In mathematics, a separable differential equation may refer to one of two related things, both of which are differential equations that can be attacked by a method of separation of variables.
- For ordinary differential equations, it describes a class of equations that can be separated into a pair of integrals. See examples of differential equations.
- For partial differential equations, it describes a class of equations that can be broken down into differential equations in fewer independent variables. See separable partial differential equation.
Famous quotes containing the words differential and/or equation:
“But how is one to make a scientist understand that there is something unalterably deranged about differential calculus, quantum theory, or the obscene and so inanely liturgical ordeals of the precession of the equinoxes.”
—Antonin Artaud (1896–1948)
“Jail sentences have many functions, but one is surely to send a message about what our society abhors and what it values. This week, the equation was twofold: female infidelity twice as bad as male abuse, the life of a woman half as valuable as that of a man. The killing of the woman taken in adultery has a long history and survives today in many cultures. One of those is our own.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)