MST3262109I4PV1

MST326/Remote

Module Examination 2021

Mathematical Methods and Fluid Mechanics

Tuesday 21 September 2021

Instructions
There are two sections in this examination.
In Section 1 you should attempt all 7 questions. Each question is worth 7%
of the total mark.
In Section 2 you should attempt 3 out of the 5 questions. Each question
is worth 17% of the total mark.
Do not submit more than the required number of answers in each section.
Include all your working, as some marks are awarded for this.
Write your answers in pen, though you may draw diagrams in pencil.
Start your answer to each question on a new page, clearly indicating the
number of the question.
Crossed out work will not be marked.
Follow the instructions in the online timed examination for how to submit your
work.
Further information about completing and submitting your examination work is
in the Instructions and guidance for your remote examination document on the
module website.

Copyright ➞ 2021 The Open University

Section 1
You should attempt all seven questions. Write in pen and start
your answer to each question on a new page.
Include all your working, as some marks are awarded for this.
Each question is worth 7%.

Question 1
A U-tube of uniform cross-section has one arm open to the atmosphere
and the other end closed. The U-tube contains water, with an air
pocket above the water in the closed arm. The air pocket has length ℓ1
and the water surface in the open arm is higher than the top of the
closed arm by a length ℓ2 , as shown in the diagram (a) below. We know
that ℓ1 = 3ℓ2 .

(a) (b)

(a) Express the pressure pa in the air pocket in terms of ℓ2 , the

atmospheric pressure p0 , the density ρ of water, and the magnitude
g of the acceleration due to gravity. [2]
(b) A further volume of water is now added to the open arm. This
causes the new length of the air pocket, which we denote as ℓ′1 to
reduce to ℓ′1 = (2/3)ℓ1 , as shown in the diagram (b) above, while
the temperature of the air in the pocket remains unchanged. Find
an expression for the length ℓ′2 of the water surface in the open arm
in terms of ℓ2 , p0 , ρ and g. [5]

Question 2
(a) Find the general solution of the differential equation
d2 y dy
5x2 − 4x + 4y = 0 (x > 0). [4]
dx 2 dx
(b) Find the particular solution of this differential equation for which
dy 1
y = 0 and =− when x = 1. [3]
dx 5

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Question 3
(a) Show that the partial differential equation for u(x, y) given by
∂u ∂u
+ 6x2 +u=0
∂x ∂y
has characteristic curves described by
y − 2x3 = constant. [2]

(b) By choosing appropriate new variables ζ and φ, show that the

partial differential equation in part (a) can be transformed to an
equation for u = u(ζ, φ) that involves only one partial derivative.
(You are not asked to solve this equation.) [5]

Question 4
Water flows under a sluice gate situated in a horizontal channel of
constant width. Upstream of the gate, the depth of the water is 0.9 m
and the speed of the water may be neglected. Downstream from the
gate, the depth of the water is 0.1 m. The magnitude of the acceleration
due to gravity is to be taken as g = 10 m s−2 .
(a) Assuming that the flow is rotational, state what other assumptions
are required in order to apply Bernoulli’s equation to this situation,
and what form of Bernoulli’s equation can then be applied. [3]
(b) Find the speed of flow and the volume flow rate per unit width
downstream from the gate. [4]

Question 5
Consider an incompressible fluid flow whose velocity field in cylindrical
polar coordinates is
2r2
u= sin(2θ) er + r2 cos(2θ) eθ .
3
(a) Find the stream function for this flow and give the streamline that
passes through the point (2, π). [5]
(b) What is the vorticity for this flow? [2]

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Question 6
Consider the eigenvalue problem
(1 + x)2 u′′ (x) + 3(1 + x) u′ (x) + λu(x) = 0 (0 < x < 2),
u(0) = u(2) = 0.
(a) Bring the differential equation to self-adjoint form. [3]
(b) Show that if um and un are eigenfunctions corresponding to
distinct eigenvalues of the problem, then
Z 2
um (x) un (x) (1 + x) dx = 0. [2]
0

(c) Show that all eigenvalues of the problem are positive. [2]

Question 7
A cylindrical pipe has diameter d = 0.05 m. Water flows along the pipe
with a Darcy friction factor of λ = 0.034.
For water, take ρ = 1.0 × 103 kg m−3 and ν = 1.0 × 10−6 m2 s−1 .
(a) If the flow is laminar, calculate the Reynolds number and the mean
speed of flow along the pipe. [3]
(b) Assume that the flow is turbulent and fully rough.
(i) Calculate the equivalent sand roughness height for this flow. [2]
(ii) Find the minimum mean flow speed for which the flow can be
considered to be fully rough. [2]

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Section 2
You should attempt three questions. If you attempt more, the score
from your first three answers will count.
Write in pen and start your answer to each question on a new page.
Include all your working, as some marks are awarded for this.
Each question is worth 17%.

Question 8
The velocity field of a fluid flow at time t = 0 is
u = (2x + 4y + 6z) i + (4x − 4y − z) j + (6x − y + 4z) k.
(a) A closed curve C is formed from the straight-line segments joining
the points (in order) A = (−1, −1, 0), B = (1, −1, 0), D = (1, 1, 0),
and back to A. These line segments can be parametrised as follows.
AB : x = α, y = −1, z = 0 (−1 ≤ α ≤ 1)
BD : x = 1, y = β, z = 0 (−1 ≤ β ≤ 1)
AD : x = y = γ, z = 0 (−1 ≤ γ ≤ 1)
(i) HBy evaluating the line integral, show that the circulation
C
u · dr is equal to zero. [7]
(ii) Show further that the circulation is zero for any closed curve
C in the fluid at time t = 0. [2]
(b) (i) Find the velocity potential function φ for which ∇φ = u. [6]
RF
(ii) Hence find E u · dr, where the line integral is along any curve
connecting the point E = (0, 0, 1) to the point F = (1, 1, 1). [2]

Question 9
The function u(x, y) satisfies the partial differential equation
∂ 2u 2
2∂ u ∂u
− + y − =0 (y 6= 0).
∂x 2 ∂y 2 ∂x
(a) Show that this equation is hyperbolic. [2]
(b) Find the equations of the characteristic curves, and hence show
that the characteristic coordinates may be chosen as
ζ = ln(y) + x, φ = ln(y) − x. [4]

(c) Show that the corresponding standard form for the equation is
∂ 2u 1 ∂u
− = 0. [8]
∂ζ∂φ 2 ∂ζ

(d) Find the general solution of the original equation. [3]

MST326 September 2021 CONTINUED 5 of 8

Question 10
A viscous fluid with constant density ρ and coefficient of viscosity µ
flows steadily through a long straight pipe of circular cross-section, of
radius a, while the pipe rotates with constant angular speed Ω about its
axis. There are no body forces acting on the fluid. With reference to
cylindrical polar coordinates (r, θ, z), where the z-axis is along the
centre of the pipe, the velocity field u is independent of z and the flow
is symmetrical about the z-axis.
(a) Write down the mathematical consequences of each of the following
parts of the problem statement.
(i) The fluid has constant density (and so is incompressible).
(ii) The flow is steady.
(iii) The velocity field u is independent of z.
(iv) The flow is symmetrical about the z-axis. [2]
(b) Write down boundary conditions on u that apply at the surface of
the pipe and along the axis of the pipe. [2]
(c) Use the continuity equation, together with the results of parts (a)
and (b), to show that
u = uθ (r) eθ + uz (r) ez . [5]

(d) The Navier–Stokes equation in this case simplifies to the equations

 
d duz Kr
r =− , (1)
dr dr µ
d 2 uθ duθ
r2 2 + r − uθ = 0, (2)
dr dr
where K is a constant. (You are not asked to show this.)
Solve these equations with the boundary conditions of part (b) to
find the velocity field u. [8]

Question 11
Consider the problem for u = u(x, t) given by
∂ 2u ∂ 4u
+ 4 = 0, (0 < x < 1, t > 0),
∂t2 ∂x
with boundary conditions
∂ 2u ∂ 2u
u(0, t) = u(1, t) = (0, t) = (1, t) = 0, (t > 0)
∂x2 ∂x2
and initial conditions
u(x, 0) = sin (4πx) ,
∂u
(x, 0) = 75π 2 sin (5πx) , (0 < x < 1).
∂t
(Notice that this is a fourth-order partial differential equation)

MST326 September 2021 CONTINUED 6 of 8

(a) Using the method of separation of variables, show that if u(x, t)
can be written as u(x, t) = X(x)T (t), then for a constant λ, X(x)
satisfies
X ′′′′ (x) + λX(x) = 0, X(0) = X(1) = X ′′ (0) = X ′′ (1) = 0. [5]

(b) The general solution of the differential equation found in part (a)
has the form
X(x) = A cos(ωx) + B sin(ωx) + C cosh(ωx) + D sinh(ωx),
where A, B, C, and D are arbitrary constants, and ω 4 = −λ. (You
are not asked to show this).
Apply the boundary conditions found in part (a) to show that
λn = π 4 n 4 (n = 1, 2, . . .)
are the eigenvalues with associated eigenfunctions
Xn (x) = sin(πnx). [5]

(c) Given that the eigenvalue problem T ′′ (t) − λT (t) = 0 has

eigenfunctions
Tn (t) = an sin(π 2 n2 t) + bn cos(π 2 n2 t),
find an expression for u(x, t) for t > 0 that satisfies the given initial
conditions. [7]

Question 12
(a) The function u(x, t) satisfies the equation
∂ 2u ∂ 2u
= 16 (0 < x < 10, t > 0),
∂x2 ∂t2
subject to the initial conditions
u(x, 0) = x(10 − x) (0 < x < 10),
∂u 1


(x, 0) = sin 10 πx (0 < x < 10).
∂t
These equations are sufficient to determine the value of u(5, t) until
time t = T , after which the effects of boundary conditions at x = 0
and x = 10 must be taken into account.
(i) By considering the characteristics through (0, 0) and (10, 0),
or otherwise, find the value of T . [3]
(ii) Show that
1 2 40  π 
u(5, t) = 25 − t + sin t (0 ≤ t ≤ T ). [5]
16 π 40

MST326 September 2021 CONTINUED 7 of 8

(b) An earthquake beneath the sea generates surface waves that are
measured by a distant weather station. At 5:00 GMT on Friday the
waves are measured to have period 42 s. At 13:00 on Friday the
waves are measured to have a period of 20 s. By 17:00 the same
day the period has reduced to 12 s. Assume that the deep water
theory applies and that groups of waves leave the earthquake site
at the same time and travel with their respective group velocities.
(i) Calculate the wavelength and group velocity for the waves at
13:00 and at 17:00. Take g = 9.81 m s−2 . [5]
(ii) Use the observations at 13:00 and at 17:00 to estimate the
distance of the earthquake from the station. [4]

[END OF QUESTION PAPER]

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