Dirichlet and Neumann spectra of a square 2026-10-18
For on the square, separation of variables gives Dirichlet eigenfunctions with , and Neumann eigenfunctions with . The eigenvalues in both cases are , with multiplicity equal to the number of ordered admissible pairs. In particular, an arbitrary expression with integers need not be a Dirichlet eigenvalue when one index is zero. The Neumann zero eigenvalue has the constant eigenfunction, whereas the Dirichlet zero problem has only the zero solution by Dirichlet uniqueness for the Poisson equation.
Neumann boundary-forcing formula Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-06
For with and , two applications of integration by parts against a Neumann eigenfunction give the boundary forcing . Solving the resulting modal linear differential equation givesThe endpoint derivatives are interior limits: the short-time singularity prevents evaluating each homogeneous boundary derivative before the time integral and infinite sum. The constant eigenfunction gives the weighted-mass law .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 67 3 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The Generalized Stokes theorem applied to the closed differential one-form givesEquivalently, the global relation isThe identical outward Neumann boundary data make the three known transforms equal:To reduce the unknown traces to a single function, use rotation invariance and uniqueness. For the difference of two solutions has zero outward derivative andby Green's first identity. Thus . Rotation by preserves the equation, the domain and the oriented boundary data, so it preserves ; hence and . The global relation becomes the single equation with three spectral unknownsThe three unknowns are evaluations of the same boundary transform, not three freely specified boundary data.
The printed allowance of all real requires a qualification. At , existence requires by the divergence theorem, and solutions differ by a constant. Fixing a rotation-invariant normalization gives uniqueness and the same rotational conclusion. In fact the unnormalized solution is already invariant: its rotation difference is constant, and three successive rotations make three times that constant zero. For , uniqueness fails precisely when is an eigenvalue of the Neumann Laplacian. At these parameters identical data do not force an arbitrary solution to be rotationally invariant. Averaging any solution over the three rotations produces a solution with the common trace used here; the difference is a homogeneous Neumann eigenfunction, or a sum of them. Part (e) describes both solvability and this remaining freedom rather than assuming uniqueness for every real parameter.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 ib Paper 2 6E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
In a steady state, Maxwell's equations imply , since the magnetic field is time independent. The divergence of the steady Ampère equation gives . With uniform electrical conductivity, Ohm's law is , soFor the usual straight-wire model, the cylindrical side is insulating and the two flat end faces are equipotentials. Put . The electric potential solves Laplace's equation, with constant end values and zero normal derivative on the side. The linear axial potential satisfies all these conditions. It is unique: the difference of two solutions has zero end values and zero side normal derivative, and integration by parts gives . ThusThis proves uniform current in a straight homogeneous wire with the usual contact conditions. Integrating the electric current density over a cross-section and using Ohm's law then givesThe second expression is the rate of Ohmic heating.
Strictly, steady current and uniform conductivity alone do not force uniformity; the contact conditions are implicit in the wire model. For example, let be a nonconstant transverse Neumann eigenfunction on the disk, satisfying and zero normal derivative at its edge. Then is harmonic and preserves an insulating cylindrical side, but its nonconstant end potentials produce nonuniform current. Its added axial current has zero cross-sectional mean. This supplies a counterexample if arbitrary contacts are permitted.
A bend generally redistributes the electric current density: the inner side of the bend carries more current than the outer side, as illustrated by in an annular conductor. Exact resistance and local Ohmic heating can therefore change. For a slender, gently curved wire the straight-wire formulas remain the leading approximation; the identity remains valid for the total steady dissipation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 328 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Use the weighted Neumann heat kernel with constant drift. The spatial operator has the self-adjoint formso its homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions give a regular Sturm-Liouville problem in the weighted inner productThe constant eigenfunction is , with eigenvalue and squared norm . For , put . Substitution of in gives and the Robin boundary conditions at both endpoints. HenceIndeed,The Sturm-Liouville eigenfunction expansion is complete and orthogonal. Its heat kernel, relative to the measure , isFor a coefficient , two applications of integration by parts yieldSolving these scalar linear differential equations and summing gives the Neumann boundary-forcing formula:This depends only on the given data. In particular, the zero eigenvalue retains the changing weighted mean:The endpoint derivatives of the boundary integral are understood as interior limits. Differentiating each homogeneous Neumann eigenfunction at the endpoint before summing would incorrectly discard the prescribed boundary forcing: the short-time heat kernel makes that interchange invalid. The stated compatibility conditions give the classical boundary traces.