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    Final 09

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    Sutirtha Sengupta
    This document contains two problems related to partial differential equations (PDEs). Problem 1 guides the reader through solving a diffusion equation with time-dependent boundary conditions. It involves constructing an auxiliary function v(x,t) and deriving the corresponding PDE and initial/boundary conditions for v. Problem 2 models stellar pulsations using a wave equation in spherical coordinates. It involves separating variables to obtain a Sturm-Liouville problem and showing the solutions are spherical Bessel functions. The problems ask for derivations, justifications, estimates, and determining limiting behavior and physical interpretations.

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    Final 09

    Uploaded by

    Sutirtha Sengupta
    10 views2 pages
    This document contains two problems related to partial differential equations (PDEs). Problem 1 guides the reader through solving a diffusion equation with time-dependent boundary conditions. It involves constructing an auxiliary function v(x,t) and deriving the corresponding PDE and initial/boundary conditions for v. Problem 2 models stellar pulsations using a wave equation in spherical coordinates. It involves separating variables to obtain a Sturm-Liouville problem and showing the solutions are spherical Bessel functions. The problems ask for derivations, justifications, estimates, and determining limiting behavior and physical interpretations.

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    This document contains two problems related to partial differential equations (PDEs). Problem 1 guides the reader through solving a diffusion equation with time-dependent boundary conditions. It involves constructing an auxiliary function v(x,t) and deriving the corresponding PDE and initial/boundary conditions for v. Problem 2 models stellar pulsations using a wave equation in spherical coordinates. It involves separating variables to obtain a Sturm-Liouville problem and showing the solutions are spherical Bessel functions. The problems ask for derivations, justifications, estimates, and determining limiting behavior and physical interpretations.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    10 views2 pages

    Final 09

    Uploaded by

    Sutirtha Sengupta
    This document contains two problems related to partial differential equations (PDEs). Problem 1 guides the reader through solving a diffusion equation with time-dependent boundary conditions. It involves constructing an auxiliary function v(x,t) and deriving the corresponding PDE and initial/boundary conditions for v. Problem 2 models stellar pulsations using a wave equation in spherical coordinates. It involves separating variables to obtain a Sturm-Liouville problem and showing the solutions are spherical Bessel functions. The problems ask for derivations, justifications, estimates, and determining limiting behavior and physical interpretations.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Final, AMS212A 2009

    Each question is worth 50 points. You are allowed your own notes, homeworks, and textbook. Justify
    every step of your calculations.

    Problem 1: Time-dependent boundary conditions

    This problems guides you through the method used towards solving linear PDEs with time-dependent
    boundary conditions, using an example based on the diffusion equation.

    Consider the following problem:

    ut = kuxx
    u(0, t) = 0
    u(L, t) = f (t)
    u(x, 0) = u0 (x) (1)

    (1) Construct a function v(x, t) = u(x, t) − h(x)f (t). What conditions does the function h(x) have to
    satisfy to ensure that

    v(0, t) = 0
    v(L, t) = 0 (2)

    (2) Choose the simplest possible function h(x) which has these properties, and show that the PDE and
    associated initial conditions satisfied by v(x, t) are

    vt = kvxx + F (x, t)
    v(0, t) = 0
    v(L, t) = 0
    v(x, 0) = v0 (x) (3)

    where you must express F (x, t) and v0 (x) in terms of known quantities.

    (3) Find a formal solution of this forced problem for v(x, t) in terms of the functions F (x, t) and v0 (x).
    Justify every step of your answer. If you are using a Greens’ function, you must justify every step of its
    construction.

    (4) Apply your formal solution to u0 (x) = 0 and f (t) = 1 − e−t , and deduce u(x, t).

    (5) What is the limit of the solution u(x, t) as t → ∞? Interpret this result physically, by describing
    a physical experiment which could be modeled using the above PDE, initial and boundary conditions.

    1
    Problem 2: Radial stellar oscillations

    Many stars are known to pulsate, i.e. to undergo purely periodic radial pressure oscillations. These
    stellar pulsations are modeled using the wave equation in spherical coordinates,

    ∂2P
      
    2 1 ∂ 2 ∂P
    = c (r) r (4)
    ∂t2 r2 ∂r ∂r

    These are regular pulsations (i.e. the star doesn’t blow up) so that the pressure always remains bounded.
    The pressure at the surface of the star (at r = R) is assumed to be zero, and dP/dr = 0 at r = 0.

    (1) Using separation of variables, find the spatial eigenvalue Sturm-Liouville problem associated to this
    PDE. What are p(r), q(r), and the weight function w(r) (in the standard notation associated with Sturm-
    Liouville problems). Is this a regular or a singular problem?

    (2) Justify mathematically the sign of the eigenvalues using properties of the Rayleigh Quotient.

    (3) Assuming that the sound-speed inside the star c(r) is constant and equal to c0 , provide an esti-
    mate for the fundamental eigenvalue, and therefore deduce an estimate for the period of the fundamental
    oscillation of a star with radius 1011 cm, and c0 ≃ 107 cm/s (recall that period = 2π/frequency).

    (4) Again, assuming that the sound speed inside the star is constant and equal to c0 , show that the
    solutions to this Sturm-Liouville problem are Spherical Bessel Functions. You will need to use the fact
    that the Spherical Bessel equation is

    x2 f ′′ + 2xf ′ + (x2 − n(n + 1))f = 0 (5)

    and has two types of solutions: jn (x) which are regular at x = 0 and yn (x) which are singular at x = 0.

    (5) Show that j0 (x) = sin(x)/x (you will need to check that it is a solution of the relevant equation
    and that it is regular at x = 0).

    (6) Deduce the exact value of the fundamental eigenvalue, and therefore of the fundamental period of
    the star. How far off was your earlier estimate?

    (7) Let us now go back to the general case of c being a function of r. A rough approximation to c(r) is
    given by  r
    c(r) = cs + cm 1 − (6)
    R
    where cs = 105 cm/s and cm = 2.5 × 107 cm/s. Write an approximate estimate for the eigenfrequencies of
    oscillation for large n.

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