Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/ib/paper-4/17b/a/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 4 17B a i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Take . For , the diffusion fundamental solution of a linear differential operator satisfies and has initial value in the sense of distributions:for every smooth compactly supported test function . With the usual spatial decay it has unit mass. Equivalently the causal extension is a retarded fundamental solution satisfying .
The causal Green function is zero for and satisfiesFor it solves the homogeneous diffusion equation, and its initial jump is , again distributionally. The natural spatial decay and a standard bounded or integrable solution class specify the usual kernel, avoiding unrestricted growing solutions. The PDE acts on ; label the location and time of the unit impulse. Values of the Heaviside step function exactly at the jump do not affect these distribution identities.
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