CAIE P3 2007 November — Question 7

Exam BoardCAIE
ModuleP3 (Pure Mathematics 3)
Year2007
SessionNovember
TopicFirst order differential equations (integrating factor)

7 The number of insects in a population \(t\) days after the start of observations is denoted by \(N\). The variation in the number of insects is modelled by a differential equation of the form $$\frac { \mathrm { d } N } { \mathrm {~d} t } = k N \cos ( 0.02 t )$$ where \(k\) is a constant and \(N\) is taken to be a continuous variable. It is given that \(N = 125\) when \(t = 0\).
  1. Solve the differential equation, obtaining a relation between \(N , k\) and \(t\).
  2. Given also that \(N = 166\) when \(t = 30\), find the value of \(k\).
  3. Obtain an expression for \(N\) in terms of \(t\), and find the least value of \(N\) predicted by this model.