Basic Partial Differential Equations

Methods of solution for partial differential equations (PDEs) used in mathematics, science, and engineering are clarified in this self-contained source. The reader will learn how to use PDEs to predict system behaviour from an initial state of the system and from external influences, and enhance the success of endeavours involving reasonably smooth, predictable changes of measurable quantities. This text enables the reader to not only find solutions of many PDEs, but also to interpret and use these solutions. It offers 6000 exercises ranging from routine to challenging. The palatable, motivated proofs enhance understanding and retention of the material. Topics not usually found in books at this level include but examined in this text: the application of linear and nonlinear first-order PDEs to the evolution of population densities and to traffic shocks convergence of numerical solutions of PDEs and implementation on a computer convergence of Laplace series on spheres quantum mechanics of the hydrogen atom solving PDEs on manifolds The text requires some knowledge of calculus but none on differential equations or linear algebra.

This volume provides an introduction to the analytical and numerical aspects of partial differential equations (PDEs). It unifies an analytical and computational approach for these; the qualitative behaviour of solutions being established using classical concepts: maximum principles and energy methods. Notable inclusions are the treatment of irregularly shaped boundaries, polar coordinates and the use of flux-limiters when approximating hyperbolic conservation laws. The numerical analysis of difference schemes is rigorously developed using discrete maximum principles and discrete Fourier analysis. A novel feature is the inclusion of a chapter containing projects, intended for either individual or group study, that cover a range of topics such as parabolic smoothing, travelling waves, isospectral matrices, and the approximation of multidimensional advection–diffusion problems. The underlying theory is illustrated by numerous examples and there are around 300 exercises, designed to promote and test understanding. They are starred according to level of difficulty. Solutions to odd-numbered exercises are available to all readers while even-numbered solutions are available to authorised instructors. Written in an informal yet rigorous style, Essential Partial Differential Equations is designed for mathematics undergraduates in their final or penultimate year of university study, but will be equally useful for students following other scientific and engineering disciplines in which PDEs are of practical importance. The only prerequisite is a familiarity with the basic concepts of calculus and linear algebra.

Our understanding of the fundamental processes of the natural world is based to a large extent on partial differential equations (PDEs). The second edition of Partial Differential Equations provides an introduction to the basic properties of PDEs and the ideas and techniques that have proven useful in analyzing them. It provides the student a broad perspective on the subject, illustrates the incredibly rich variety of phenomena encompassed by it, and imparts a working knowledge of the most important techniques of analysis of the solutions of the equations. In this book mathematical jargon is minimized. Our focus is on the three most classical PDEs: the wave, heat and Laplace equations. Advanced concepts are introduced frequently but with the least possible technicalities. The book is flexibly designed for juniors, seniors or beginning graduate students in science, engineering or mathematics.

Basic Linear Partial Differential Equations

This is a textbook for an introductory graduate course on partial differential equations. Han focuses on linear equations of first and second order. An important feature of his treatment is that the majority of the techniques are applicable more generally. In particular, Han emphasizes a priori estimates throughout the text, even for those equations that can be solved explicitly. Such estimates are indispensable tools for proving the existence and uniqueness of solutions to PDEs, being especially important for nonlinear equations. The estimates are also crucial to establishing properties of the solutions, such as the continuous dependence on parameters. Han's book is suitable for students interested in the mathematical theory of partial differential equations, either as an overview of the subject or as an introduction leading to further study.

The first of three volumes on partial differential equations, this one introduces basic examples arising in continuum mechanics, electromagnetism, complex analysis and other areas, and develops a number of tools for their solution, in particular Fourier analysis, distribution theory, and Sobolev spaces. These tools are then applied to the treatment of basic problems in linear PDE, including the Laplace equation, heat equation, and wave equation, as well as more general elliptic, parabolic, and hyperbolic equations.The book is targeted at graduate students in mathematics and at professional mathematicians with an interest in partial differential equations, mathematical physics, differential geometry, harmonic analysis, and complex analysis.

Building on the basic techniques of separation of variables and Fourier series, the book presents the solution of boundary-value problems for basic partial differential equations: the heat equation, wave equation, and Laplace equation, considered in various standard coordinate systems--rectangular, cylindrical, and spherical. Each of the equations is derived in the three-dimensional context; the solutions are organized according to the geometry of the coordinate system, which makes the mathematics especially transparent. Bessel and Legendre functions are studied and used whenever appropriate throughout the text. The notions of steady-state solution of closely related stationary solutions are developed for the heat equation; applications to the study of heat flow in the earth are presented. The problem of the vibrating string is studied in detail both in the Fourier transform setting and from the viewpoint of the explicit representation (d'Alembert formula). Additional chapters include the numerical analysis of solutions and the method of Green's functions for solutions of partial differential equations. The exposition also includes asymptotic methods (Laplace transform and stationary phase). With more than 200 working examples and 700 exercises (more than 450 with answers), the book is suitable for an undergraduate course in partial differential equations.

This book provides a basic introductory course in partial differential equations, in which theory and applications are interrelated and developed side by side. Emphasis is on proofs, which are not only mathematically rigorous, but also constructive, where the structure and properties of the solution are investigated in detail. The authors feel that it is no longer necessary to follow the tradition of introducing the subject by deriving various partial differential equations of continuum mechanics and theoretical physics. Therefore, the subject has been introduced by mathematical analysis of the simplest, yet one of the most useful (from the point of view of applications), class of partial differential equations, namely the equations of first order, for which existence, uniqueness and stability of the solution of the relevant problem (Cauchy problem) is easy to discuss. Throughout the book, attempt has been made to introduce the important ideas from relatively simple cases, some times by referring to physical processes, and then extending them to more general systems.