Mixed boundary data distinguish heat, Laplace and wave uniqueness ($u(x,0)=u(0,y)=u_x(1,y)=0$)

On the unit square, these data determine only the zero solution of the heat equation $u_y=u_{xx}$. The squared $L^2$ norm decreases because its derivative is $-2\int u_x^{2}dx$, and its initial value is zero. For Laplace's equation, $\sin (\pi x/2)\sinh (\pi y/2)$ is a nonzero solution with the same three data; adding zero Dirichlet data on the top edge restores uniqueness by Green's first identity. For the wave equation $u_{yy}=u_{xx}$, $\sin (\pi x/2)\sin (\pi y/2)$ is a counterexample; the missing datum is initial velocity. Adding $u_y(x,0)=0$ restores uniqueness by conservation of $\frac{1}{2}\int (u_x^2+u_y^2)dx$. Thus the type of equation determines what information is needed on an unprescribed edge.