Graded Homework 2 Solutions

Spring 2014
Do the problems in the order in which they are listed, write on only one
side of each page of your paper, and staple your pages. Papers are due at the
beginning of class. No late homework will be accepted. Study the PDE help
le, "Two-Point Boundary Value Problems."
Note that
sin z = 0 if and only if z = k for some integer k,
and

1
cos z = 0 if and only if z = (k ) for some integer k.
2
When k is an integer,
cos k = (1)k

and

1
sin(k ) = (1)k+1 .
2
1. Find 2 2 matrices M and N such that
(a) + 2 (a) = 3(b) (b) and
3(a) (a) = (b)
is equivalent to
M

(a)
(a)

+N

(b)
(b)

0
0

Solution. The given conditions are equivalent to

(1)(a) + (2) (a) + (3)(b) + (1) (b) = 0 and
(3)(a) + (1) (a) + (1)(b) + (0) (b) = 0.
These are equivalent to
M
where
M=

(a)
(a)

+N

1 2
3 1

(b)
(b)

and N =

0
0

3 1
1 0

2. Consider the following two-point boundary value problem in which L is a

positive number.
= on [0, L],
(0) = 0, and
(L) = 0.
(a) Show that all eigenvalues are positive.

Solution to part a. Suppose that is an eigenvalue and is

a corresponding real valued eigenfunction. The Rayleigh quotient
yields
L
(0) (0) (L) (L) + 0 ( (x))2 dx
.
=
L
((x))2 dx
0
Using the boundary conditions, this becomes
L
( (x))2 dx
0
.
L
((x))2 dx
0

Thus 0. The non zero constant functions do not satisfy the

second boundary condition so
L
2

( (x)) dx > 0.
0

From this it follows that > 0.

(b) Find D() and () in the case where > 0.

Solution to part b. The boundary conditions are equivalent to

M
where
M=

(a)
(a)

+N

0 1
0 0

(b)
(b)

and N =

0
0

0 0
1 0

Remember that for this d.e. and > 0,we take

u (x) = cos x and v (x) = sin x

so that
(x) =

cos x
sin x
sin x cos x
2

where
=

Thus
D() = M (0) + N (L) =

cos L sin L

and
() = cos L
(c) Give a proper listing of eigenvalues and eigenfunctions for the problem.
Solution for part c.
(2k 1)
2L

() = 0 if and only if =

for some positive integer k

and when k is a positive integer

D

(2k 1)
2L

c1
c2

(2k1)
2L
k

0
0

(1)

c1
c2

0
0

if and only if
c2 = 0.
Thus a proper listing of eigenvalues and eigenfunctions is {k }
k=1
and {k }
k=1 where
k =

(2k 1)
2L

for k = 1, 2, . . .

and
k (x) = cos

(2k 1)x
2L

for 0 x L and k = 1, 2, . . . .

3. Consider the following two-point boundary value problem.

= on [0, 1],
3(0) + (0) = 0, and
(1) = 0.
(a) Find D() and () in the case where < 0.

Solution for part a.The boundary conditions are equivalent to

M
where
M=

(0)
(0)

+N

3 1
0 0

(1)
(1)

and N =

0 0
1 0

0
0

Remember that for this d.e. and < 0 we take

u (x) = cosh x and v (x) = sinh x

so that

cosh x sinh x
sin x cosh x

(x) =
where

Thus
D() =

3 1
0 0

1 0
0

So
D() =

0 0
1 0

cosh
sinh
sinh cosh

cosh sinh

and
() = 3 sinh cosh .
(b) Show graphically that there is exactly one negative eigenvalue.

Solution for part b. Note that = 2 is a negative eigenvalue if

and only if > 0 and
3 sinh cosh = 0
or

1
tanh = .
3

1
x
3
and the graph consisting of all (x, y) where x 0 and y = tanh x
shows that there is exactly one such number and it is near the
number 3.
Analysis of the graph consisting of all (x, y) where x 0 and y =

y 2.5
2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
0

y = tanh x and y = x/3

.
(c) Give a numerical approximation for this eigenvalue.

Solution to pert c. Using Newtons method with initial estimate

of 3 or a graphing calculator, we nd that the positive number x such
that
1
tanh x x = 0
3
is approximately
2.984705
so the negative eigenvalue is approximately
8.90846