Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2003 ib Paper 3 18C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
For an inviscid flow that is an incompressible flow and an irrotational flow, write . The Euler equations for an inviscid fluid, without gravity, integrate spatially to the Unsteady Bernoulli equationA time-dependent addition to can absorb .
In the ideal uniform tube-plug model, let be the axial speed toward the outlet. Incompressibility and fixed cross-section make the speed the same at both ends. With , the kinetic terms cancel when the Unsteady Bernoulli equation is subtracted between entrance and exit, givingConservation of volume in the spherical balloon gives , or . Differentiating and eliminating yieldsThis is the constant-tension balloon discharge equation; entrance losses and a reservoir-to-tube kinetic-head correction are excluded by this ideal plug model.
Multiplication by turns the equation intoThe printed time formula additionally assumes the water is initially at rest, , although only is explicitly specified in the question. Under that assumption . On the shrinking branch,Set and . The integral becomes , hencePutting , or , gives the ideal emptying timeFor an independently prescribed initial rate , the first integral instead has , so radius alone does not determine that emptying time. This explicitly identifies the extra initial datum needed for the displayed answer.