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Use separation of variables with $u=X(x)Y(y)$ on a region where the factors do not vanish. The equation becomes $X^{\prime }Y-xX{Y}^{\prime }=0$, soThe separated equations are $X^{\prime }=\lambda xX$ and $Y^{\prime }=\lambda Y$, giving $u=C\exp [\lambda (y+x^2/2)]$. Choosing $C=\lambda =1$ gives the nonconstant real solutionAlthough the division used $x\ne 0$, the resulting solution extends smoothly across $x=0$ and directly satisfies $u_x=x{u}_y$ everywhere.

For the heat equation ${\Theta }_t=\kappa {\Theta }_{xx}$, separation of variables with homogeneous Neumann boundary condition at both ends gives spatial modes $\cos (n\pi x/L)$ and decay factors $e^{-\kappa (n\pi /L{)}^{2}t}$. The $n=0$ mode is constant and does not decay.

The initial profile already contains only two such modes:Evolving each mode therefore yieldsThe endpoint derivatives vanish, and substitution checks both the equation and the initial profile. The spatial integral remains $L{T}_0/2$: no heat escapes through insulated ends, so the limiting uniform temperature is $T_0/2$.

For the nonconstant boundary data, use separation of variables in polar coordinates and put $\varphi =R(r)\cos 2\theta$. Laplace's equation reduces toThis Cauchy-Euler equation has independent solutions $r^2$ and $r^{-2}$. Unlike a disk containing the origin, the annulus permits both. The zero inner boundary value requires $R=A(r^2-a^4{r}^{-2})$, and the outer value requires $A=V{b}^2/(b^4-a^4)$. HenceSubstituting $r=a$ gives zero, while $r=b$ gives $V\cos 2\theta$. This is the Dirichlet problem on an annulus for one Fourier mode; no other angular mode is needed.

For the changed inner boundary value, use superposition to add a radial harmonic function that is $-V$ at $a$ and zero at $b$. The radial zero-mode equation is $(r{R}^{\prime }{)}^{\prime }=0$, giving $R=C+D\log r$. Imposing the two constant boundary values givesTherefore the second answer isThe logarithmic term is independent of $\theta$, so it changes only the angular average of the electric potential. Both answers are unique for these Dirichlet boundary conditions, by uniqueness for Laplace's equation.

Steady state. In the heat equation, time independence makes the second spatial derivative zero. The two endpoint temperatures therefore determine the linear profileInsulation is along the sides; the endpoint reservoirs can still exchange heat with the rod.

Transient solution. Subtract the steady profile before applying separation of variables: let $U=T-T_{0}x/l$. Then $U_t=\nu U_{xx}$, $U(0,t)=U(l,t)=0$ and $U(x,0)=-T_{0}x/l$ for $0<x<l$. Writing $U=X(x)\Theta (t)$ givesThe homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions exclude $\mu \le 0$ and select the eigenfunctions $\sin (n\pi x/l)$ with eigenvalues ${\mu }_n=(n\pi /l{)}^2$, $n\ge 1$. Their orthogonality gives the Fourier sine series coefficientsHere integration by parts uses ${\int }_0^{l}x\sin (n\pi x/l)dx=-l^2(-1{)}^n/(n\pi )$. ThusEvery summand satisfies the heat equation and the homogeneous endpoint conditions, while the steady profile supplies the prescribed endpoint values. The initial Fourier sine series equals $-T_{0}x/l$ in the open interval. At $(l,0)$ the initially cold rod and the suddenly imposed hot endpoint are incompatible; the formula describes the prescribed data for $t>0$ and the initial limit at interior points.

Heat absorption. Integrating in $x$ kills the even modes. With $a=\nu {\pi }^2/l^2$, the total heat relative to the initial state isConsequently the net rate of heat absorption isFor each $t\ge \epsilon >0$, any fixed number of differentiated modes is bounded by a polynomial in $n$ times $e^{-a\epsilon n^2}$. These bounds have finite sums, proving absolute convergence, uniform convergence on such time intervals and the validity of the integration and differentiation. In particular the displayed rate is finite for every $t>0$, positive when $T_0>0$, and tends to zero as equilibrium is approached. The same answer follows from the heat equation balance $H^{\prime }=\gamma \nu [T_x(l,t)-T_x(0,t)]$; this subtracts loss at the cold endpoint from input at the hot endpoint.

For a nonzero separated solution $v=X(x)T(t)$, separation of variables gives $X^{\prime \prime }+{\kappa }^{2}X=0$ and $T^{\prime }=-\nu {\kappa }^{2}T$. The endpoint conditions require $X=\sin \kappa x$ and $\cos \kappa L=0$. Thus the mixed Dirichlet-Neumann modes on an interval have ${\kappa }_n=(n+1/2)\pi /L$, $n\ge 0$. Their squared L2 norms are $L/2$, so the initial Fourier coefficients areThe integration uses $\cos {\kappa }_{n}L=0$ and $\sin {\kappa }_{n}L=(-1{)}^n$. ThereforeAt positive time the series can be differentiated termwise and satisfies both homogeneous endpoint conditions for $v$. At time zero it recovers $-Hx/k$, so $u$ recovers the initial zero temperature. If $H\ne 0$, the prescribed derivative at $(L,0)$ is incompatible with differentiating the initial zero profile; the temperature is still continuous there, while its spatial derivative has a corner layer. At long times the decaying modes leave $u\to Hx/k$.

With constant positive thermal diffusivity $\nu$, no internal heat source and one spatial coordinate, the heat equation isSeparation of variables makes each spatial mode decay by $e^{-\nu k^{2}t}$. The endpoint conditions determine whether the initial triangular profile is expanded in a Fourier sine series or a Fourier cosine series.

Set $T(x,t)=X(x)G(t)$ in the heat equation. Separation of variables gives $G^{\prime }/(c^{2}G)=X^{\prime \prime }/X=-\lambda$. Zero endpoint temperatures impose Dirichlet boundary conditions $X(0)=X(\pi )=0$, selecting $\lambda =n^2$ for $n\ge 1$. The separated factors can therefore be chosen asZero and negative separation eigenvalues give only the zero spatial solution under these boundary conditions.

The initial profile is continuous and triangular, with midpoint height $\pi /2$. Its Fourier sine series coefficients areConsequently the heat flow from a triangular initial temperature isFor $t\ge 0$, each summand has magnitude at most $4/[\pi (2m+1{)}^2]$. The Weierstrass M-test proves absolute and uniform convergence. The initial Fourier sine series equals the continuous piecewise smooth profile, and for $t>0$ the exponential factors justify termwise spatial and time differentiation on every time interval bounded away from zero.

Separation of variables in the wave equation with fixed endpoints selects $H_n(x)=\sin (n\pi x/L)$ and angular frequencies ${\omega }_n=cn\pi /L$, $n\ge 1$. The time factors may be chosen as $F_n(t)=\cos {\omega }_{n}t$, $G_n(t)=\sin {\omega }_{n}t$. By Fourier sine series orthogonality, the initial data giveHence $u={\sum }_{n\ge 1}[a_n\cos {\omega }_{n}t+b_n\sin {\omega }_{n}t]\sin (n\pi x/L)$. The factor $1/{\omega }_n$ in $b_n$ is required because differentiating the time sine supplies ${\omega }_n$.

The given displacement is a symmetric triangular tent: it is zero at both endpoints and has height $k$ at $L/2$. Integrating each linear half gives $a_n=8k\sin (n\pi /2)/(n^2{\pi }^2)$. Release from rest gives $b_n=0$, so the midpoint-plucked fixed-end string isOnly odd modes occur, by symmetry about the midpoint. The initial slope corner makes this a finite-energy weak solution; it is a classical solution away from the propagating corner lines.

For Laplace's equation in polar coordinates, put $\Phi =R(r)\Theta (\theta )$. Separation of variables gives ${\Theta }^{\prime \prime }+n^2\Theta =0$ and $r^2{R}^{\prime \prime }+r{R}^{\prime }-n^{2}R=0$. Periodicity selects integers $n\ge 0$. For $n>0$, the radial solutions are $r^n,r^{-n}$; for $n=0$, they are $1,\ln r$, while a term linear in $\theta$ is excluded by periodicity. Their superposition isInside the disk, boundedness at the origin removes the logarithm and all negative powers. The separately biased semicircular boundary values have mean $(V_1+V_2)/2$, no nonconstant cosine coefficients, and sine coefficients $2(V_1-V_2)/(\pi n)$ for odd $n$, zero for even $n$. The disk potential with two semicircular boundary values is thereforePut $w=(r/a)e^{i\theta }$. The odd logarithmic series sums to ${\sum }_{m\ge 0}{w}^{2m+1}/(2m+1)=\frac{1}{2}\log [(1+w)/(1-w)]$. The quotient has positive real part for $|w|<1$, so its argument is the principal arctangent of $2(r/a)\sin \theta /[1-(r/a{)}^2]$. Taking imaginary parts givesThe boundary limits away from the two voltage jumps are $V_1,V_2$. Along the diameter through a jump the value is the mean; incompatible adjacent boundary limits prevent a continuous extension at the junctions.

Separation of variables gives $X^{\prime \prime }=-k^{2}X$ and $T^{\prime }=-\kappa k^{2}T$. The periodic matching of both the function and its first derivative selects $k=n\pi /L$, with the constant mode at $n=0$. Thus the periodic diffusion on a circle solution iswhere the Fourier coefficients of the initial function areThe formula for $a_n$ also gives $a_0$ at $n=0$. The constant mode preserves the initial spatial mean; every nonconstant Fourier mode decays. For initial data in L2 space, the series approaches those data in L2 space as $t\downarrow 0$ and is smooth at positive times.

Use separation of variables $u=X(x)T(t)$. The fixed-end Dirichlet boundary conditions select $X_n=\sin (nx)$, $n\ge 1$, and each mode satisfies $T_n^{\prime \prime }+2h{T}_n^{\prime }+n^2{T}_n=0$. In the physical resistance range $0\le h<1$, all normal modes are underdamped, with ${\omega }_n=\sqrt{n^2-h^2}>0$. The modal factor normalized by $T_n(0)=1$, $T_n^{\prime }(0)=0$ isConsequently the linearly damped string has solutionThe coefficients are those of the initial Fourier sine series. Differentiating each normalized modal factor at zero confirms that the string starts from rest. Suitable initial data give convergence in the string's energy space; the piecewise linear profile here need not give a twice differentiable solution along every characteristic from its corner.

For the specified tent profile, integrating its two linear pieces by parts givesFor example the first piece gives $-\pi \cos (n\pi /2)/(2n)+\sin (n\pi /2)/n^2$, and the second gives the opposite cosine term and the same sine term. HenceThe zero even coefficients also follow from reflection symmetry about the midpoint. This is the Fourier sine series of a symmetric tent. If $h<1$ were read without the physical assumption $h\ge 0$, the same modal solution extends by replacing imaginary-frequency sine and cosine by their hyperbolic counterparts, and taking $\sin (\omega t)/\omega =t$ when $\omega =0$.

Set $\Phi =R(r)P(\theta )$ and multiply the Laplace equation by $r^2/(RP)$. Separation of variables givesWith $\xi =\cos \theta$, the angular equation is $[(1-{\xi }^2)P_{\xi }{]}^{\prime }+\lambda P=0$. Regularity at both poles selects the Legendre polynomials $P_n$ and $\lambda =n(n+1)$. The radial Cauchy-Euler equation has solutions $r^n,r^{-n-1}$. Expanding the angular data in this complete orthogonal system therefore giveswith the usual convergence required of a harmonic expansion on the region considered. Angular Legendre functions singular at the poles are excluded.

For $0<a<b$, the outer data have expansion $b^2{\cos }^2\theta =b^2/3+(2b^2/3)P_2(\cos \theta )$, while the inner data are pure $P_0$. Thus only degrees zero and two are needed. A radial interpolation matching each pair of boundary values givesThe first term is a linear combination of $1,r^{-1}$ and takes values $a^2,b^2/3$ at the two radii. The second is a combination of $r^2,r^{-3}$ and takes values zero and $2b^2/3$. These checks establish both boundary conditions; each term is harmonic. The maximum principle for harmonic functions gives uniqueness. This is an example of axisymmetric harmonic interpolation between concentric spheres.

Since the endpoints represent the same point of the tube, both density and diffusive flux must match. For a positive diffusion coefficient $\lambda$, the periodic boundary conditions areFor separation of variables, periodic spatial modes solve $X^{\prime \prime }+n^{2}X=0$ and have time factors $e^{-\lambda n^{2}t}$. The constant mode has no decay. The periodic diffusion on a circle solution is thereforewhere the Fourier coefficients areThe expression for $a_n$ includes $n=0$.

The specified profile is even, so $b_n=0$. Its mean follows from ${\int }_0^{\pi }(\pi -x{)}^{2}dx={\pi }^3/3$, giving $a_0=2{\pi }^2/3$. For $n\ge 1$, two integrations by parts giveConsequentlyAll nonconstant normal modes decay for $\lambda >0$, so the density becomes uniform:The conserved total amount is ${\int }_{-\pi }^{\pi }udx=2{\pi }^3/3$. The initial cusp at zero is compatible with an L2 space solution and is immediately smoothed by diffusion. At $\lambda =0$ there would be no relaxation, so positivity is needed for this long-time conclusion.

Use separation of variables, $\Phi =F(r)H(\theta )$, in the Laplace equation in polar coordinates. Dividing by $FH/r^2$ givesSingle-valued $2\pi$-periodic angular factors have integer $n\ge 0$. For $n\ge 1$, they are $\cos n\theta ,\sin n\theta$, and the radial equation $r^2{F}^{\prime \prime }+r{F}^{\prime }-n^{2}F=0$ has solutions $r^n,r^{-n}$. The zero angular mode gives $F=a_0+b_0\log r$. These separated products give the requested solutions; arbitrary sums may use independent coefficients for each radial-angular combination.

Boundedness at the origin removes the logarithm and all negative radial powers. The boundary function is even, so its sine Fourier coefficients vanish. With the convention $f(\theta )=a_0+{\sum }_{n\ge 1}{a}_n\cos n\theta$, its Fourier coefficients areThus the bounded interior harmonic extension isFor $r<R$ the series and its derivatives converge locally uniformly, so it is harmonic. It is a rotated and scaled instance of the harmonic measure of a semicircle in a disk. For example, summing the power series for the complex arctangent, or differentiating the following expression, gives the equivalent real formThis also proves boundedness directly.

At the two jumps, the boundary interpretation matters. At every continuity point the radial limit equals the prescribed value. At $\theta =\pm \pi /2$, the radial limit is $C/2$, the midpoint of the two one-sided values. Consequently for $C\ne 0$ there is no harmonic solution continuous on the closed disk with exactly the printed boundary values. The standard bounded Dirichlet problem imposes the trace away from the jumps, or almost everywhere; assigning zero separately at those two boundary points does not alter the interior solution.

For uniqueness let $w=\tilde{\Phi }-\Phi$. Formally the divergence theorem applied to $w\nabla w$ givesFor continuous zero boundary data, this immediately forces $w=0$. With the actual discontinuous data, one should justify the two exceptional points rather than assume finite Dirichlet energy there. Let $|w|\le M$ and choose a cutoff ${\eta }_{ϵ}$ which is zero within ${ϵ}^2$ of those points, one beyond $ϵ$, and linear in logarithmic distance between. Its gradient satisfies $\int |\nabla {\eta }_{ϵ}{|}^2=O(1/|\log ϵ|)$. Applying the divergence theorem to ${\eta }_{ϵ}^{2}w\nabla w$ givesThe resulting energy tends to zero. Hence $\nabla w=0$ on every compact subset and $w$ is constant; its zero boundary trace on the open arcs makes it zero. This is the logarithmic cutoff proof of harmonic uniqueness with finitely many boundary exceptions.

For the exterior harmonic extension of disk boundary data, boundedness instead excludes $r^n$ and the logarithm. The same boundary coefficients giveThis is ${\Phi }_{\mathrm{in}}(R^2/r,\theta )$, using inversion in a circle. Its limit at infinity is $C/2$. To see why that value is forced independently of this construction, average any bounded exterior harmonic function over a circle. The mean satisfies $(r{\overline{\Phi }}^{\prime }{)}^{\prime }=0$, hence is $A+B\log r$. Boundedness forces $B=0$, and the boundary mean fixes $A=C/2$. A constant limit at infinity must therefore be $C/2$.

Finally suppose two bounded exterior solutions have this limit. Their difference $w$ tends to zero. Under planar inversion in a circle, it is bounded and harmonic near the origin, so the isolated point there is removable. Its local expansion gives $w=O(r^{-1})$, ${\partial }_{r}w=O(r^{-2})$ in the original exterior. Apply the preceding divergence theorem energy argument on $R<r<L$, with logarithmic cutoffs at the two boundary jumps. After removing those cutoffs, the inner boundary term vanishes; the outer one is ${\int }_{r=L}w{\partial }_{r}wds=O(L^{-2})$. Letting $L\to \infty$ forces $\nabla w=0$, and the zero limit gives $w=0$. Thus the bounded exterior solution is unique as well.

The substitution separates the uniform equilibrium from the decaying perturbation. Direct differentiation givesConsequently the reaction-diffusion equation reduces to the heat equation $v_t=v_{xx}$. Its data become

When the three constants coincide, the Dirichlet boundary conditions for $v$ are homogeneous. Separation of variables gives $X^{\prime \prime }+n^{2}X=0$ and $T^{\prime }=-n^{2}T$, selecting the normal modes $\sin (nx)e^{-n^{2}t}$ for $n\ge 1$. ThusTwo integrations by parts give ${\int }_0^{\pi }x(\pi -x)\sin (nx)dx=2[1-(-1{)}^n]/n^3$, while the constant term uses ${\int }_0^{\pi }\sin (nx)dx=[1-(-1{)}^n]/n$. Therefore the Fourier sine series isFor $u_0\ne 2$, its first coefficient is nonzero. Multiplying by $e^{-\beta t}$ and retaining the slowest-decaying mode givesThe remainder estimate holds uniformly in $x$ for sufficiently large positive time. If $u_0=2$, the fundamental vanishes and the next possible mode has decay rate $\beta +9$, explaining the exclusion.

There is an initial endpoint compatibility issue unless $u_0=0$: the given polynomial profile vanishes at the endpoints, whereas the boundary values equal $u_0$. The series realizes the initial data in L2 space and pointwise in the open interval, imposing the prescribed boundary values for $t>0$. For nonzero $u_0$ it cannot also be continuous at both initial endpoint corners.

For a spherically symmetric number density, the radial Laplacian is $r^{-2}{\partial }_r(r^2{\partial }_{r}n)$. Applying separation of variables and choosing the separation constant $-k^2$ givesso the ordinary differential equations areThe radial problem is an eigenvalue problem for $-\Delta$ with Dirichlet boundary conditions, hence $k^2>0$: multiplying the radial equation by $r^2\overline{R}$ and integrating gives $k^2{\int }_0^a{r}^2|R{|}^{2}dr={\int }_0^a{r}^2|R^{\prime }{|}^{2}dr>0$ for a nonzero regular mode vanishing at $a$.

To solve it explicitly, set $R=f/r$, corresponding to the suggested power $p=-1$. The equation reduces to $f^{\prime \prime }+k^{2}f=0$, soFiniteness at the origin forces $B=0$, and the Dirichlet boundary condition at $r=a$ requires $k=m\pi /a$ for an integer $m\ge 1$. The absence of interior zeros excludes $m\ge 2$, selecting the fundamental normal mode. If $n_c>0$ denotes the initial central density, the result iswhere the sine ratio is defined as $1$ at the origin. It is strictly positive in the interior for every finite time. The arbitrary positive scale $n_c$ cannot be fixed without additional initial data.

The spatial factor is time independent, so the density and the total neutron population have the same exponential growth rate. Thus the spherical reaction-diffusion growth threshold isAt equality the fundamental mode is stationary; below it the mode decays. For fixed $\lambda >0$, the equivalent critical-radius condition is $a>\pi /\sqrt{\lambda }$. This is the competition between multiplication in the bulk and diffusion loss at the surface in the stated dimensionless model.

Use separation of variables with $u=W(x)T(t)$ and choose $W^{\prime \prime }/W=T^{\prime }/T=k$. Then $T=e^{kt}$ and $W^{\prime }(0)=-W(0)$, $W^{\prime }(1)=-W(1)$.

If $k=0$, write $W=A+Bx$. The first condition gives $B=-A$, and the second gives $A+2B=0$. Together they force $A=B=0$, so this case contributes only the zero solution.

If $k={\alpha }^2>0$, write $W=A\cosh (\alpha x)+B\sinh (\alpha x)$. The first condition gives $B=-A/\alpha$. The second becomesA nonzero solution therefore requires $\alpha =1$, giving $W\propto e^{-x}$ and time factor $e^t$.

If $k=-{\beta }^2<0$, write $W=A\cos (\beta x)+B\sin (\beta x)$. Now $B=-A/\beta$, and the remaining condition is $-A(\beta +{\beta }^{-1})\sin \beta =0$. Thus $\beta =n\pi$, $n\ge 1$. Choosing a convenient amplitude gives $W_n=n\pi \cos (n\pi x)-\sin (n\pi x)$. The complete Sturm-Liouville eigenfunction expansion is consequentlyThese are self-adjoint separated Robin boundary conditions: the boundary form $[f^{\ast }{g}^{\prime }-f^{\prime \ast }g{]}_0^1$ vanishes because both functions satisfy $y^{\prime }=-y$ at each end. The regular interval problem has a complete orthogonal eigenbasis; the calculation includes its one negative eigenvalue for $-D^2$, not only its positive ones.

To project the initial data, calculate the squared norms:The second identity uses the half-unit integrals of ${\cos }^2(n\pi x)$ and ${\sin }^2(n\pi x)$ and the zero integral of their product. By orthogonal projection,For square-integrable $f$, the initial expansion is understood in that norm. Classical agreement of boundary derivatives at $t=0$ requires compatible smoother data.

This is Robin diffusion with a growing mode, in the reflected version of its positive-coordinate-derivative example. Growth is not a contradiction: the outward derivative is $-u_x$ at the left endpoint, so these conditions are not dissipative outward-normal conditions at both ends. Indeedand the boundary can supply energy. The growing contribution is absent exactly when the displayed integral defining $c_0$ vanishes.

For separation of variables, take $u(x,t)=X(x)T(t)$ in the damped wave equation. Dividing by $c^{2}XT$, with $c>0$, gives $X^{\prime \prime }/X=(T^{\prime \prime }+\alpha T^{\prime })/(c^{2}T)=-k^2$. The separated ordinary differential equations are thereforeThe negative separation constant anticipates the positive spatial eigenvalues selected by the fixed endpoints.

For separation of variables, write $B=F(r)\Theta (\theta )$. The exterior Laplace equation separates intoWith $\mu =\cos \theta$, angular regularity at the poles selects $\lambda =\ell (\ell +1)$ and the Legendre polynomial $P_{\ell }(\mu )$. The radial equation is $(r^2{F}^{\prime }{)}^{\prime }-\ell (\ell +1)F=0$, an Euler-Cauchy equation with solutions $r^{\ell },r^{-\ell -1}$. Decay at infinity excludes the first branch for every $\ell$, including its constant $\ell =0$ case. ThereforeThe expansion uses axisymmetric spherical harmonics. The written scalar boundary-value problem permits the $\ell =0$ term; any additional physical exclusion of that sector must be stated separately.