ABSTRACT
What This Chapter Is About We shall be concerned with the existence and uniqueness of solutions and the size of domains of solutions. (We use the word “solution” here to refer to a solution of the initial value problem. See page 13 for a description of the initial value problem.) Since we shall obtain no practical procedures for calculating solutions, it is natural for the student to feel dubious about the value of this material. Would it not be better to omit this theoretical stuff and get on with the real problem of finding explicit solutions? Besides, those who have solved differential equations by using a computer know full well that this is accomplished without any talk about existence, uniqueness, and so forth.
