A general solution of a differential equation is a family that contains every solution in the class under consideration, usually
through one or more arbitrary constants or functions.
For example, the general real solution of 
is
 |
where 
is the constant of integration that appears
when an antiderivative is obtained in the corresponding
indefinite integral. Additional initial
conditions or boundary conditions select
particular solutions from the family. A solution
not obtained from the general family by any allowed choice of its parameters
is called a singular solution.
