D'Alembert's Formula
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D'Alembert's Formula
In mathematics, and specifically partial differential equations (PDEs), d'Alembert's formula is the general solution to the one-dimensional wave equation u_(x,t) = c^2 u_(x,t) (where subscript indices indicate partial differentiation, using the d'Alembert operator, the PDE becomes: \Box u = 0). The solution depends on the initial conditions at t = 0: u(x, 0) and u_t(x, 0). It consists of separate terms for the initial conditions u(x,0) and u_t(x,0): u(x,t) = \frac\left (x-ct, 0) + u(x+ct, 0)\right+ \frac \int_^ u_t(\xi, 0) \, d\xi. It is named after the mathematician Jean le Rond d'Alembert, who derived it in 1747 as a solution to the problem of a vibrating string. Details The characteristics of the PDE are x \pm ct = \mathrm (where \pm sign states the two solutions to quadratic equation), so we can use the change of variables \mu = x + ct (for the positive solution) and \eta = x-ct (for the negative solution) to transform the PDE to u_ = 0. The general solution of this PDE i ...
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Mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics with the major subdisciplines of number theory, algebra, geometry, and analysis, respectively. There is no general consensus among mathematicians about a common definition for their academic discipline. Most mathematical activity involves the discovery of properties of abstract objects and the use of pure reason to prove them. These objects consist of either abstractions from nature orin modern mathematicsentities that are stipulated to have certain properties, called axioms. A ''proof'' consists of a succession of applications of deductive rules to already established results. These results include previously proved theorems, axioms, andin case of abstraction from naturesome basic properties that are considered true starting poin ...
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Elliptic Partial Differential Equation
Second-order linear partial differential equations (PDEs) are classified as either elliptic, hyperbolic, or parabolic. Any second-order linear PDE in two variables can be written in the form :Au_ + 2Bu_ + Cu_ + Du_x + Eu_y + Fu +G= 0,\, where , , , , , , and are functions of and and where u_x=\frac, u_=\frac and similarly for u_,u_y,u_. A PDE written in this form is elliptic if :B^2-AC, applying the chain rule once gives :u_=u_\xi \xi_x+u_\eta \eta_x and u_=u_\xi \xi_y+u_\eta \eta_y, a second application gives :u_=u_ _x+u_ _x+2u_\xi_x\eta_x+u_\xi_+u_\eta_, :u_=u_ _y+u_ _y+2u_\xi_y\eta_y+u_\xi_+u_\eta_, and :u_=u_ \xi_x\xi_y+u_ \eta_x\eta_y+u_(\xi_x\eta_y+\xi_y\eta_x)+u_\xi_+u_\eta_. We can replace our PDE in x and y with an equivalent equation in \xi and \eta :au_ + 2bu_ + cu_ \text= 0,\, where :a=A^2+2B\xi_x\xi_y+C^2, :b=2A\xi_x\eta_x+2B(\xi_x\eta_y+\xi_y\eta_x) +2C\xi_y\eta_y , and :c=A^2+2B\eta_x\eta_y+C^2. To transform our PDE into the desired canonical f ...
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Mechanical Wave
In physics, a mechanical wave is a wave that is an oscillation of matter, and therefore transfers energy through a medium. While waves can move over long distances, the movement of the medium of transmission—the material—is limited. Therefore, the oscillating material does not move far from its initial equilibrium position. Mechanical waves can be produced only in media which possess elasticity and inertia. There are three types of mechanical waves: transverse waves, longitudinal waves, and surface waves. Some of the most common examples of mechanical waves are water waves, sound waves, and seismic waves. Like all waves, mechanical waves transport energy. This energy propagates in the same direction as the wave. A wave requires an initial energy input; once this initial energy is added, the wave travels through the medium until all its energy is transferred. In contrast, electromagnetic waves require no medium, but can still travel through one. One important property ...
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D'Alembert Operator
In special relativity, electromagnetism and wave theory, the d'Alembert operator (denoted by a box: \Box), also called the d'Alembertian, wave operator, box operator or sometimes quabla operator (''cf''. nabla symbol) is the Laplace operator of Minkowski space. The operator is named after French mathematician and physicist Jean le Rond d'Alembert. In Minkowski space, in standard coordinates , it has the form : \begin \Box & = \partial^\mu \partial_\mu = \eta^ \partial_\nu \partial_\mu = \frac \frac - \frac - \frac - \frac \\ & = \frac - \nabla^2 = \frac - \Delta ~~. \end Here \nabla^2 := \Delta is the 3-dimensional Laplacian and is the inverse Minkowski metric with :\eta_ = 1, \eta_ = \eta_ = \eta_ = -1, \eta_ = 0 for \mu \neq \nu. Note that the and summation indices range from 0 to 3: see Einstein notation. We have assumed units such that the speed of light = 1. (Some authors alternatively use the negative metric signature of , with \eta_ = -1,\; \eta_ = \eta_ = \ ...
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Continuously Differentiable Function
In mathematics, a differentiable function of one real variable is a function whose derivative exists at each point in its domain. In other words, the graph of a differentiable function has a non- vertical tangent line at each interior point in its domain. A differentiable function is smooth (the function is locally well approximated as a linear function at each interior point) and does not contain any break, angle, or cusp. If is an interior point in the domain of a function , then is said to be ''differentiable at'' if the derivative f'(x_0) exists. In other words, the graph of has a non-vertical tangent line at the point . is said to be differentiable on if it is differentiable at every point of . is said to be ''continuously differentiable'' if its derivative is also a continuous function over the domain of the function f. Generally speaking, is said to be of class if its first k derivatives f^(x), f^(x), \ldots, f^(x) exist and are continuous over the domain of the ...
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Continuous Function
In mathematics, a continuous function is a function such that a continuous variation (that is a change without jump) of the argument induces a continuous variation of the value of the function. This means that there are no abrupt changes in value, known as '' discontinuities''. More precisely, a function is continuous if arbitrarily small changes in its value can be assured by restricting to sufficiently small changes of its argument. A discontinuous function is a function that is . Up until the 19th century, mathematicians largely relied on intuitive notions of continuity, and considered only continuous functions. The epsilon–delta definition of a limit was introduced to formalize the definition of continuity. Continuity is one of the core concepts of calculus and mathematical analysis, where arguments and values of functions are real and complex numbers. The concept has been generalized to functions between metric spaces and between topological spaces. The latter are ...
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Differential Equation
In mathematics, a differential equation is an equation that relates one or more unknown functions and their derivatives. In applications, the functions generally represent physical quantities, the derivatives represent their rates of change, and the differential equation defines a relationship between the two. Such relations are common; therefore, differential equations play a prominent role in many disciplines including engineering, physics, economics, and biology. Mainly the study of differential equations consists of the study of their solutions (the set of functions that satisfy each equation), and of the properties of their solutions. Only the simplest differential equations are solvable by explicit formulas; however, many properties of solutions of a given differential equation may be determined without computing them exactly. Often when a closed-form expression for the solutions is not available, solutions may be approximated numerically using computers. The theory ...
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Homogeneous Differential Equation
A differential equation can be homogeneous in either of two respects. A first order differential equation is said to be homogeneous if it may be written :f(x,y) \, dy = g(x,y) \, dx, where and are homogeneous functions of the same degree of and . In this case, the change of variable leads to an equation of the form :\frac = h(u) \, du, which is easy to solve by integration of the two members. Otherwise, a differential equation is homogeneous if it is a homogeneous function of the unknown function and its derivatives. In the case of linear differential equations, this means that there are no constant terms. The solutions of any linear ordinary differential equation of any order may be deduced by integration from the solution of the homogeneous equation obtained by removing the constant term. History The term ''homogeneous'' was first applied to differential equations by Johann Bernoulli in section 9 of his 1726 article ''De integraionibus aequationum differentialium'' (On t ...
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Hyperbolic Partial Differential Equation
In mathematics, a hyperbolic partial differential equation of order n is a partial differential equation (PDE) that, roughly speaking, has a well-posed initial value problem for the first n-1 derivatives. More precisely, the Cauchy problem can be locally solved for arbitrary initial data along any non-characteristic hypersurface. Many of the equations of mechanics are hyperbolic, and so the study of hyperbolic equations is of substantial contemporary interest. The model hyperbolic equation is the wave equation. In one spatial dimension, this is : \frac = c^2 \frac The equation has the property that, if ''u'' and its first time derivative are arbitrarily specified initial data on the line (with sufficient smoothness properties), then there exists a solution for all time ''t''. The solutions of hyperbolic equations are "wave-like". If a disturbance is made in the initial data of a hyperbolic differential equation, then not every point of space feels the disturbance at once. ...
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Parabolic Partial Differential Equation
A parabolic partial differential equation is a type of partial differential equation (PDE). Parabolic PDEs are used to describe a wide variety of time-dependent phenomena, including heat conduction, particle diffusion, and pricing of derivative investment instruments. Definition To define the simplest kind of parabolic PDE, consider a real-valued function u(x, y) of two independent real variables, x and y. A second-order, linear, constant-coefficient PDE for u takes the form :Au_ + 2Bu_ + Cu_ + Du_x + Eu_y + F = 0, and this PDE is classified as being ''parabolic'' if the coefficients satisfy the condition :B^2 - AC = 0. Usually x represents one-dimensional position and y represents time, and the PDE is solved subject to prescribed initial and boundary conditions. The name "parabolic" is used because the assumption on the coefficients is the same as the condition for the analytic geometry equation A x^2 + 2B xy + C y^2 + D x + E y + F = 0 to define a planar parabola. T ...
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Canonical Form
In mathematics and computer science, a canonical, normal, or standard form of a mathematical object is a standard way of presenting that object as a mathematical expression. Often, it is one which provides the simplest representation of an object and which allows it to be identified in a unique way. The distinction between "canonical" and "normal" forms varies from subfield to subfield. In most fields, a canonical form specifies a ''unique'' representation for every object, while a normal form simply specifies its form, without the requirement of uniqueness. The canonical form of a positive integer in decimal representation is a finite sequence of digits that does not begin with zero. More generally, for a class of objects on which an equivalence relation is defined, a canonical form consists in the choice of a specific object in each class. For example: *Jordan normal form is a canonical form for matrix similarity. *The row echelon form is a canonical form, when one conside ...
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Partial Differential Equations
In mathematics, a partial differential equation (PDE) is an equation which imposes relations between the various partial derivatives of a multivariable function. The function is often thought of as an "unknown" to be solved for, similarly to how is thought of as an unknown number to be solved for in an algebraic equation like . However, it is usually impossible to write down explicit formulas for solutions of partial differential equations. There is, correspondingly, a vast amount of modern mathematical and scientific research on methods to numerically approximate solutions of certain partial differential equations using computers. Partial differential equations also occupy a large sector of pure mathematical research, in which the usual questions are, broadly speaking, on the identification of general qualitative features of solutions of various partial differential equations, such as existence, uniqueness, regularity, and stability. Among the many open questions are the e ...
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