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Problemset 2

This document contains 5 questions regarding partial differential equations and their applications in physics. Question 1 asks to find general expressions for Laplace's equation, the wave equation, and the heat equation in Cartesian, cylindrical, and spherical coordinates. Question 2 asks to find Green's functions for the forced wave and heat equations. Question 3 involves using separation of variables and Green's functions to solve Laplace's equation for different temperature distributions in rooms. Question 4 asks about Maxwell's equations in cylindrical coordinates. Question 5 is to solve the one-dimensional diffusion equation subject to boundary conditions.

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24 views

Problemset 2

This document contains 5 questions regarding partial differential equations and their applications in physics. Question 1 asks to find general expressions for Laplace's equation, the wave equation, and the heat equation in Cartesian, cylindrical, and spherical coordinates. Question 2 asks to find Green's functions for the forced wave and heat equations. Question 3 involves using separation of variables and Green's functions to solve Laplace's equation for different temperature distributions in rooms. Question 4 asks about Maxwell's equations in cylindrical coordinates. Question 5 is to solve the one-dimensional diffusion equation subject to boundary conditions.

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Resting Beast
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Department of Physics
Math Methods for Physics 2 (PH30207)
Problem set - 2

Submission date: Monday 25th September, 2023

Q1: Find the general expression for the following equations using the method of separation of
variables in cartesian, cylindrical and spherical co-ordinates,
(a) ∇2 φ = 0,
∂2 2 2
(b) ∂t 2 ψ = c ∇ ψ,
∂
(c) ∂t θ = κ∇2 θ.

Q2: Find the fundamental solution (Green’s function) for the forced wave and heat equations
in three dimensions. Take the forcing to be the impulse at a point r0 and at a time t0 .

Q3: Solve using both separation of variable technique and Green’s function method. Consider
the problem of cooling of a room using Temperature controlled Air-conditioners. Consider the
following situations and find the solution the temperature distribution under different conditions.
Assume that the temperature T inside the room satisfies the Laplace equation given by,

∇2 T = 0. (1)

(a) Suppose you are sitting in a cubical size class room with each walls maintained at a con-
stant temperature T0 . Find the distribution of the temperature inside the cubical room at any
point (x, y, z)? Interpret the result.
(b) If the walls of the room have the temperature distribution as follows, the front wall has a
temperature 2T0 , the back wall opposite to the front wall has T0 , the top wall has 2T0 , the bottom
wall has T0 , the right side wall has 2T0 and the left side wall has T0 . Find the temperature distri-
bution inside the room.
(c) Consider a spherical class room where the wall of the room is maintained at a temperature
T0 , find the temperature distribution inside the room.
(d) If the spherical wall at radius R has a temperature distribution given by T (R, θ, φ) =
T0 cos(θ) sin(φ), find the temperature distribution inside the spherical room.
(e) Consider a cylindrical room of radius R and height H, all the wall of the rooms are kept
at temperature T0 except the top wall which is kept at T0 /2. Find the temperature distribution
inside the room.

1
Q4 Show that in cylindrical coordinates r, φ, z, Maxwell’s equation for empty space have a
solution,

1 ∂2f
Hr = 0, Hφ = , Hz = 0,
c ∂r∂t
∂2f
 
1 ∂ ∂f
Er = − , Eφ = r ,
∂r∂z r ∂r ∂r

and find the differential equation satisfied by f .

Q5: Solve the one-dimensional diffusion equation in the range 0 ≤ x ≤ 2π, t ≥ 0 subject to the
boundary conditions,

θ(x, 0) = sin3 x, for 0 ≤ x ≤ 2π,


θ(0, t) − θ(2π, t) = 0 for t ≥ 0.

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