A Numerical Approach Using the TI-92

You may want to look at the appropriate TI-92 help module on numerical solutions of differential equations for help and some programs for working with these kinds of differential equations.

We rewrite our system of equations as follows to make them easier to work with on the TI-92.

Missing equation

The TI-92 screen below shows how with the programs from the help module above the TI-92 can be set up to investigate this system of differential equations.

Missing TI-92 screen

For a first experiment try

a = 1

b = 1

c = 1

x(0) = 0

y(0) = 6

and the time interval [0, 4].

This give us an immediate partial answer to our question. What is it? Notice that we still have lots of questions. The most important question is -- Why? We should also ask whether this always happens or we just happened to pick one particular situation in which it did happen.


Copyright c 1998 by Frank Wattenberg, Department of Mathematics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717