Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-2-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2023/paper-2/3/c/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2023 Paper 2 3 c ii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Reflecting repeatedly in the two parallel planes creates an infinite method of images. For , introduceThe Dirichlet Green function between parallel planes isEach bracket is , so the paired series converges absolutely away from the sources. At , reflection pairs the positive image indexed by with the negative image indexed by . At it pairs that positive image with the negative image indexed by . The distances agree in each pairing, making both boundary values zero. This can be checked with symmetric finite partial sums first; the unmatched end terms tend to zero, so no subtraction of separately divergent series is needed. Only lies within the slab, so . This is the usual Green function decaying at large transverse separation; such a condition selects the physical solution in the unbounded region.
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