9.2 • SECOND-OR.DER. HOMOGENEOUS DIFFER.ENCE EQUATIONS 369
Solution
(a) The homogeneous difference equation has the form (9-8) with a = :£f
and b = ; and b > a^2 so that the solutions are complex and have the
form
where
(4 2
r = Vb = y 9 = 3 and
(
<f> = arctan ~) a
=Mot'° ( :,~ ~ - ( -7)')
7T
= arctan(l) =
4
.
Hence, the general homogeneous solution is
(
y,,[n] = c1 2)n 7T (2)n 1f
3
cos(
4
n) + c2
3
sin(
4
n),
and is illustrated in Figure 9.2.
Remark 9. 12
The homogeneous solution is transient and will decay to 0 as n ....., oo; i.e.,
limn->oo Yh (n] = 0. •
y[11]
JO
8
6
4
2
- 2
-4
Figure 9.2 A typical solution to y[n + 2] - ~ J2y[n + 1) + h ln) = O.