3.II.15E

Methods | Part IB, 2007

Legendre's equation may be written

(1x2)y2xy+n(n+1)y=0 with y(1)=1\left(1-x^{2}\right) y^{\prime \prime}-2 x y^{\prime}+n(n+1) y=0 \quad \text { with } \quad y(1)=1

Show that if nn is a positive integer, this equation has a solution y=Pn(x)y=P_{n}(x) that is a polynomial of degree nn. Find P0,P1P_{0}, P_{1} and P2P_{2} explicitly.

Write down a general separable solution of Laplace's equation, 2ϕ=0\nabla^{2} \phi=0, in spherical polar coordinates (r,θ)(r, \theta). (A derivation of this result is not required.)

Hence or otherwise find ϕ\phi when

2ϕ=0,a<r<b\nabla^{2} \phi=0, \quad a<r<b

with ϕ=sin2θ\phi=\sin ^{2} \theta both when r=ar=a and when r=br=b.

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