Ordinary Differential Equations

The Second Edition of this successful text is unique in its approach to motivation, precision, explanations and methods. Topics are introduced in a more accessible way then subsequent sections develop these further. Motivating the concepts, modeling, and technology are emphasized. An engaging writing style appeals to students.

Kenneth B. Howell earned bachelor degrees in both mathematics and physics from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and master's and doctoral degrees in mathematics from Indiana University. For more than thirty years, he was a professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (retiring in 2014). During his academic career, Dr. Howell published numerous research articles in applied and theoretical mathematics in prestigious journals, served as a consulting research scientist for various companies and federal agencies in the space and defense industries, and received awards from the College and University for outstanding teaching. He is also the author of Principles of Fourier Analysis (Chapman & Hall/CRC, 2001).

The Basics. The Starting Point: Basic Concepts and Terminology. Integration and Differential Equations. First-Order Equations. Some Basics about First-Order Equations.Separable First-Order Equations. Linear First-Order Equations. Simplifying Through Substitution. The Exact Form and General Integrating Factors. Slope Fields: Graphing Solutions Without the Solutions. Euler's Numerical Method. The Art and Science of Modeling with First-Order Equations. Second- and Higher-Order Equations. Higher-Order Equations: Extending First-Order Concepts. Higher-Order Linear Equations and the Reduction of Order Method. General Solutions to Homogeneous Linear Differential Equations. Verifying the Big Theorems and an Introduction to Differential Operators. Second-Order Homogeneous Linear Equations with Constant Coefficients. Springs: Part I. Arbitrary Homogeneous Linear Equations with Constant Coefficients. Euler Equations. Nonhomogeneous Equations in General. Method of Undetermined Coefficients. Springs: Part II. Variation of Parameters.The Laplace Transform. The Laplace Transfrom (Intro). Differentiation and the Laplace Transform. The Inverse Laplace Transform. Convolution. Piecewise-Defined Functions and Periodic Functions. Delta Functions. Power Series and Modified Power Series Solutions. Series Solutions: Preliminaries. Power Series Solutions I: Basic Computational Methods. Power Series Solutions II: Generalizations and Theory.Modified Power Series Solutions and the Basic Method of Frobenius. The Big Theorem on the Frobenius Method, with Applications. Validating the Method of Frobenius. Systems of Differential Equations (A Brief Introduction). 35. Systems of Differential Equations: A Starting Point. Critical Points, Direction Fields and Trajectories.