Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2015/prelims/mathematics-v-resit/question-4/b/solution

A steady state has , so . The fixed temperature gives , and thermal insulation gives . Thus
Subtracting this steady state produces the homogeneous mixed boundary conditions
The partial differential equation and boundary conditions apply for . The initial condition is attained as . Its slope at is , so it does not satisfy the insulated-end condition at the instant . The resulting heat equation solution is smooth for and approaches the initial temperature continuously; its spatial derivative need not be continuous at .

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