Project (1) Differential Equations

Differential Equations MA2010-Project 1 Leopoldo Cendejas-Zaragoza, Ph.D.
Instructions: Read and study the next scenario carefully; solve the
differential equation involved in this application; and study the behavior of
the solutions. Include graphs when necessary. Create a report stating your
solution process, results, and final conclusions. You can use any graphing
utility or computer program.
The pursuit path of a plane subject to the forces of wind

The path traced by a body which always moves in the direction of a fixed point of another
moving object is called a pursuit curve. Consider that a pilot always keeps the nose of a
plane pointed towards a city due west of the starting point. At the same time wind is blowing
to the north. The path of the plane will be affected due to the wind, but the pilot is always
trying to cancel this effect by pointing the airplane towards the city. Figure 1 shows this
scenario. The target city is placed at the origin, while the plane starts its path in the point
(a,0) over the x axis. Your job will be to find an equation for this path.
Figure 1: Pursuit path made by a plane trying to reach a city in the presence of a wind
vector.
Begin by assuming that the speed of the airplane is v kilometers per hour and the wind
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is blowing from the south at a rate of w kilometers per hour. Now, let P (x, y) be the
position of the plane at any time t. The vector that represents the velocity of the plane has
a magnitude v and is pointed towards the city. Observe that θ is the angle that is made
between the vector v and the horizontal. Also, note that the wind vector w is directed to
the north and has a magnitude of w.
The actual velocity v t of the plane is given by the vector addition of v and w, that is
v t = v + w. This observation is visible in Figure 1, where the actual direction of the plane
is shown. Since this direction is changing instantaneously, it must be tangent to the path at
dy
P . It must therefore be the slope dx of the desired curve. The problem will be to find and
dy
equation that expresses dx as a function of x and y.
As we mentioned before, we can use the vector addition to compute the x and y compo-
nents of the velocity vector v t .
vt = v + w

vtx −v cos θ 0
= + (1)
vty −v sin θ w
Or expressed separately, the components of the velocity vtx and vty have the following form:
vtx = −v cos θ
vty = −v sin θ + w (2)
Now, if we recognize that the velocity is the the derivative to the position with respect to
time, we can further express these equations in terms of the position x and y:
dx
= −v cos θ
dt
dy
= −v sin θ + w (3)
dt
From Figure 1 we can also express sin θ and cos θ in terms of x and y:
x
cos θ = p
x + y2
2
y
sin θ = p (4)
x2 + y 2
Replacing this values into equations (3), we obtain:
dx −vx
=p (5)
dt x2 + y 2
dy −vy
=p +w (6)
dt x2 + y 2
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Now divide equation (6) by (5):

p
y − wv x2 + y 2
p
dy −vy + w x2 + y 2
= = (7)
dx −vx x
For convenience, let
w
k= (8)
v
In such a way that k represents the ratio between the speed of the wind and the speed of
the plane. Thus, the equation becomes:
p
dy y − k x2 + y 2
= (9)
dx x
The solution to this differential equation will describe the path of the plane in the presence
of wind, when the initial condition is y(x = a) = 0. Where a represents the original distance
between the plane and the city (see Fig. 1).
For your report:

For your report complete the following tasks:
• Prove that the differential equation that models the plane path is homogeneous.
• Solve the differential equation using y(x = a) = 0 as an initial condition. Isolate for y.
• Use a graphing utility to investigate the following cases:
– Case 1: Consider that the speed of the plane, v, is greater than the speed of the
wind, w. That is 0 < k < 1 (See eqn. 8). Graph the path of the plane when
proposing different values of k and a. Remember that a is the starting distance
between the plane and the target city, and is measured in kilometers. Will the
plane reach its destination?. What happens when k approaches to k = 1. Make
sure to show only relevant values in your graphs, that is, do not graph values of
your solution that are non-important for the application.
– Case 2: Consider that the speed of the plane, v, is less than the speed of the
wind w. That is k > 1. Graph the path of the plane when proposing different
values for k and a. Will the plane reach its destination? Make sure to show only
relevant values in your graphs, that is, do not graph values of your solution that
are non-important for the application.
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– Case 3: Consider that the speed of the plane, v, is equal to the speed of the wind
w. That is k = 1. Graph the path of the plane when proposing different values
for a. Will the plane reach its destination? Can you recognize the form of the
path? Make sure to show only relevant values in your graphs, that is, do not
graph values of your solution that are non-important for the application.
• Derive analytical and quantitative conclusions from this model.
• Identify possible enhancements to the model. For instance how can you change the
model if the wind were to have a different direction rather than north? What would
happen if the plane is allowed to change its speed as a function of time? Try to express
these modifications using differential equations.
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Differential Equations MA2010-Project 1 Leopoldo Cendejas-Zaragoza, Ph.D.

The pursuit path of a plane subject to the forces of wind

Now divide equation (6) by (5):

For your report:

• Use a graphing utility to investigate the following cases:

• Derive analytical and quantitative conclusions from this model.

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