Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-algebra-analysis-and-differential-equations-1-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2004/differential-equations/9/iii/solution

This is the wave equation, again taking as time. Zero is not unique: for ,
satisfies and all the stated boundary conditions. The initial displacement is zero but the initial velocity is not prescribed.
A sufficient extra condition is . For the resulting homogeneous data use wave energy
The equation and integration by parts give . At the factor vanishes, and at the factor vanishes because . The initial displacement implies , so the extra initial velocity condition gives . Consequently and . With the stated boundary regularity, integrate the local energy conservation law over inset rectangles and let their edges approach the boundary; the energy and flux terms converge by continuity of the first derivatives.

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