By combining the results of Problems 24 through \(26,\) show that the solution
of the initial value problem
$$
L[y]=\left(a D^{2}+b D+c\right) y=g(t), \quad y\left(t_{0}\right)=0, \quad
y^{\prime}\left(t_{0}\right)=0
$$
where \(a, b,\) and \(c\) are constants, has the form
$$
y=\phi(t)=\int_{t_{0}}^{t} K(t-s) g(s) d s
$$
The function \(K\) depends only on the solutions \(y_{1}\) and \(y_{2}\) of the
corresponding homogeneous equation and is independent of the nonhomogeneous
term. Once \(K\) is determined, all nonhomogeneous problems involving the same
differential operator \(L\) are reduced to the evaluation of an integral. Note
also that although \(K\) depends on both \(t\) and \(s,\) only the combination \(t-s\)
appears, so \(K\) is actually a function of a single variable. Thinking of
\(g(t)\) as the input to the problem and \(\phi(t)\) as the output, it follows
from Eq. (i) that the output depends on the input over the entire interval
from the initial point \(t_{0}\) to the current value \(t .\) The integral in Eq.
(i) is called the convolution of \(K\) and \(g,\) and \(K\) is referred to as the
kernel.