What a Differential Equation Is

1 / 7

Hook

An equation whose answer is a function

Algebra asks: what number x makes x + 3 = 7? The answer is a number, 4. A differential equation asks something stranger: what FUNCTION has a derivative equal to itself? Its answer isn't a number — it's an entire curve y(x). These equations describe how things change, so they run physics, biology, and finance.

A differential equation relates a function to its own derivatives. Its solution is a function.

Loading…