Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2025 / Paper 1 / 3

The homogeneous linear differential equation can be written in divergence form:One integration gives $u^{\prime }=C{x}^{-n-1}$. Therefore the two cases areIn each case the displayed functions have linear independence throughout the interval. Imposing both homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions forces $A=B=0$: for $n\ne 0$, $2^n\ne 1$, and for $n=0$, $\log 2\ne 0$. This also establishes uniqueness for the inhomogeneous boundary value problem.

Choose the convention $L_{x}G(x,s)=\delta (x-s)$, where $\delta$ is the Dirac delta distribution, together with $G(1/2,s)=G(1,s)=0$. The Green's function is continuous at $x=s$ and obeysThese conditions follow by integrating its differential equation across $s$; continuity prevents a derivative of the Dirac delta distribution. If $\ell$ and $r$ are homogeneous solutions satisfying the left and right boundary conditions, respectively, and $W=\ell r^{\prime }-{\ell }^{\prime }r$ is their Wronskian, thenFor $n\ne 0$ take $\ell (x)=x^{-n}-2^n$ and $r(x)=x^{-n}-1$. Their Wronskian is $W(s)=n(2^n-1)s^{-n-1}$, and henceFor $n=0$ take $\ell (x)=\log (2x)$ and $r(x)=\log x$, giving $W(s)=\log 2/s$ andBoth formulas satisfy the endpoint conditions, continuity, and the unit jump directly. The unique solution of the boundary value problem isThe factor $s^{n+1}$ in the first formula matters: this Green's function is for the original monic differential operator, with ordinary measure $ds$, rather than for the operator multiplied by $x^{n+1}$.

For $n\ne 0$, split the Green's function integral at $s=x$. Writing $\ell (x)=x^{-n}-2^n$ and $r(x)=x^{-n}-1$ givesFor $n\ne -1$, the two integrals areSubstitution and simplification yieldAt $x=1$ both contributions vanish. At $x=1/2$ the bracket is $-1/2+(2^n-1)/[2(2^n-1)]=0$. The differential operator kills $x^{-n}-1$ and sends $x/(n+1)$ to $1/x$, so this also verifies the inhomogeneous equation.

The exceptional integer is $\boxed{n=-1}$, because then the integrals contain $s^{-1}$. In this caseand the Green's function integral becomesHere $L=d^2/d{x}^2$, and $u^{\prime \prime }=1/x$. Explicitly $u(1)=0$ and $u(1/2)=-(\log 2)/2+(\log 2)/2=0$. Thus both exceptional and nonexceptional formulas satisfy the required boundary conditions.