CAIE P3 2013 June — Question 8

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleP3 (Pure Mathematics 3)
Year2013
SessionJune
TopicFirst order differential equations (integrating factor)

8 The variables \(x\) and \(t\) satisfy the differential equation $$t \frac { \mathrm {~d} x } { \mathrm {~d} t } = \frac { k - x ^ { 3 } } { 2 x ^ { 2 } }$$ for \(t > 0\), where \(k\) is a constant. When \(t = 1 , x = 1\) and when \(t = 4 , x = 2\).
  1. Solve the differential equation, finding the value of \(k\) and obtaining an expression for \(x\) in terms of \(t\).
  2. State what happens to the value of \(x\) as \(t\) becomes large.