1-D wave equation with fixed ends and initial displacement 2sin(πx)

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It is a 1-D wave equation problem with fixed ends, no initial velocity, and initial displacement of [tex]2sin(\pi x)[/tex] on the interval 0<x<4, t>0.

See my attached documents of my work. I end up with a c_n value of 0 based on the integration. I am pretty confident I set up the problem correctly as it follows a similar, generalized problem in my class notes. Obviously I used actual numbers in this problem. Can anyone spot any errors in my work? Thanks for your help.
 
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  • Handwritten derivation for a 1-D wave equation with fixed ends: the PDE 2y_tt = 9 y_xx for 0<x<4, t>0, boundary conditions y(0,t)=y(4,t)=0, initial displacement y(x,0)=2sin(πx), zero initial velocity, then separation of variables into X'' - λX = 0 and T'' - 9λT = 0.
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  • Handwritten derivation of a 1-D wave equation solution with fixed ends, including the Fourier coefficient integral for c_n = (4/L) times the integral from 0 to 4 of sin(pi x) sin(n pi x / 4) dx.
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Have you tried to read the thumbnails, ColdFusion85. The quality is poor.
 
No they aren't. Place your cursor over the picture, the magnifying glass appears. Just click and you will be able to see it fine.
 
Looking for help again. Can anyone figure out what's wrong?
 
Try moving this thread to the section Differential Equations...looks like that's what this is. You'll probably have a higher chance of getting help there.
 
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At the end of your first page, knowing that [itex]\sqrt{\lambda} = \frac{n \pi}{4}[/itex] you went from
[tex]T^{\prime \prime} - 9 \lambda T = 0 \text{ to } T^{\prime \prime} + \frac{9 n^2 \pi ^2}{16} T = 0[/tex].
Why'd you switch sign?
 
You have
[tex]\sum C_n Sin(\frac{n\pi x}{4})= 2 Sin(\pi x)[/tex]
for the initial value and then start calculating a complicated Fourier coefficient.

Isn't it obvious that if C4= 2, all other Cn= 0 satisfies that? Since the sines are "orthogonal", your integral should have been 0 for all n except n= 4. You don't need the full sine series when your function is a single sine!