APPLICATION OF DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION

GROWTH AND DECAY PROBLEM

Micro – organism such as Bacteria and Viruses a found to reproduce at an alarming rate. The reason for
this is that they reproduce by binary fission (i.e. each cell reproduces by dividing into two cells.
            In the case of Bacteria culture, it was discovered that the rate of growth is directly proportional to
the current population (until such time as resources becomes scarce or overcrowding becomes a limiting
factor).
If we let y(t) represent the number of bacteria in a culture at time t, then the rate of change of population 
with respect to time is y (t). Thus, since y (t) is proportional to y(t), we have
1 1

                       

Where k is the proportionality constant (the growth constant)

The equation  is a differential equation, which we
have to solve.

                       

Integrate both sides of equation (2) with respect to t, we obtain

                       
Evaluating these integral, we obtain

                       
Since C is an arbitrary constant
           

For k > 0, equation (4) is called exponential growth law and for k < 0, it is exponential decay law.
 
 
EXAMPLE 15: GROWTH PROBLEM
Suppose a bacterial culture doubles in population every 4 hour. If the population is initially 100, find an
equation for the population at any time. Determine when the population will reach 6000. Assuming the
growth is exponential
 
SOLUTION
Exponential growth means that

and from equation (4)

                       
Where A and k are constant to be determine. Let the starting time be t = 0, we have
                       

And hence
                       
To determine k, let time t = 4 and y(t) = 2A = 200

                       
Taking the natural logarithms of both sides

                       

We now have a formula representing the number of bacteria in the culture at any time as
                       
One more thing to do, to determine the time when the population will be 6000 (i.e. y(t) = 6000)     

                       
Take the natural logarithm of both sides

                       

 
The population will be 6000 in approximately 23.64 hours