Paper 2, Section II, D

Variational Principles | Part IB, 2011

(i) Let I[y]=01((y)2y2)dxI[y]=\int_{0}^{1}\left(\left(y^{\prime}\right)^{2}-y^{2}\right) d x, where yy is twice differentiable and y(0)=y(1)=0y(0)=y(1)=0. Write down the associated Euler-Lagrange equation and show that the only solution is y(x)=0y(x)=0.

(ii) Let J[y]=01(y+ytanx)2dxJ[y]=\int_{0}^{1}\left(y^{\prime}+y \tan x\right)^{2} d x, where yy is twice differentiable and y(0)=y(1)=y(0)=y(1)= 0 . Show that J[y]=0J[y]=0 only if y(x)=0y(x)=0.

(iii) Show that I[y]=J[y]I[y]=J[y] and deduce that the extremal value of I[y]I[y] is a global minimum.

(iv) Use the second variation of I[y]I[y] to verify that the extremal value of I[y]I[y] is a local minimum.

(v) How would your answers to part (i) differ in the case I[y]=02π((y)2y2)dxI[y]=\int_{0}^{2 \pi}\left(\left(y^{\prime}\right)^{2}-y^{2}\right) d x, where y(0)=y(2π)=0y(0)=y(2 \pi)=0 ? Show that the solution y(x)=0y(x)=0 is not a global minimizer in this case. (You may use without proof the result I[x(2πx)]=815(2π25)I[x(2 \pi-x)]=-\frac{8}{15}\left(2 \pi^{2}-5\right).) Explain why the arguments of parts (iii) and (iv) cannot be used.

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