Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2015/ia/paper-3/11a/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 11A ii Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
For the usual Dirichlet problem on a bounded regular volume, suppose both satisfy the stated data. Their difference is a harmonic function, with in and on . In Green's first identity, choose both functions equal to :The nonnegative continuous integrand forces . Thus is constant on each connected component, and its zero boundary values force each constant to vanish. This proves uniqueness for the Dirichlet problem.
If the boundary value is a constant , the constant function is itself a harmonic function with those data. Uniqueness therefore yieldsBoundedness, or an appropriate condition at infinity replacing it, is essential. On the upper half-space both and are harmonic functions with zero data on its boundary plane. They show why unrestricted uniqueness must not be asserted for an unbounded volume.
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