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Question on problem 15 in Sec 6.6.

I tried to obtain the expression for

s/(s + 1) * 1/(s+1)

but am not getting the correct result in the Laplace table of

t sin t.

I am using the convolution of cos(tau)*sin(t-tau). There is no t term in sight. Is it okay to read off the table? Even if it is, shouldn't the result be the same?

Answer:

To find the inverse Laplace transform of

s/(s + 1) * 1/(s+1)

you'll need to compute the convolution integral:

$ \int_0^t \cos(\tau)\sin(t-\tau)\ d\tau. $

You'll have to use a formula for the sine of the difference of two angles and be very careful. Remember, t acts like a constant in the integrals.

There is only one correct answer, so you should get it that way. (If it looks different than the back of the book, a trig identity might be at fault.)

  • Another way to solve this problem is to recognize that the given expression is the derivative of

1 / [(s+2)^2 + 1]]

...therefore greatly simplifying the solution (no trig identities required).

(You'll need to use the formula

L[ t f(t) ] = -F'(s)

to get the inverse transform.)

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