Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2015/paper-2/20/c/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2015 Paper 2 20 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Separate . On a nonzero product region,A decaying temporal factor requires , with . The zero spatial boundary values give and , hence with . Zero or negative separation parameters give no nonzero spatial mode with both boundary values zero.
The initial profile is already exactly the sine eigenfunction. Its coefficient therefore determines a single separated solution:The exponential tends to zero because . More generally sine orthogonality would determine a sum of such modes, but all other coefficients vanish here. This is the transient of the heat equation with a single stationary sine forcing.
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