This sheet is meant to be a basic reference for most of the Partial Differential

Equations you encounter in Math 303, but I cant guarantee it will cover all of
them.

Heat Conduction in a Rod

Ends Kept at Different Temperatures
Problems look like this:

2 uxx = ut
u(0, t) = T1 , u(L, t) = T2 , t>0
u(x, 0) = f (x), 0xL

Solutions look like this:

x X  n  n2 2 2
u(x, t) = (T2 T1 ) + T1 + cn sin x e L2 t
L n=1
L
where
Z L
2  x   n 
cn = f (x) (T2 T1 ) T1 sin x dx
L 0 L L

Ends Kept Insulated

Problems look like this:

2 uxx = ut
ux (0, t) = 0, ux (L, t) = 0, t>0
u(x, 0) = f (x), 0xL

Solutions look like this:

c0 X  n  n2 2 2
u(x, t) = + cn cos x e L2 t
2 n=1
L
where
Z L
2  n 
cn = f (x) cos x dx
L 0 L

1
Vibrating String
Problems look like this:

a2 uxx = xtt
u(0, t) = 0, u(L, t) = 0, t0
u(x, 0) = f (x), ut (x, 0) = g(x), 0xL

Answers look like this:

 nx      
X nat nat
u(x, t) = sin kn sin + cn cos
n=1
L L L
where
Z L
2 nx
cn = f (x) sin(
)dx
L 0 L
Z L  nx 
kn = 2na g(x) sin dx
0 L

Rectangular Dirichlet
Problems look like this:

uxx + uyy = 0
u(x, 0) = h(x), u(x, b) = g(x), 0xa
u(0, y) = k(y), u(a, y) = f (y), 0<y<b

Solutions look like this:

X   ny   ny   nx 
u(x, y) = an sinh + bn cosh sin
n=1
a a b
  nx   nx   ny 
+ cn sinh + dn cosh sin
b b b
where
Z a  
2  nx  nb
an = g(x) sin dx bn cosh
a 0 L a
Z a
2  nx 
bn = h(x) sin dx
a 0 a
2 b
Z  ny   na 
cn = f (y) sin dy dn cosh
b 0 b b
Z b
2  ny 
dn = k(y) sin dy
b 0 b

2
Circular Dirichlet
Problems look like this:
1 1
urr + ur + 2 u = 0
r r
u(a, ) = f (), r < a
u(r, ) = u(r, + 2)

Solutions look like this:

c0 X n
u(r, ) = r (cn cos (n) + kn sin(n))
2 n=1
where
Z 2
1
cn = f () cos(n)d
an 0
Z 2
1
kn = f () sin(n)d
an 0