Choose characteristic parameter with initial value at . The characteristic equations are
The first two integrate immediately; substitution into the third gives
Eliminating gives the projected parabola
The sign restriction selects the half-parabola actually reached from the initial point.
The projection map has Jacobian determinant , so the initial curve is noncharacteristic for every allowed . Its global inverse is
defined precisely when have the same nonzero sign. Every such point is reached by exactly one characteristic. Hence the region of unique determination from these initial data projects onto
the first and third quadrants. The axes are not reached for finite parameter from , and the other two quadrants have no method of characteristics issued from this initial curve.
As a direct check, substitution of the inverse parameters gives the solution
It has , and differentiating gives . This is quadrant uniqueness for unequal dilation characteristics.
Figure 1.
Each initial point determines one half-parabola in the first or third quadrant
. Details.