Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-2-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/paper-2/3/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2009 Paper 2 3 Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-18 Updated 2026-10-20
Write . A radial function harmonic away from the source satisfies , hence . Decay at infinity forces . Integrating over a small sphere, the divergence theorem requires flux one:Therefore the fundamental solution in this sign convention isAdding point sources outside the domain changes only a harmonic function inside it. The method of images selects their positions and strengths to cancel boundary values. The sign reverses for the alternative convention .
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