Solutions to Differential Equations
Way back in algebra we learned that a solution to an equation is a value of the variable that makes the equation true. This is backwards kind of thinking we need for differential equations.
To check if a number is a solution to an equation, we evaluate the left-hand side of the equation at that number, then evaluate the right-hand side of the equation at that number. If we get the same value for both sides of the equation, the number is a solution to the equation.