Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/ib/paper-4/17b/a/ii/solution

For each injection time , let solve the homogeneous Cauchy problem for a partial differential equation with initial profile . Its representation by the fundamental solution of a linear differential operator is
The causal Green function and Duhamel principle give
For smooth forcing with sufficient decay, differentiating this formula gives
The boundary term uses the Dirac delta function limit of , not a finite pointwise value of . The same formula extends to weaker forcing in an appropriate integrable or distribution sense. Physically, each short time interval adds to the temperature profile; that addition subsequently undergoes homogeneous diffusion equation. The total solution is the superposition of all such diffusing injections.

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