Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 67 3 iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Here the singular perturbation has an exact conservative structure:The integrating factor for this first-order linear differential equation givesAt and the integral terms have opposite signs while the exponential factors agree. Equal boundary data therefore force , and normalization gives the unique exact solutionThis exposes the Gaussian interior layer of a conservative drift equation. Its central scale is , where gives . The central Gaussian function profile is with amplitude .
Away from the center, , use exponential WKB approximation branches rather than an assumed bounded algebraic outer solution. The reduced ordinary differential equation would give ; matching both equal positive endpoint values with that algebraic branch is impossible. The exact solution selects its zero coefficient and the exponentially large branch with a Gaussian function profile instead. Near either endpoint, a distance changes by order one relative to its endpoint value: with , . These endpoint scales describe normalization of the same global exponential solution.
Thus a central turning region, exponential outer regions on both sides, and endpoint normalization scales give the complete regional description. The peak is exponentially large, so no uniformly bounded regular outer expansion should be presumed. The exact expression already provides a uniform solution without further matching calculations.