PHYS408 Intermediate Mathematical Methods for Physics

Homework #1
September 12, 2016
[due by September 23, 2016]

1. Show the equivalence of the two forms of Eulers equation:

f d f f d
f

- =0 - f - y = 0
y and
y dx x dx y .
2. Find the ratio of R (radius) to H (height) that will minimize the total
surface area of a right circular cylinder of fixed volume.
3. A geodesic is a line that represents the shortest distance between two
points Find the geodesic on the surface of (a) a sphere, and (b) a right
circular cylinder.
1/2
y
T =p 1
4. [Brachistochrone] Show that the time of descending 2 g is
independent of particles initial position if the particle is started at any
place on the cycloid.

5. A second soup-film configuration for the unit radius rings at x = x0

consists of a circular disk, radius a, in the x = 0 plane and two
catenoids of revolution, one joining the disk and each ring. One
x
y = c1 cosh + c3
catenoid may be described by c1 . [This is a Problem
22.1.13 of Text]

1 Impose boundary conditions at x = 0 and x = x0 .

2 Although not necessary, it is convenient to require that the
catenoids for an angle of 120 degrees where they join the central
disk. Express this thid boundary condition im mathematical terms.
3 Show that the total area of catenoids plus central disk is
2 x0 2x
A = c12
sinh + 2c3 + 0
c1 c1