Question:medium

The general solution of the differential equation \(\frac{dy}{dx} = y\tan x - y^2\sec x\) is:

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Bernoulli equation: substitute \(v = y^{1-n}\) to convert to linear form.
Updated On: May 21, 2026
  • \(\tan x = (C + \sec x)y\)
  • \(\sec y = (C + \tan y)x\)
  • \(\sec x = (C + \tan x)y\)
  • \(\tan y = (C + \sec x)x\)
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

To solve the given differential equation:

\(\frac{dy}{dx} = y\tan x - y^2\sec x\)

We start by rewriting the equation in the standard form for solving first-order differential equations:

\(\frac{dy}{dx} + y^2\sec x - y\tan x = 0\)

This is a Bernoulli's differential equation, which is expressed as:

\(\frac{dy}{dx} + P(x)y = Q(x)y^n\)

Where, \(n=2\). In our case:

  • \(P(x) = -\tan x\)
  • \(Q(x) = \sec x\)
  • \(n = 2\)

The substitution for a Bernoulli's equation is:

\(v = y^{1-n} = y^{-1}\), thus \(y = \frac{1}{v}\)

The derivative \(\frac{dy}{dx} = -\frac{1}{v^2} \frac{dv}{dx}\)

Substituting this in the original equation gives:

\(-\frac{1}{v^2}\frac{dv}{dx} + \frac{1}{v^2}\sec x - \frac{1}{v}\tan x = 0\)

Multiply through by \(-v^2\) to simplify:

\(\frac{dv}{dx} - v\sec x + v^2\tan x = 0\)

This simplifies to a linear differential equation in \(v\):

\(\frac{dv}{dx} = v\sec x - v^2\tan x\)

Solving the linear first-order equation for \(v\) by finding an integrating factor:

The integrating factor is \(\mu(x) = e^{-\int \sec x \, dx} = e^{-\ln(\sec x + \tan x)}\)

Solving yields:

\(v \times (\sec x + \tan x) = C\)

Substitute \(v = \frac{1}{y}\) back to find \(y\):

\(\sec x = (C + \tan x)y\)

Thus, this is the general solution to the differential equation.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

\(\sec x = (C + \tan x)y\)

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