Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2002 / iii / Paper 52 / 1 / a

Take $z$ increasing upwards and write $s=\varphi /{\varphi }_{\max }$. The particles have downward settling velocity; their upward volume flux is $\varphi V$. Conservation of particle volume in any interval givesThus the kinematic sedimentation equation and its characteristic speed areFor $0<s<1$ this is a scalar hyperbolic partial differential equation: its one characteristic speed is real. The method of characteristics gives $ds/dt=0$ and $dz/dt=a(s)$. A concentration disturbance need not descend at the particle settling velocity; $a(s)$ is the derivative of the transported flux, not $V(s)$. In particular $a(s)$ can be positive even though every particle settles downwards. At $\alpha =0$, $a=-V_0$ and the equation is ordinary translation. At the packing endpoint $s=1$ the differentiability of the chosen constitutive law depends on $\alpha$; none of the initial values used below is at that endpoint.