MA 242 : Partial Dierential Equations

August-December 2015
Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Science
Exercises 6
30 October, 2015

1. Consider the one-dimensional wave equation in R [0, )

utt uxx = 0, with initial data u(x, 0) = g(x), ut (x, 0) = h(x).
Let g, h have compact support. Show that the solution u(x, t) has compact support for each xed t. Show that the functions F, G in the decomposition
u(x, t) = F (x + t) + G(x t)

for u can be of compact support only when h(y)dy = 0.

2. Consider the one-dimensional wave equation in R [0, )
utt uxx = 0, with initial data u(x, 0) = g(x), ut (x, 0) = h(x).

Let g, h have compact support. The kinetic energy is k(t) := 21 u2t (x, t)dx

the potential energy is p(t) := 21 u2x (x, t)dx. Prove that k(t) + p(t) is
constant in t.
3. Solve the initial-boundary-value problem
utt = uxx for 0 < x < , t > 0,
u = 0 for x = 0, ; t > 0,
u = 1, ut = 0 for 0 < x < , t = 0.
4. Solve
utt uxx = x2 for t > 0, x R
u(x, 0) = x, ut (x, 0) = 0.
5. Consider the initial value problem
utt u = 0, with initial data u(x, 0) = g(x), ut (x, 0) = h(x)
for the wave equation in n = 5. Let Mu (x, r, t) denote spherical mean of
u(x, t) on the sphere B(x; r). Set
N (x, r, t) = r2

Mu (x, r, t) + 3Mu (x, r, t).

r
1

(a) Show that N (x, r, t) is a solution of

2
2
N
=
N
t2
r2
and nd N from its initial data in terms of Mg and Mh .
(b) Show that
N (x, r, t)
1
1
= ( t2 +t)Mh (x, t)+ ( t2 +t)Mg (x, t).
r0
3r
3 t
t 3 t

u(x, t) = lim