640:423 Quiz 2 Name:

(1) (8 points) Find the steady-state solution to the problem

ut = uxx + 1, 0 < x < 1, t > 0;


u(0, t) = 0, u(1, t) = 1, t > 0.

Answer. A steady-state solution is a function u = u(x) such that uxx + 1 = 0,

and u(0) = 0, u(1) = 1.R From uxx + 1 = 0, which is equivalent to uxx = −1,
2
we obtain that ux (x) = (−1)dx = −x + a, thus u(x) = − x2 + ax + b, for some
constants a and b. Using u(0) = 0, we obtain b = 0. Using further u(1) = 1, we
2
obtain 1 = − 12 + a, so a = 32 , and u = − x2 + 3x
2
. This process also shows that
there is only one steady-state solution . 

p
(2) (6 points) Let u(x, y, z) = U ( x2 + y 2 + z 2 ), where U = U (ρ) is a twice contin-
uously differentiable function of one variable ρ. Compute ∆u(x, y, z) in terms of
derivatives of U .
p
Answer. Set ρ = x2 + y 2 + z 2 . We compute using the chain rule
p
0 ∂ x2 + y 2 + z 2 x
ux (x, y, z) = U (ρ) = U 0 (ρ) p ,
∂x x + y2 + z2
2
p
∂ x2 + y 2 + z 2 y
uy (x, y, z) = U 0 (ρ) = U 0 (ρ) p ,
∂y x2 + y 2 + z 2
p
0 ∂ x2 + y 2 + z 2 z
uz (x, y, z) = U (ρ) = U 0 (ρ) p .
∂z x2 + y 2 + z 2

Furthermore
!
00 x2 0 ∂ x
uxx (x, y, z) = U (ρ) 2 + U (ρ) p
x + y2 + z2 ∂x x2 + y 2 + z 2 )
00 x2 0 x2 + y 2 + z 2 − x2
= U (ρ) + U (ρ) ,
x2 + y 2 + z 2 (x2 + y 2 + z 2 )3/2
00 y2 0 x2 + y 2 + z 2 − y 2
uyy (x, y, z) = U (ρ) 2 + U (ρ) ,
x + y2 + z2 (x2 + y 2 + z 2 )3/2
00 z2 0 x2 + y 2 + z 2 − z 2
uzz (x, y, z) = U (ρ) 2 + U (ρ) .
x + y2 + z2 (x2 + y 2 + z 2 )3/2

1
 Thus we conclude that
∆u(x, y, z) = uxx (x, y, z) + uyy (x, y, z) + uzz (x, y, z)
00 2(x2 + y 2 + z 2 )
= U (ρ) + U 0 (ρ)
(x2 + y 2 + z 2 )3/2
00 2
= U (ρ) + U 0 (ρ).
ρ


(3) (6 points) Let u(x, t) be a solution to the wave equation utt − c2 uxx = 0 for
0 < x < l and t > 0, satisfying the boundary condition u(0, t) = 0 and ux (l, t) = 0
Rl
for all t > 0. Show that 0 [u2t (x, t) + c2 u2x (x, t)] dx is a constant independent of
t > 0.
Answer. We will show that the derivative of this integral with respect to the
time variable t is zero, which would imply that it is a constant independent of
t > 0.
Z l 
d  2 2 2

ut (x, t) + c ux (x, t) dx
dt 0
Z l
2ut (x, t)utt (x, t) + 2c2 ux (x, t)uxt (x, t) dx
 
=
0
Z l
2
=2c [ut (x, t)uxx (x, t) + ux (x, t)uxt (x, t)] dx,
0
where we have substituted utt (x, t) = c2 uxx (x, t) in the last line. We recognize
that
ut (x, t)uxx (x, t) + ux (x, t)uxt (x, t) = [ut (x, t)ux (x, t)]x .
So we can integrate out the integral on the last line as
Z l
[ut (x, t)uxx (x, t) + ux (x, t)uxt (x, t)] dx
0
= [ut (x, t)ux (x, t)]x=l
x=0
=ut (l, t)ux (l, t) − ut (0, t)ux (0, t).
But ux (l, t) = 0, and u(0, t) = 0, which further implies that ut (0, t) = 0. Thus
Rl
0
[ut (x, t)uxx (x, t) + ux (x, t)uxt (x, t)] dx = 0, provind what we initially claimed.