Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2018 / iii / Paper 107 / 6 / b / Solution

Use the interior ordered subsolution and supersolution correction from part (a). Recursively solve the Poisson equation $\Delta u_{k+1}=V(u_k)$ with boundary value $\psi$, starting from $u_0={\phi }^{-}$. Part (a) gives $u_0\le u_1\le {\phi }^{+}$. If $u_{k-1}\le u_k\le {\phi }^{+}$, thenThe first difference has zero boundary values, the second nonnegative values. The weak maximum principle for elliptic operators applied to their negatives gives $u_k\le u_{k+1}\le {\phi }^{+}$. Induction proves the bounded monotone sequenceWithout interior ordering, the counterexample in part (a) disproves the claim.