Boyce/DiPrima 10th ed, Ch 10.

8 Appendix B: Derivation
of the Wave Equation
Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems, 10 th edition, by William E. Boyce and Richard C. DiPrima, ©2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

• In this appendix we derive the wave equation in one space

dimension as it applies to the transverse vibrations of an elastic
string or cable.
• The elastic string can be thought of as a guitar string, a guy
wire, or possibly an electric power line.
• The same equation, however, with the variables properly
interpreted, occurs in many other wave phenomena having
only one significant space variable.
 Assumptions (1 of 2)

• Consider a perfectly flexible elastic string stretched tightly

between two fixed supports at the same horizontal level.
• Let the x-axis lie along the axis of the string with the endpoints
located at x = 0 and x = L.
• If the string is set in motion at some initial time t = 0 and is
thereafter left undisturbed, it will vibrate freely in a vertical
plane, provided that the damping effects, such as air resistance,
are neglected.
 Assumptions (2 of 2)

• To determine the differential equation governing this motion,

we will consider forces acting on a small element of the string
of length x lying between the points x = x0 and x = x0 + x.
• Assume the motion of string is small and as a consequence,
that each point on the string moves solely in a vertical line.
• Let u(x,t) be the vertical displacement of the point x at time t.
• Assume the tension T(x,t) in string acts in tangential direction,
and let  denote the mass per unit length of the string.
 Horizontal Components

• Newton’s law, as it applies to the element x of the string,

states that the net external force, due to the tension at the ends
of the element, must be equal to the product of the mass of the
element and the acceleration of its mass center.
• Since there is no horizontal acceleration, the horizontal
components must satisfy
T ( x  x, t ) cos(   )  T ( x, t ) cos( )  0
• If we denote the horizontal component of the tension by H,
then the above equation states that H is independent of x.
 Vertical Components (1 of 3)

• The vertical components satisfy

T ( x  x, t ) sin(    )  T ( x, t ) sin(  )  x utt ( x , t )
where x is the coordinate of the center of mass of the element
of string under consideration.
• The weight of the string, which acts vertically downward, is
assumed to be negligible.
 Vertical Components (2 of 3)

• The vertical components satisfy

T ( x  x, t ) sin(    )  T ( x, t ) sin(  )  x utt ( x , t )
• If the vertical component of T is denoted by V, then the above
equation can be written as
V ( x  x, t )  V ( x, t )
  utt ( x , t )
x
• Passing to the limit as x  0 gives
Vx ( x, t )   utt ( x, t )
 Vertical Components (3 of 3)

• Note that
V ( x, t )  H (t ) tan   H (t )u x ( x, t )
Then our equation from the previous slide,
Vx ( x, t )   utt ( x, t ),
becomes
( Hu x ) x   utt
• Since H is independent of x, it follows that
Hu xx   utt
• If the motion of the string is small, then we can replace
H = Tcos by T. Then our equation reduces to
a 2u xx  utt , a 2  T / 
 Wave Equation

• Our equation is
a 2u xx  utt , a 2  T / 
• We will assume further that a2 is constant, although this is not
required in our derivation, even for small motions.
• This equation is the wave equation for one space dimension.
• Since T has the dimension of force, and  that of mass/length,
it follows that a has the dimension of velocity.
• It is possible to identify a as the velocity with which a small
disturbance (wave) moves along the string.
• The wave velocity a varies directly with the tension in the
string and inversely with the density of the string material.
 Telegraph Equation

• There are various generalizations of the wave equation

a 2u xx  utt
• One important equation is known as the telegraph equation
utt  cut  ku  a 2u xx  F ( x, t )
where c and k are nonnegative constants.
• The terms cut, ku, and F(x,t) arise from a viscous damping
force, elastic restoring force, and external force, respectively.
• Note the similarity between this equation and the spring-mass
equation of Section 3.8; the additional a2uxx term arises from a
consideration of internal elastic forces.
• The telegraph equation also governs the flow of voltage or
current in a transmission line (hence its name).
 Multidimensional Wave Equations

• For a vibrating system with more than one significant space

coordinate, it may be necessary to consider the wave equation
in two dimensions,
a 2 u xx  u yy   utt
or in three dimensions,
a 2 uxx  u yy  uzz   utt