We want a general solution for the ODE
2y'' - 5y' - 3y = 0
The characteristic equation is
2m² - 5m - 3 = 0
(2m + 1)(m - 3) = 0
which yields
m = -1/2, 3
Answer:
The general solution is
[tex]y(x)=c_{1}e^{-x/2}+c_{2} e^{3x}[/tex]
where c₁ and c₂ are constants.