Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 314 4 d Solution 2026-09-25
For the homologous spherical flow , the ideal magnetohydrodynamic induction equation and give the material derivativeLet and use the self-similar ansatzPart (b) gives , and thereforeThe radial induction equation becomes . The boundary value gives . The solenoidal vector field condition requireswhich also matches the tangential shock value in part (c). Hence the interior field is
Outside the shock, the uniform-field lines obey . Inside, the magnetic-field-line equation givessoA sketch therefore shows straight exterior lines refracting at the spherical shock into north-south symmetric curves that bow toward the equatorial interior before leaving through the opposite hemisphere. The field strength falls as toward the centre.