(a) Sketching the slopes at individual points by computing dtdy∣(t,y) at various values of (t,y), we see the following slope field.
(b) By following the slope field so that we pass through the points (0,−4), (0,−3), …, (0,4), we see the collection of curves in the figure above.
(c) It looks like the solution that passes through (0,−1) is a straight line with slope m=1, and thus has the formula y(t)=t−1. To verify this function is a solution, we compute both dtdy and t−y. Doing so, we see
dtdy=1
and
t−y=t−(t−1)=1. Thus, y(t)=t−1 is indeed a solution to the differential equation.
(d) From both the differential equation and the graphs we have sketched, it appears that t and y are equal at any point where a solution has a local minimum. This is because when t=y, dtdy=t−y=0, and having the derivative be zero is required for any local minimum on a differentiable function.