Unit 7: Differential Equations
Calculus BC · Unit 7 · Paper 3

Differential Equations unit test

A test on this unit alone, marked as a percentage and a letter grade — for the test your class is actually sitting, rather than for May. Answer everything, then submit once: seeing the answer to question 3 before attempting question 4 makes the final percentage meaningless.

Each paper is built from this unit’s 24 terms and is the same for everyone, so a teacher can assign “Unit 7, Paper 3” and every student sits the identical test. Multiple choice is marked objectively; the written sections you mark yourself against the model answer and rubric.
Suggested time 36 min 33 points0/17 attempted
1

Identifying the carrying capacity

2

Solutions cannot cross

3

Verify a candidate solution twice

4

Choose the branch from the initial condition

5

Finding concavity without the solution

6

Exponentiating a sum gives a product

7

Resolve C before exponentiating

8

Euler recomputes the slope

9

Fastest logistic growth at M/2

10

Match a slope field by structure

11

Show the Euler table

12

Logistic solution behavior

Short answer 1. Define or explain: Logistic equilibria

3 pts

Short answer 2. Define or explain: Separation of variables with initial conditions

3 pts

Short answer 3. Define or explain: Logistic differential equation

3 pts

Short answer 4. Define or explain: Fastest growth in a logistic model

3 pts

Free response

9 pts

NO CALCULATOR. A population of fish in a lake is modeled by the differentiable function P, where P(t) is measured in hundreds of fish and t is measured in years. The population satisfies the logistic differential equation dP/dt = 0.5P(1 − P/200), with initial condition P(0) = 50.

A. State the carrying capacity of the lake for this population, and find lim (t→∞) P(t).

B. Find the value of P at which the population is growing most rapidly. Justify your answer.

C. Use Euler’s method, starting at t = 0 with two steps of equal size 1, to approximate P(2). Show the work that leads to your answer.

D. Determine whether the approximation in part C is an overestimate or an underestimate of the true value of P(2). Justify your answer.