Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-2-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2007/paper-1/7/i/solution

Multiply the equation for by and the equation for by , then subtract. The common terms cancel, and integration by parts gives the Lagrange identity for a Sturm-Liouville operator:
At each endpoint the two pairs and satisfy the same nontrivial homogeneous linear equation. They therefore lie on the same one-dimensional line, and their determinant vanishes. The boundary expression is zero. Since the eigenvalues are distinct, division gives the required orthogonality of Sturm-Liouville eigenfunctions:
For complex-valued eigenfunctions of a real self-adjoint problem one may choose real eigenfunctions, or use the conjugated version as a weighted inner product.

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