- #1
terp.asessed
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- 3
Homework Statement
Because I wanted to practice more of operators, I borrowed a textbook from a library for extra problems...I managed to solve (a) to (e), but not the last question...which is:
Write out the operator A2 for A: (f) d2/dx2 - 2xd/dx + 1 for which I keep getting a different solution from the back of the book...which is A2 = d
4/dx4 - 4xd3/dx3 + (4x2-2)d2/dx2 + 1
Homework Equations
(given above)
The Attempt at a Solution
What I did was:
Af(x) = d2f(x)/dx2 - 2xdf(x)/dx + f(x)
A2f(x) = d2/dx2{d2f(x)/dx2 - 2xdf(x)/dx + f(x)} - 2xd/dx{d2f(x)/dx2 - 2xdf(x)/dx + f(x)} + {d2f(x)/dx2 - 2xdf(x)/dx + f(x)}
= d4f(x)/dx4 - d2/dx2{2xdf(x)/dx} + d2f(x)/dx2 - 2xd3f(x)/dx3 + 4x2d2f(x)/dx2 - 2xdf(x)/dx + d2f(x)/dx2 - 2xdf(x)/dx + f(x)
...for d2/dx2(2xdf(x)/dx)...since d2(2x)/dx2 = 0 and d2(df(x)/dx)/dx2 = d3f(x)/dx3
= d4f(x)/dx4 - 4xd3f(x)/dx3 + (4x2 + 2)d2f(x)/dx2 - 4xdf(x)/dx + f(x)...which is same with the solution ONLY in the first, second and last ones...I still have no idea where I made mistake!