Grey explains that to make the
games, you need to understand the
physics, and that requires differential
equations.
Spaghetti
breakthrough —
Differential equations
model the breaking
behaviour of pasta.
If you can't bend it, model it! —
David Beckham and his fellow player
may intuitively know how to bend
a football's flight as they wish, but
the rest of us have to resort to the
differential equations describing the
aerodynamics of footballs.
Formulaic football —
Mathematicians build a
mathematical model of a
football match.

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Differential equations

One thing that will never change is the

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