C4 January 2012 Q8

EdexcelOld spec12 marksAlgebraic FractionsIntegration

8.

(a) Express \(\dfrac{1}{P(5 - P)}\) in partial fractions. (3)

A team of conservationists is studying the population of meerkats on a nature reserve. The population is modelled by the differential equation\[\frac{\mathrm{d}P}{\mathrm{d}t} = \frac{1}{15}P(5 - P), \qquad t \geqslant 0\]where \(P\), in thousands, is the population of meerkats and \(t\) is the time measured in years since the study began.

Given that when \(t = 0\), \(P = 1\),

(b) solve the differential equation, giving your answer in the form,\[P = \frac{a}{b + c\mathrm{e}^{-\frac{1}{3}t}}\]where \(a\), \(b\) and \(c\) are integers. (8)
(c) Hence show that the population cannot exceed 5000 (1)