10.

7: THE WAVE EQUATION: VIBRATIONS OF AN ELASTIC STRING

KIAM HEONG KWA

Consider an elastic string of length L which is tightly stretched between two supports at the same horizontal level, so that it lies along the x-axis. Set the string in motion such that it vibrates in a vertical plane. If u(x, t) denotes the vertical displacement experienced by the string at the point x at time t, then it can be shown that u(x, t) is governed by the one-dimensional wave equation (0.1) a2 uxx = utt

in the domain 0 < x < L for all t > 0, where the constant a2 is given by T a2 = ; T is the tension in the string and is the mass per unit length of the string material. It should be remarked that the applicability of the wave equation presupposes the absence of damping eects and the smallness of the amplitude of the motion. On the other hand, the fact that the two ends of the string are xed is mathematically expressed as the boundary conditions (0.2) u(0, t) = 0, u(L, t) = 0, t 0.

Finally, when the string is set in motion, it acquires an initial position and an initial velocity at each of its spacial coordinate x. This gives rise to the initial conditions (0.3) u(x, 0) = f (x) and ut (x, 0) = g (x), 0 x L,

where f (x) and g (x) are functions that depend only on the spacial coordinate x. Since the string is held xed at its two ends, it is clearly necessary that (0.4) f (0) = f (L) = 0 and g (0) = g (L) = 0.

Date : February 19, 2011.

1

KIAM HEONG KWA

Eqs. (0.1)-(0.4) describe completely the prole of the string u(x, t) for all time t 0. 1. Elastic String with Zero Initial Velocity We will solve the wave equation with zero initial velocity, i.e., (1.1a) (1.1b) (1.1c) in this section. Step 1. We will rst construct the fundamental solutions using separation of variables. Let u(x, t) = X (x)T (t) be a fundamental solution which satises (1.1a), (1.1b), and the initial condition ut (x, 0) = 0 for 0 x L. Then (1.1a) implies that a2 X (x)T (t) = X (x)T (t). Rearranging this equation yields X (x) T (t) = 2 = X (x) a T (t) for a separation constant . Consequently, T + a2 T = 0, X + X = 0. Step 2. We use (1.1b) to get boundary conditions on X (x). By (1.1b), X (0)T (t) = u(0, t) = 0 and X (L)T (t) = u(L, t) = 0. If T (t) = 0 for all t 0, then u(x, t) = X (x)T (t) = 0 identically. Since a fundamental solution is nontrivial, we must therefore have X (0) = X (L) = 0. This gives rise to the -parametrized family of boundary value problems X + X = 0 with X (0) = X (L) = 0. Each of these boundary value problems has a nontrivial solution only if is one of the eigenvalues (1.2) n = n2 2 , n = 1, 2, 3, , L2 a2 uxx = utt , 0 < x < L, t > 0; u(0, t) = 0, u(L, t) = 0, t 0; u(x, 0) = f (x), ut (x, 0) = 0, 0 x L,

10.7: THE WAVE EQUATION: VIBRATIONS OF AN ELASTIC STRING

whose associated eigenfunctions are nonzero multiples of the eigenfunctions nx (1.3) Xn (x) = sin , n = 1, 2, 3, . L Step 3. For each eigenvalue n , the general solution of the equation (1.4) is ant ant + k2 sin , L L where k1 and k2 are integration constants. However, the initial condition X (x)T (0) = ut (x, 0) = 0 for 0 x L demands that either X (x) = 0 for all x in [0, L] or T (0) = 0. If X (x) = 0 for all x in [0, L], then u(x, t) = X (x)T (t) = 0 identically and this violates the assumption that u(x, t) is a fundamental solution. Hence we must have T (0) = 0. Together with (1.5), this implies that (1.5) T (t) = k1 cos ant L is a nontrivial solution of (1.4) which satises the initial condition T (0) = 0. (1.6) Tn (t) = cos Step 4. It follows from (1.3) and (1.6) that ant nx sin , n = 1, 2, 3, , L L are the fundamental solutions satisfying (1.1a), (1.1b), and the initial condition ut (x, 0) = 0 for 0 x L. Hence the solution to (1.1) can be obtained by requiring that the coecients cn s in the series (1.7) un (x, t) = cos

T + a2 n T = 0

(1.8)

u(x, t) =
n=1

cn un (x, t) cn cos
n=1

= satisfy the condition

ant nx sin L L

(1.9)
n=1

cn sin

nx = u(x, 0) = f (x). L

KIAM HEONG KWA

This we can do by letting (1.10) cn = 2 L

L

f (x) sin
0

nx dx, n = 1, 2, 3, , L

so that the series in (1.9) is the Fourier sine series of f (x). 2. Elastic String with Zero Initial Displacement As in the previous case, the formal solution to the wave equation with zero initial displacement, i.e., (2.1a) (2.1b) (2.1c) a2 uxx = utt , 0 < x < L, t > 0; u(0, t) = 0, u(L, t) = 0, t 0; u(x, 0) = 0, ut (x, 0) = g (x), 0 x L,

can be shown to be (2.2) u(x, t) =

n=1

cn sin

ant nx sin , L L

where the coecients cn s now have to satisfy the condition

(2.3)
n=1

nx ancn sin = ut (x, 0) = g (x). L L

Therefore they are given by ancn 2 = L L or, more simply, by (2.4) cn = 2 an

L L

g (x) sin
0

nx dx, n = 1, 2, 3, , L

g (x) sin
0

nx dx, n = 1, 2, 3, . L

3. Elastic String with Nonzero Initial Displacement and Velocity We will solve the wave equation with nonzero initial displacement and velocity, i.e., Eqs.(0.1)-(0.3). Let v (x, t) be the solution to the wave equation with zero initial velocity, i.e., (3.1a) (3.1b) (3.1c) a2 vxx = vtt , 0 < x < L, t > 0; v (0, t) = 0, v (L, t) = 0, t 0; v (x, 0) = f (x), vt (x, 0) = 0, 0 x L,

10.7: THE WAVE EQUATION: VIBRATIONS OF AN ELASTIC STRING

and let w(x, t) be the solution to the wave equation with zero initial displacement, i.e., (3.2a) (3.2b) (3.2c) Next, let (3.3) u(x, t) = w(x, t) + v (x, t). We claim that u(x, t) is the solution to (0.1)-(0.3). To this end, note that a2 uxx = a2 (vxx + wxx ) = vtt + wtt = utt for 0 < x < L, t > 0 in view of (3.1a) and (3.2a). Also, u(0, t) = v (0, t) + w(0, t) = 0 and u(L, t) = v (L, t) + w(L, t) = 0 for t > 0 as a consequence of (3.1b) and (3.2b). Finally, it follows from (3.1c) and (3.2c) that u(x, 0) = v (x, 0) + w(x, 0) = f (x) + 0 = f (x) and ut (x, 0) = vt (x, 0) + ut (x, 0) = 0 + g (x) = g (x) for 0 x L. Hence u(x, t) is the solution of (1.1). a2 wxx = wtt , 0 < x < L, t > 0; w(0, t) = 0, w(L, t) = 0, t 0; w(x, 0) = 0, wt (x, 0) = g (x), 0 x L.