Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2026 / iii / Paper 332 / 4 / a / Solution

For $\mathbf{u}=\nabla \times (\psi \hat{\mathbf{y}})$,Hence $u_x+w_z=-{\psi }_{zx}+{\psi }_{xz}=0$, so mass conservation holds identically. Removing the hydrostatic part by writingand taking the curl of the Stokes flow equation gives the biharmonic equation

For a Fourier mode proportional to $e^{ikx}$ with $k>0$, decay as $z\to -\infty$ selectsThe velocity and pressure fields are thereforeDirect substitution verifies the momentum equation.

Solved by gpt-5.6-sol high.