Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2014/iii/paper-74/2/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 74 2 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-06
Introduce the slow time and treat independently in the method of multiple scales. WriteAt the next order,For fixed define the period average byHere inside the averages is evaluated at the leading position and velocity . Orthogonality to both fundamental harmonics is the solvability condition in the method of multiple scales: it removes the resonant forcing that would otherwise generate a secular term. Since the squared sine and cosine averages are , the amplitude-phase equations areEquivalently and at first order. These equations describe a bounded, weakly perturbed oscillation over while the amplitude remains in a range where the expansion is ordered. At zero amplitude the oscillation phase coordinate is singular; Cartesian harmonic coefficients or an equilibrium analysis should replace it.
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