By: Shoaib Ahmed

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  Consider the boundary value problem
 2
y  2
y
a 2
 2 (0  x  L, t  0),
x 2
t
y(0, t )  y( L, t )  0 (t  0).
(Initial position) y ( x, 0)  f ( x) 0  x  L.
y
(Initial velocity) ( x, 0)  0 0  x  L.
t

 This problem models the vibration of an elastic string

of length L, fastened at the ends.

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  Attempt a solution

y ( x, t )  X ( x)T (t ).

XT   a 2 X T ,

X  T 
 2 .
X aT
X  T 
 2   .
X aT
Then quantity  is called a separation constant.
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  We have

X    X  0 and T    a T  0.
2

 Next, look at the boundary conditions and relate them

to X and T. From the condition that the left end of the
string is fixed, we have

y (0, t )  X (0)T (t )  0  X (0)  0.

 Similarly t  0;
y ( L, t )  X ( L)T (t )  0  X ( L )  0.

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  Case 1: If   0. Then X   0, so X ( x)  cx  d . Now
X (0)  d  0, and X ( L)  cL  0 implies that c  0 . Then
X ( x)  0 for 0  x  L, and we will have y ( x, t )  0 as the
solution.

 Case 2: If   0. Write    k 2
,with k  0 . The equation
for X is

X  k X  0,
2

with general solution X  ce kx  de  kx . Since X (0)  0

= c + d, d = - c, and
X ( x)  c(ekx  e kx )  2c sinh(kx).

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  Then X ( L)  2c sinh( kL)  0 . Since k and L are positive,
sinh( kL)  0 , and we conclude that c  0 . But then
d  0, and, as in case 1, we obtain X ( x)  0 for 0  x  L.
This case does not yield a solution.

 Case 3: If   0. Write   k . Then X   k X  0, with

2 2

general solution is
X ( x)  c cos(kx)  d sin(kx).

Since X (0)  c  0, X(x) = d sin(kx). We require also

that X ( L)  d sin( kL)  0

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  In order to be able to choose d  0, we must have
sin( kL)  0. This holds if kL is a positive integer
multiple of  :
 kL  n , n  1, 2, 3,

n 
2 2
 Then k  2
2

L
 n x 
 X n ( x)  d n sin  ,
 L 

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  Now look at the problem for T. With   n2 2 L2 , we
have
n 2 2 a 2
T   2
T  0;
L
T (0)  f ( x);
T (0)  0.
 nat   nat 
 Tn (t )  Bn cos   Bn
*
sin  
 L   L 
 
y ( x, t )   yn ( x, t )   Tn (t ) X n ( x)
n 1 n 1

  nat   nat    nx 
y ( x, t )    Bn cos   Bn
*
sin    sin  
n 1   L   L   L 

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  The condition y ( x,0)  f ( x) implies

 n x 
y ( x,0)  f ( x)   Bn sin  
n 1  L 

 Recognize this equation as the Fourier sine expansion

of f on [ 0 , L]. Thus, we should choose the Bn’s as the
Fourier coefficients in this expansion:
 nx 
L
2
Bn   f ( x) sin  dx
L0  L 

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 
  nat   nat    n x 
y ( x, t )    Bn cos   Bn
*
sin    sin  
n 1   L   L   L 

y ( x, t )   na  nat  * na  nat    nx 

    Bn sin    Bn cos    sin  
t n 1  L  L  L  L   L 
y ( x, t ) * na  nx 

  Bn  sin  0
t t 0 n 1 L  L 

 Bn*  0
 With this choice of the constants, we have the formal
solution
2   L  n    n x   n at 
y( x, t )     f ( )sin   d  sin   cos  .
L n 1  0
 L    L   L 
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