Find the general form of f if f'(x)= -7f(x).

Calculus: Early Transcendentals
8th Edition
ISBN:9781285741550
Author:James Stewart
Publisher:James Stewart
Chapter1: Functions And Models
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1RCC: (a) What is a function? What are its domain and range? (b) What is the graph of a function? (c) How...
Question
**Problem Statement:**

Find the general form of \( f \) if \( f'(x) = -7f(x) \).

---

**Solution:**

To solve the differential equation \( f'(x) = -7f(x) \), we can use the method of separation of variables.

1. **Separate Variables:**

   Rewrite the equation as:

   \[
   \frac{f'(x)}{f(x)} = -7
   \]

2. **Integrate Both Sides:**

   Integrate with respect to \( x \):

   \[
   \int \frac{1}{f(x)} f'(x) \, dx = \int -7 \, dx
   \]

   The left side simplifies to \( \ln |f(x)| \):

   \[
   \ln |f(x)| = -7x + C
   \]

   where \( C \) is the constant of integration.

3. **Solve for \( f(x) \):**

   Exponentiate both sides to solve for \( f(x) \):

   \[
   |f(x)| = e^{C} e^{-7x}
   \]

   Let \( A = e^{C} \), where \( A \) is a constant. Therefore:

   \[
   f(x) = Ae^{-7x}
   \]

   Given the properties of the exponential function, the absolute value is not needed if \( A \) can be any real number since it can absorb both the positive and negative signs.

Hence, the general form of \( f \) is:

\[
f(x) = Ae^{-7x}
\]

where \( A \) is an arbitrary constant.
Transcribed Image Text:**Problem Statement:** Find the general form of \( f \) if \( f'(x) = -7f(x) \). --- **Solution:** To solve the differential equation \( f'(x) = -7f(x) \), we can use the method of separation of variables. 1. **Separate Variables:** Rewrite the equation as: \[ \frac{f'(x)}{f(x)} = -7 \] 2. **Integrate Both Sides:** Integrate with respect to \( x \): \[ \int \frac{1}{f(x)} f'(x) \, dx = \int -7 \, dx \] The left side simplifies to \( \ln |f(x)| \): \[ \ln |f(x)| = -7x + C \] where \( C \) is the constant of integration. 3. **Solve for \( f(x) \):** Exponentiate both sides to solve for \( f(x) \): \[ |f(x)| = e^{C} e^{-7x} \] Let \( A = e^{C} \), where \( A \) is a constant. Therefore: \[ f(x) = Ae^{-7x} \] Given the properties of the exponential function, the absolute value is not needed if \( A \) can be any real number since it can absorb both the positive and negative signs. Hence, the general form of \( f \) is: \[ f(x) = Ae^{-7x} \] where \( A \) is an arbitrary constant.
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