Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 337 2 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For a real steady amplitude, integrate the conserved-field equation twice. Periodicity forces the integration slope to vanish, and the zero mean fixes the remaining constant. HenceSubstituting this into the steady amplitude equation gives the nonlocal ordinary differential equationFor , use the hyperbolic secant identity . Vanishing of the two independent coefficients givesChoose and ; an overall negative sign is another solution. Thus . The exact average of the proposed profile over the finite interval isFor , the hyperbolic tangent differs from one by , so . Eliminating gives the requested leading relationEquivalently , with . Positive real roots exist precisely when ; they are and are reciprocal. Each candidate must additionally satisfy . For , the leading necessary range is , with equality at the coalescence . Away from this leading-order fold, the inequality is strict.
The strict finite-window condition can also be seen by retaining the average exactly. Its consistency relation is . Since , it implies , and henceThe strict endpoint distinction is exponentially small in the large- approximation; the leading polynomial alone permits its double root. When , this algebra imposes no finite upper bound on . The printed interval therefore needs : for example , gives a large positive root of the leading equation and , despite the printed upper endpoint being negative.
Finally, the single localized pulse of a conserved-field convection model is an approximate periodic solution. Its values agree at the interval ends, but its derivatives have opposite signs there; their magnitude is exponentially small, . Periodic-tail corrections are needed for an exact smooth periodic boundary condition. The range derived from the truncated profile is a consistency condition, not a proof that every permitted parameter gives an exact stable periodic pulse.