Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/iii/paper-334/1/f/solution

At the sheet, the second-order conditions are and . At the wall, and . The general solution has a polynomial mean mode and a second harmonic with exponentials , as in the unbounded calculation.
Let . The averaged Stokes equation, with periodic pressure and no imposed mean pressure gradient, gives . The total horizontal hydrodynamic force on the sheet is opposite to the mean shear force on the flat wall. Since the swimmer is force-free, , making the mean velocity constant. Matching its values at the sheet and wall therefore gives
The previous part gives , hence
This determines the speed without solving the second-harmonic flow. The force constraint matters: prescribing a translating sheet without imposing zero net force would allow a mean shear and would not determine a unique swimming speed.

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