MSE 201 2011

IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON

BEng MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
BEng MATERIALS WITH MANAGEMENT
MEng MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
MEng AEROSPACE MATERIALS
MEng BIOMATERIALS AND TISSUE ENGINEERING
MEng MATERIALS AND NUCLEAR MATERIALS
2011
for Internal Students of
Imperial College London

MSE 201: MATHEMATICS

For Second Year Students
9:30am - 12:30pm, Wednesday 15th June 2011
Answer all four questions from Section A and three out of four questions
from Section B
NOTE: Questions in Section A are worth 10 marks and questions in Section B are
worth 20 marks.
All questions in Section A may be placed in the same answer book(s). Please use a
separate answer book for each question in Section B.

You are reminded that Examiners attach great importance to legibility,

accuracy and clarity of expression.

Before starting please make sure the paper is complete.

It should contain 8 pages:
if it does not, please ask the invigilator for a replacement.

PLEASE TURN OVER

MSE 201 2011

SECTION A
Question 1
Three differentials are defined by:
(i) y dx + x dy
(ii) y dx x dy
(iii) x dx y dy
a) Establish whether each of these differentials is exact or inexact.
[5 marks]
b) For any that you found to be exact, find the scalar field f (x, y ) from which
it is derived i.e. for which it is the total differential df , to within an arbitrary
constant.
[5 marks]

Question 2
a) What is the mathematical term used to describe two functions f (x) and
Rb
g (x) which satisfy the condition a f (x)g (x)dx = 0 ?
[2 marks]

b) Show that f (x) = cos mx and g (x) = sin mx, where m is an integer,
satisfy the above condition when the integration is performed on the interval
x [, ].
[3 marks]
The Fourier series of a periodic function f (x) is defined as
f (x) = a0 +

an cos kn x +

bn sin kn x,

n=1

n=1

where f (x) = f (x + 2L).

c) What are the allowed values of kn ?

[1 mark]

d) What can be said about the Fourier coefficients a0 , an and bn if f (x) is an

odd function of x? Explain your reasoning.
[4 marks]

Question 3
a) A partial differential equation that can describe the conduction of heat
through a region over time is
2 T (x, y , z) =

1 T (x, y , z)
2
t

where T (x, y , z) is the temperature at a point (x, y , z) in the region and

is a constant.
i) What are the dimensions of ?

[1 mark]

[This question continues overleaf . . . ]

MSE 201 2011

A uniform solid bar of length 1 m is insulated along its sides but free to
conduct heat through its ends. The left-hand side is kept at 0 C and the
right-hand side at 50 C. The bar is parallel to the x axis.
ii) Explain why the equilibrium temperature distribution must satisfy
d 2T
=0
dx 2
[2 marks]
iii) Find the general solution to this ordinary differential equation.
[2 marks]
iv) By imposing suitable boundary conditions, find the equilibrium temperature distribution.
[2 marks]
b) Laplaces Equation in two dimensions can be written
2u 2u
+
=0
x 2 y 2
By assuming a solution to this equation of the form u (x, y ) = X (x) Y (y )
find two separate ordinary differential equations for X and Y . You do not
need to solve these equations.
[3 marks]

Question 4
A machine contains N identical components. X is a random variable representing
the number of these components that are defective. If X m, the machine will
not be able to function. If X < m the machine will function. The probability,
p, that any given component is defective is independent of whether or not any
of the other N 1 components are defective.
a) What is the probability that the first m components are defective while the
last N m components are functioning properly? Justify your answer.
[3 marks]
b) What is the probability, P(X = m), that any m components are defective
while the remaining N m components are functioning properly? Justify
your answer.
[2 marks]
c) Show that the probability that the machine has too many defective components to function is
P(X m) =

N
X

N!
p r (1 p)Nr
(N

r
)!r
!
r =m

and explain why, or prove that, this can also be written as

P(X m) = 1

m1
X
r =0

N!
p r (1 p)Nr
(N r )!r !
[3 marks]

[This question continues overleaf . . . ]

MSE 201 2011

d) If p = 0.5 and the machine has 10 components and requires at least 7
of them to be working for it to function, what is the probability that the
machine functions?
[2 marks]

Next section overleaf

MSE 201 2011

SECTION B
Question 1
a) Draw a clear sketch defining the spherical polar coordinates r , and in
relation to the Cartesian coordinate system. Include the directions of the
unit vectors ~er , ~e and ~e at a general point in space.
[6 marks]
~ 1 is located at the origin and aligned parallel to the z-axis.
A magnetic dipole m
The resulting vector potential ~A is given by
~A = 0 m1 sin ~e
4r 2
where 0 is a constant and m1 = |~
m1 |.
~ i.e.
~ ~A.
b) Calculate the divergence of A,

[4 marks]

~ =
~ is given by
~ A
c) Show that the magnetic flux density B
~ = 0 m1 [2 cos ~er + sin ~e ]
B
4r 3
[6 marks]
~ is given by E = ~
~
~ 2 in a field B
d) The energy E of a magnetic dipole m
m2 B.
~ 2 is placed in the xy -plane in the field of the first, m
~ 1.
A second dipole m
~ for points that lie in the xy i) Simplify the expression for the field B
plane.
[2 marks]
~ 2 must point to minimise the energy.
ii) Find the direction in which m
[2 marks]
~ defined in terms of spherical
You may use the following results for a vector field F
~
polar coordinates F = Fr ~er + F ~e + F ~e .


~ = 1 r 2 Fr + 1 (sin F ) + 1 F
~ F

2
r r
r sin
r sin

 ~er
r ~e r sin ~e

1
~
~

/r
/
/
F = 2
r sin 
Fr
r F r sin F

Please turn over

MSE 201 2011

Question 2
a) Write down the transformation law for a tensor of rank-2, explaining carefully all terms in your expression.
[3 marks]
b) Explain what is meant by an isotropic tensor.

[2 marks]

c) State Neumanns Principle for the tensor properties of materials.

[2 marks]
The stress tensor ij in an isotropic material is related to the strain tensor ij by
the relation
ij = cijkl kl ,
where the rank-4 stiffness tensor cijkl is given by
cijkl = ij kl + ik jl + il jk .
, and are scalars, and ij and ij may be assumed to be symmetric.
d) Show that
ij = tr()ij + 2ij ,
where you should find expressions for and in terms of , and .
[5 marks]
e) Evaluate tr() and, hence, show that the expression in the previous part
may be inverted to give
"
#
tr()
1
ij
ij .
ij =
2
3 + 2
[4 marks]
f) An isotropic crystal is subjected to
{e 1 , e 2 , e3 }, by

3.0 2.0
= 2.0 3.0
0.0 0.0

a state of stress given, in a basis

0.0
0.0 108 Pa.
4.0

Calculate the strain tensor in a basis {e 1 , e 2 , e3 } that is rotated with

respect to the original basis by an angle of 45 anti-clockwise about the e3
direction. You may assume that = = 1.00 1010 Pa.
[4 marks]

Please turn over

MSE 201 2011

Question 3
The wave equation can be written
1 2u
v 2 t 2
where 2 is the Laplacian operator and t is time.
2 u =

a) What are the meanings of the dependent variable, u, and the constant, v ,
in the wave equation?
[2 marks]

1m
h
P

An elastic string is stretched tightly between two fixed points P and Q, which are
separated by 1 m. The string is plucked by pulling it, at the midpoint between
P and Q, a small distance h 1 m in a direction perpendicular to the line PQ.
The displacement of the string at the moment it is released is given by
(
2hx
, if 0 < x < 21
u(x, t = 0) = u0 (x) =
2h(1 x) , if 12 < x < 1
b) One of the systems initial conditions (u(x, t = 0)) has been provided
above. Write down expressions for the one other initial condition and the
two boundary conditions associated with the system.
[3 marks]
c) Show that a solution to the wave equation in one dimension is
u(x, t) = [A cos(kx) + B sin(kx)] [C cos(kvt) + D sin(kvt)]
where A, B, C and D are constants.

[4 marks]

d) Apply the relevant initial and boundary conditions to show that a basic
solution (eigenfunction) of the system can be written as
un (x, t) = bn sin(nx) cos(nvt)
where bn is a constant.

[5 marks]

e) Hence, write down a general solution to the wave equation for this system
as a weighted sum of eigenfunctions. Show that the first three non-zero
terms of this series are
1
8h
sin
x
cos
vt

sin 3x cos 3vt

u(x, t) =
2
9

1
+
sin 5x cos 5vt +
25
[6 marks]
You may find the following identity useful:
n
2
=
2 sin
2
(n)

1
2

x sin nxdx
0

x sin nxdx +
1
2

sin nxdx
1
2

Please turn over

MSE 201 2011

Question 4
A person receives an average of 10 emails per day during office hours (9 am to 5
pm). X is a random variable representing the number of emails that the person
receives in a particular time interval of length t (expressed in hours).
a)

i) Is X a discrete or a continuous random variable?

[1 mark]
ii) What assumptions are made by modeling the probability
P(X = x; t) of receiving x emails in a time t with a Poisson distribution
f (x; t) = P(X = x; t) =

(t)x t
e
x!
[3 marks]

Assuming that X is a Poisson-distributed random variable.

iii) What is the meaning of and what is its value?
iv) Prove that P(X 0; t) = 1.

[1 mark]
[2 marks]

b) T is a random variable representing the length of time, in hours, between

successive emails.
i) Is T a discrete or a continuous random variable?
[1 mark]
ii) Find an expression for F (t) = P(T t).
[3 marks]
iii) Hence show that the probability density function for T is
f (t) = e t
[2 marks]
iv) Find the moment generating function for f (t) and use it to calculate
the mean value of T .
[3 marks]
v) In a given day, what is the probability that the person does not receive
any emails? Provide your answer to 4 significant figures. [2 marks]
vi) In 10 working days, what is the probability that the person does not
receive any emails on exactly 1 of those days? Provide your answer to
4 significant figures.
[2 marks]

End of examination paper