Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2011 / Paper 1 / 9 / Solution

For endpoint-preserving variations of a functional, the Euler-Lagrange equation isAlong an extremal, the chain rule gives $d(F-y^{\prime }{F}_{y^{\prime }})/dx=F_x+y^{\prime }[F_y-d{F}_{y^{\prime }}/dx]=F_x$. Thus when $F$ has no explicit $x$ dependence, the Beltrami identity isFor a positive speed profile, the elapsed-time integrand in Fermat principle is $F=\sqrt{1+(y^{\prime }{)}^2}/c(y)$. Its first integral givesIntegrating each monotone-height branch yieldsReal branches require $Ac(y)\le 1$. Turning points are joined in the original graph $y(x)$, even though the inverse derivative is singular there.

For the inverse-height speed profile, this becomes $dx/dy=\pm a/\sqrt{y^2-a^2}$, with $a=A>0$. Integration gives $x-b=\pm a\mathrm{arcosh}(y/a)$, so the light rays are catenariesEqual endpoint heights at opposite $x$ values force $b=0$, since the real hyperbolic cosine is even and strictly increases with the absolute value of its argument. The remaining endpoint condition is $a\cosh (1/a)=\cosh 1$. One exact solution is $a=1$, givingHere $ds/dx=\cosh x$ and $1/c(y)=y=\cosh x$ account for the squared hyperbolic cosine in the time integral.

The stated endpoints also allow a second stationary ray. Set $t=1/a$. The function $\cosh t/t$ decreases and then increases: its derivative has the sign of $t\sinh t-\cosh t$, whose derivative is $t\cosh t>0$. Its unique minimum occurs where $t\tanh t=1$, at $t\simeq 1.199679$. Since the known root $t=1$ lies below this minimum's location, there is exactly one further root, $t\simeq 1.4242930655$. Thus the two stationary catenary rays in an inverse-height speed profile also includeNo extra condition in the question selects uniquely between these rays. The minimum height is a minimum along the chosen ray, not a global travel-time assertion. Indeed, competitors descending vertically to height $\eta >0$, crossing horizontally, and rising again have time ${\cosh }^2(1)-{\eta }^2+2\eta$. As $\eta \downarrow 0$ this tends to ${\cosh }^2(1)\simeq 2.381098$, below both stationary times. Their corners can be smoothed, so Fermat principle here must be understood as stationarity rather than unrestricted global minimization.