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Applied Mathematics Exam Solutions 2017

The document outlines the Applied Mathematics Qualifying Written Exam from January 2017, consisting of two parts. Part I includes four problems related to the KdV equation, Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue problems, functional variations, and boundary value problems. Part II presents three problems involving the motion of a string, minimizing the perimeter of a curve under area constraints, and an initial value problem with a two-scale expansion method.

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2 views2 pages

Applied Mathematics Exam Solutions 2017

The document outlines the Applied Mathematics Qualifying Written Exam from January 2017, consisting of two parts. Part I includes four problems related to the KdV equation, Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue problems, functional variations, and boundary value problems. Part II presents three problems involving the motion of a string, minimizing the perimeter of a curve under area constraints, and an initial value problem with a two-scale expansion method.

Uploaded by

sahlewel weldemichael
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Applied Mathematics Qualifying Written Exam (January 2017)

1 Part I: do 3 of 4
1. Find all scaling transformations that leave the KdV equation

ut + 6uux + uxxx = 0

invariant.

2. What is the appropriate inner product for the Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue problem for
Chebyshev’s polynomials?

(1 − x2 )y ′′ − xy ′ = λy, x ∈ (−1, 1)

3. Write the the first and second variations of the functional


Z 1
F [u] = (x4 − u(x)6 )2 u′ (x)4 dx
0

4. At what boundary point does the solution of the boundary value problem

ǫu + 2u − 3u = 0,
 ′′ ′

u(0) = 1,

u(1) = 2;

develop a boundary layer as ǫ → 0+ ? Explain your answer. (You don’t have to find the
actual solution.)
2 Part II: do 2 of 3
1. Consider the equation of motion of a uniform linearly elastic string under tension T0 ,
occupying at rest the interval [0, L] along the x-axis in the (x, y)-plane

∂ ∂r ∂r ∂r
ρr̈ = ((T0 + Eε)τ ), ε= − 1, τ = /
∂x ∂x ∂x ∂x

where r(x, t) is the position vector of the material point x at time t, ρ (linear density)
and E (the Young’s modulus) are constant. Write the linearized equations for u(x, t) =
(u1 (x, t), u2 (x, t)), assuming that r(x, t) = (x, 0) + ǫu and |ǫ| is small. Show all work.

2. Consider the problem of minimizing the perimeter


Z 1p
ẋ(t)2 + ẏ(t)2 dt
0

of a simple closed curve with parametric equations


(
x = x(t),
, t ∈ [0, 1]
y = y(t)

subject to the area constraint


Z 1
2A = (x(t)ẏ(t) − y(t)ẋ(t))dt.
0

Observe that the rotations Rθ through any angle θ leave the Lagrangian
p
L(x, y, ẋ, ẏ) = ẋ2 + ẏ 2 − λ(xẏ − y ẋ)

invariant. Use Noether’s theorem to find the conserved quantity corresponding to this
symmetry. Show all work.

3. Consider the initial value problem



2
ẍ − ǫ(1 − x )ẋ + x = 0,

x(0) = 0,

ẋ(0) = 1.

when |ǫ| is small. Apply the two-scale expansion method to obtain uniform in time O(ǫ)
approximation to the solution of the intial value problem above.

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