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In mathematics, an ordinary differential equation (ODE) is a differential equation (DE) dependent on only a single independent variable.As with any other DE, its unknown(s) consists of one (or more) function(s) and involves the derivatives of those functions. [1]
Reduction of order (or d’Alembert reduction) is a technique in mathematics for solving second-order linear ordinary differential equations. It is employed when one solution y 1 ( x ) {\displaystyle y_{1}(x)} is known and a second linearly independent solution y 2 ( x ) {\displaystyle y_{2}(x)} is desired.
Differential equations that describe natural phenomena almost always have only first and second order derivatives in them, but there are some exceptions, such as the thin-film equation, which is a fourth order partial differential equation.
The highest order of derivation that appears in a (linear) differential equation is the order of the equation. The term b(x), which does not depend on the unknown function and its derivatives, is sometimes called the constant term of the equation (by analogy with algebraic equations), even when this term is a non-constant function.
As a second-order differential operator, the Laplace operator maps C k functions to C k−2 functions for k ≥ 2.It is a linear operator Δ : C k (R n) → C k−2 (R n), or more generally, an operator Δ : C k (Ω) → C k−2 (Ω) for any open set Ω ⊆ R n.
The relation can be generalised to nth-order linear ordinary differential equations. The identity is named after the Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel . Since Abel's identity relates to the different linearly independent solutions of the differential equation, it can be used to find one solution from the other.
First-order means that only the first derivative of y appears in the equation, and higher derivatives are absent. Without loss of generality to higher-order systems, we restrict ourselves to first-order differential equations, because a higher-order ODE can be converted into a larger system of first-order equations by introducing extra variables.
In mathematics, more specifically in the study of dynamical systems and differential equations, a Liénard equation [1] is a type of second-order ordinary differential equation named after the French physicist Alfred-Marie Liénard.