Find an equilibrium solution of heat equation Please help

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The discussion revolves around finding the steady-state solution for a heat equation. The user initially struggles with applying boundary conditions and correctly formulating the steady-state equation, mistakenly treating C as a constant. Responses clarify that C should depend on x and guide the user to derive the characteristic equation, leading to the general solution. Ultimately, the importance of boundary conditions is emphasized, indicating that both constants C and D must equal zero to satisfy the limits as x approaches infinity. This highlights the necessity of correctly applying limits in solving differential equations.
yaya10
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Hello

I need help with this heat equation

I need to find steady state solution please help me

I ve tried but I could not get it.

Homework Statement



http://www.alm5zn.com/upfiles/m0w00932.jpg




Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution



I ve got C= Cx/2 +ax+b

but i could not apply the boundry conditions?

any help would be apprecited

Thank you
 
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Your equations are simple enough that you could just post them here instead of making everyone open a gif on imageshack.

Anyway, there are two obvious things wrong with what you did:

1. What happened to the D and k that should be in your steady state equation?
2. C is the independent variable and you are treating it like it is a constant. It depends on x even in the steady state so its antiderivative isn't Cx.

So correct your steady-state equation and solve it as a second order constant coefficient equation.
 
A "steady state" solution is one that does NOT depend on t. That means that the partial derivative with respect to t is 0 and the partial derivative with respect to x can be treated like an ordinary derivative:
d\frac{d^2C}{dx^2}- kC= 0
That's a "linear second order differential equation with constant coefficients", probably the simplest kind of differential equation. Do you know how to solve such equations? What is the "characteristic equation"?
 
hello LCKurtz,

sorry about the image but I thould it would be much describable this way.

thank for your help

=-

HallsofIvy


thanks for being here

I ve got this

first I divide them by D to get K/C then I called them a=K/c

characteristic equation:

(m^2)-a=0

m^2=a---->>> m=-sqrt(a), sqrt(a)

--->C(x)= c1*exp(-sqrt(a)), and c2*exp(sqrt(a))

=-=-=-

(m^2)-a=0, m^2=a \mapsto m=-\sqrt{a},\sqrt{a} --->C(x)= c1*exp(\sqrt{a})+ c2*exp(-\sqrt{a}).
 
Last edited:
yaya10 said:
(m^2)-a=0, m^2=a \mapsto m=-\sqrt{a},\sqrt{a} --->C(x)= c1*exp(\sqrt{a})+ c2*exp(-\sqrt{a}).

Your characteristic equation comes from assuming solutions of form exp(mx), so your equilibrium solution needs to look like:

C(x)= c_1\exp(\sqrt{a}x)+ c_2\exp(-\sqrt{a}x).

But now consider the boundary conditions (which really dominate the equilibrium solution for this problem anyway).
 
thanx for your help

Now I substitue the boundry conditions I got

C(infinty,t)= c1exp(infinity)+c2 exp(infinty)=0

-->> c1+c2=0-->>>>> c1=-c2

is that true ?!

I am sorry for bothering you guys

i need to learn

thanks again
 
yaya10 said:
thanx for your help

Now I substitue the boundry conditions I got

C(infinty,t)= c1exp(infinity)+c2 exp(infinty)=0

That isn't how you write limits. Think about this. If you have a function of the form

f(x) = Cekx+De-kx what happens to each term as x → ∞? That should determine one of the constants. And you also have x → -∞ to think about.
 
the lim when x → ∞ = ∞

so from the equation you gave

D wil be zero and C is infinity so we have got D=0

and then

when → - ∞ = 0

we have got

C will approach zero and D is infinity.

So C=D+0

I hope this is correct.

Limits are hard for me so I reall hope I have got it right.


Thank you
 
  • #10
LCKurtz said:
That isn't how you write limits. Think about this. If you have a function of the form

f(x) = Cekx+De-kx what happens to each term as x → ∞? That should determine one of the constants. And you also have x → -∞ to think about.

yaya10 said:
the lim when x → ∞ = ∞

so from the equation you gave

D wil be zero and C is infinity so we have got D=0

and then

when → - ∞ = 0

we have got

C will approach zero and D is infinity.

So C=D+0

I hope this is correct.

Limits are hard for me so I reall hope I have got it right.


Thank you

The point is that you are given in your problem that as x → ±∞ the limit is zero. So you should be able to argue that the only way that could happen is if both C and D are zero.
 

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