Chapter 18 · Partial Differential Equations
18.02
Classification of PDEs
Second-order linear PDEs are elliptic, parabolic or hyperbolic, by the sign of B² − 4AC, just like conic sections. The type tells you how solutions behave and which conditions make sense.
About 14 minutes
You'll learn to
- →Classify PDEs by order and linearity
- →Classify second-order equations as elliptic, parabolic or hyperbolic
- →Describe how each type behaves
- →Solve first-order linear PDEs along characteristics