Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-2-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/paper-1/3/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2019 Paper 1 3 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
For each source point , construct the Green function from homogeneous solutions on either side:The endpoint conditions are then automatic. The equation requires continuity of and a unit jump in its first derivative: a discontinuity in would introduce an unwanted delta derivative, while integrating across the source fixes . ThusSolving this two-by-two system, with the Wronskian , givesThis derivation also remains valid if one of the solution values at the matching point vanishes: only the Wronskian must be nonzero. For a regular nonsingular two-point problem it supplies the inverse kernel; at a singular endpoint, uniqueness requires separate checking, as part (d) illustrates.
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