Problem 250
Medium Further Methods

Solve xyy' - x^2√(y^2+1) = (x+1)(y^2+1)

Solve $xyy' - x^2\sqrt{y^2+1} = (x+1)(y^2+1)$.

Explanation of Method

The combination \(\\sqrt{y^2+1}\) and \(y^2+1\) suggests \(u=\\sqrt{y^2+1}\), which turns \(yy'\) into \(uu'\) and reduces the equation to a first-order linear ODE in \(u(x)\).

Substitute \(u=\\sqrt{y^2+1}\)

Then \(u^2=y^2+1\) gives \(u\\,du/dx = y\\,dy/dx\), and \(y^2=u^2-1\). The original equation \(xy\\,y' = x^2\\sqrt{y^2+1}+(x+1)(y^2+1)\) becomes \(xu\\,du/dx = x^2u+(x+1)u^2\).

Reduce to a linear equation

Dividing by \(u\): \(x\\dfrac{du}{dx} - (x+1)u = x^2\), i.e. \(\\dfrac{du}{dx} - \\left(1+\\dfrac{1}{x}\\right)u = x\).

Solve with an integrating factor

\(\\mu(x) = e^{-\\int(1+1/x)dx} = \\dfrac{e^{-x}}{x}\). Then \(\\dfrac{d}{dx}\\!\\left(\\dfrac{ue^{-x}}{x}\\right) = e^{-x}\), so \(\\dfrac{ue^{-x}}{x} = -e^{-x}+C\), giving \(u = Cxe^x - x\). (Confirmed independently with sympy's dsolve on \(xu'-(x+1)u=x^2\), which returns the same family.)

Back-substitute \(u=\\sqrt{y^2+1}\)

\[ \\sqrt{y^2+1} = Cxe^x - x. \]

Verify

Implicit-differentiating \(F=\\sqrt{y^2+1}-(Cxe^x-x)=0\) with sympy and solving for \(y'\) gives \(y' = \\dfrac{\\sqrt{y^2+1}\\,(Cxe^x+Ce^x-1)}{y}\). Substituting \(\\sqrt{y^2+1}=Cxe^x-x\) and \(y^2+1=(Cxe^x-x)^2\) into both this expression and into the original equation solved for \(y'\), the residual \(xyy'-x^2\\sqrt{y^2+1}-(x+1)(y^2+1)\) simplifies symbolically to exactly \(0\), confirming the solution.


Result

Final answer:

Boxed result: \[ \\boxed{\\sqrt{y^2+1} = Cxe^x - x} \] equivalently \(y^2 = (Cxe^x-x)^2-1\).