Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/paper-1/19/c/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2009 Paper 1 19 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
Take the spatial interval with , and write . A separated nonzero solution satisfiesThe zero-endpoint Dirichlet boundary conditions rule out nonzero solutions for : linear or hyperbolic spatial factors cannot vanish at both ends. For , they give and , . The temporal factors solve , with the fixed-end standing wave frequencies . Superposition givesThe constants are arbitrary subject to the convergence and regularity required of the solution. For initial displacement and initial velocity , their Fourier sine series give and . Smooth compatible data give classical solutions; weaker data have the corresponding energy interpretation. A negative printed describes the interval with endpoints reversed and gives the same modes after using its positive length.
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