Linear Differential Equations and Systems

Abstract

This and the next chapters survey the mathematical material that would be found in a textbook on differential equations, with special emphasis on what is useful from a modelling perspective. Linear differential equations do a great deal of the heavy lifting in many fields of application, including, for example, chemical engineering, electrical circuit theory, financial analysis, kinesiology and pharmacology. Stationary linear differential equations are an important subclass of linear equations, and are discussed in some detail. Nonlinear equation systems often begin as fairly obvious changes to a linear system, so that a good grasp if this rather humble part of dynamic systems theory continues to be useful in the next chapter on nonlinear systems.