

Topic: Calculus
Level: IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches (HL)
File Type: Editable Slides / Lesson Presentation
Overview
This resource introduces differential equations as mathematical models used to describe real-world change.
Students will learn how to identify, set up, and solve differential equations from contextual problems using the separation of variables technique.
Through practical examples such as population growth and Newton’s Law of Cooling, this lesson emphasizes the power of differential equations in modeling dynamic systems and predicting future behavior.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Define what a differential equation is and interpret it in context.
- Identify differential equations in problem statements involving rates of change.
- Set up differential equations from verbal descriptions of real-world problems.
- Solve separable differential equations using the separation of variables method.
- Apply initial conditions to find constants of integration and define the domain of the solution.
- Model population growth and temperature change using differential equations.
What’s Included
- Definition of differential equations and explanation of how they represent rates of change.
- Examples of common models including exponential growth and decay.
- Step-by-step guide on how to use separation of variables to solve equations.
- Practice problem solving a differential equation with an initial condition and defining its domain.
- Derivation of the exponential growth function using separation of variables.
- Problem involving bacterial growth with step-by-step solution and interpretation.
- Application example: Newton’s Law of Cooling
- Solved problem determining the temperature constant and estimating future temperature.
- Fully worked solutions with clear progression from setup to final answer.
Topics Covered
- Differential equations as mathematical models.
- Separation of variables technique.
- Exponential growth and decay models.
- Population growth and cooling problems.
- Applying and interpreting initial conditions.
- Using constants to define general and particular solutions.
Why You’ll Love It
- Bridges calculus techniques with real-world problem solving.
- Provides clear procedural steps and conceptual explanations.
- Includes both analytical derivations and contextual applications.
- Aligned with IB Math HL Topic 5: Calculus (Applications and Interpretation HL).
- Fully classroom-ready with a visually clean and logically structured slide format.
Tags: IB Math HL, Differential Equations, Separation of Variables, Population Growth, Newton’s Law of Cooling, Exponential Growth and Decay, Calculus, IB Curriculum, Lesson Slides
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