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Topic: Understanding the linearity principle of superposition  (Read 5091 times)

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Offline MacMan007

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Understanding the linearity principle of superposition
« on: February 09, 2009, 08:49:09 PM »
Hello,

I am currently in a differential equations class in college and I am not fully grasping the concept of superposition. I understand the differential needs to be linear and the individual solutions of it are additive. The part that seems to catch me up is what this method is useful for and how to come up with a proper solution. For the sake of discussion, is it possible to demonstrate with the differential equation dy/dt + k*y = b*Sin (t)? I have notes for it, but understanding them seems to be nearly impossible. I have also taken a look at the Wikipedia page but, like most math pages on Wikipedia, it was too technical for my current education.

-Thanks

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