MAT 3310 Computational and Applied Mathematics

(2009-2010, Second Term)

Assignment 2

Due day: 5:00 p.m., 5 March (Friday).

1. Use the Lagrange multipliers method to find the rectangle with corners at points
(y1 , y2 ) on the ellipse y12 + 4y22 = 1, such that the perimeter 4y1 + 4y2 is as large
as possible.
2. Find the minimum distance from the point (1, 1, 1) to the plane y1 + 2y2 + 3y3 = 18.
3. (a) Find the minimum distance from the point (1, 1, 1) to the line y1 =
(b) Find the projection matrix P onto the line y1 =

y2
= y33 (See
2
T
2

(c) Verify that for any such projection matrix P = P

~b, kP~bk2 + k(I P )~bk2 = k~bk2 .

y2
2

y3
?
3

pp.105).

= P , and for any vector

~
4. (a) For the discretized spring mass system, at the equilibrium state where K~u = f,
show that the strain energy U (the quadratic term in P (~u)) equals Pmin , and
therefore U = Qmin .
(b) At equilibrium, are the internal strain energy 12 (K~u, ~u) and the external potential energy (f~, ~u) equal? Why?
5. (a) For the functional
1
P (u) =
2
find the first variation

P
u

"

d2 u
+
dx2

du
dx

2 #

dx

from the linear term in P (u + tv).

(b) Find the function u(x) with u(0) = 1, u (x) = 3 that minimizes P (u).