In mathematics, in the field of differential equations, an initial value problem (also called the Cauchy problem by some authors) is an ordinary differential equation together with a specified value, called the initial condition, of the unknown function at a given point in the domain of the solution. In physics or other sciences, modeling a system frequently amounts to solving an initial value problem; in this context, the differential equation is an evolution equation specifying how, given initial conditions, the system will evolve with time. == Definition == An initial value problem is ...