This textbook is a unique blend of the theory of differential equations and their exciting application to "real world" problems. First, and foremost, it is a rigorous study of ordinary differential equations and can be fully understood by anyone who has completed one year of calculus. However, in addition to the traditional applications, it also contains many exciting "real life" problems. These applications are completely self-contained. First, the problem to be solved is outlined clearly, and one or more differential equations are derived as a model for this problem. These equations are then solved, and the results are compared with real world data.
The following applications are covered in this text:
1. In Section 1.3 we prove that the beautiful painting "Disciples of Emmaus" which was bought by the Rembrandt Society of Belgium for $170,000 was a modern forgery.
2. In Section 1.5 we derive differential equations which govern the population growth of various species, and compare the results predicted by our models with the known values of the populations.
3. In Section 1.6 we derive differential equations which govern the rate at which farmers adopt new innovations. Surprisingly, these same differential equations govern the rate at which technological innovations are adopted in such diverse industries as coal, iron and steel, brewing, and railroads.