Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2001 / iii / Paper 50 / 5 / c / Solution

On a region with smooth positive area, set $q=G(Z)Q(\theta ,\zeta )$, $\zeta =h(Z)$. Substitution into the simple wave equation givesRemove the last term by $G^{\prime }/G=-A^{\prime }/(2A)$, and choose $h^{\prime }=G$. Starting at a regular section $Z_0$, one convenient normalized area transformation of a nonlinear acoustic simple wave isIn the notation $g(\zeta )$, set $g(\zeta )=G(h^{-1}(\zeta ))$. The remaining equation is $Q_{\zeta }-Q{Q}_{\theta }=0$. With initial value $f$ at $Z_0$, the method of characteristics givesThe map from the initial label loses invertibility when $1-f^{\prime }(\xi )\zeta =0$. For smooth data with bounded derivative and $M=\sup f^{\prime }>0$, the first forward characteristic crossing is at ${\zeta }_s=1/M$; if $M\le 0$, no forward shock occurs.

For spherical spreading, write physical radius as $R>0$ and specify data at an emitting radius $R_0>0$. Since $A(R)=R^2$,The shock distance for a spherical simple wave launched at finite radius isIf the axial distance is measured from the emitting surface, $Z=R-R_0$, then $A(Z)=(R_0+Z{)}^2$ andNo finite shock distance exists in this model when $M\le 0$.

The printed combination $A=Z^2$ with general bounded data at $Z=0$ is singular and does not define the intended outgoing spherical initial-value problem. Along a spherical characteristic, $d\theta /dR=-q$ and $dq/dR=-q/R$, so $Rq$ is constant. A bounded trace at $R=0$ forces that constant to be zero for every characteristic curve emanating from the origin; arbitrary nonzero bounded $f$ cannot be launched there. For example, the ostensibly admissible data $f\equiv 1$ would demand both $Rq=0$ and a nonzero trace, a contradiction. The logarithmic transformed distance is also divergent at the origin. Thus an unqualified numerical shock formula from those literal data would be unjustified. The finite-radius formulas above give the physical interpretation once the launching radius, or the shifted area law, is supplied.