FIS-502: Mathematical Physics I

December 19, 2016

Assignment 6
1. Consider two iron rods (thermal diffusivity = 0.15 cm2 sec1 ) each 20 cm long and with insulated sides, one at a
temperature of 100 C and the other at 0 C throughout. The rods are joined end to end in perfect thermal contact,
and their free ends are kept at 0 C. Show that the temperature at the interface 10 minutes after contact has been
made is approximately 36.5 C. Find an upper bound for the error in your answer. Can this method be applied if the
rods are made of glass (thermal diffusivity = 0.006 cm2 sec1 )? Suggestion: The heat problem corresponding to
this physical situation can be solved by using the solution of the standard homogeneous heat problem. After finding
the series solution for T (x, t), show that the temerature at the interface is

200 X (1)n1
 
1
exp (2n 1)2 2 t ,
 
T ,t =
2 n=1 (2n 1)

in terms of the dimensionless variables. Hence obtain the numerical values.

Solution 1. This system of two rods may be modelled by the heat equation with the following boundary and initial
conditions.
2T

T T0 , 0 x < `
= a 2 T (x, 0) = T (0, t) = 0 = T (2`, t),
t x 0, ` x 2`
where T0 = 100 C, a = 0.15 cm2 sec1 and ` = 20 cm.
To solve this problem, we assume the solution is separable, that is, the temperature T (x, t) may be expressed as the
product of functions of x and t alone, so that T (x, t) = X(x) (t). Substituting the separable expression for T into
the PDE we obtain
2
X(x) (t) = a 2 X(x) (t).
t x
Dividing by T (x, t) = X(x) (t), we obtain separate expressions on the left and right hand side dependent on t and
x alone.
0 (t) X 00 (x)
=a =
(t) X(x)
Since the functions on the left hand side are only dependent on time t, and the functions on the right hand side
are only dependent on position x, their ratio must be a constant , where is the eigenvalue for the ODE in time,
while a is the eigenvalue for the ODE in space. We may thus express the PDE as two separate ordinary differential
equations (ODEs) for in time t and X position x, that is,

0 (t) = (t) and X 00 (x) = X(x),
a

Solving the ODE for (t), we find (t) has the form of an exponential

(t) = Cet ,

1
in terms of and a constant C.
Solving the ODE for X(x), we find the general solution for X(x) has the form of a sum of two exponentials


X(x) = Ae a
x
+ Be a
x
.

Applying the boundary conditions X(0) = 0 = X(2`), implies A = B and

n2 2 a
2` = in = , where n N
a 4`2
so that
n2 2 a nx
Tn (x, t) = e 4`2
t
Bn sin .
2`
The general solution then has the form

X n2 2 a nx
T (x, t) = e 4`2
t
Bn sin .
n=1
2`

Applying the initial conditions 

T0 , x < `
T (x, 0) = T0 (` x) =
0, x `
we may solve for the coefficients Bn by applying the integral operator
Z 2`
mx
sin dx,
0 2`
to both sides of our expression for T (x, 0):
Z 2` Z 2`
mx mx X nx
T0 (` x) sin dx = sin
Bn sin dx
0 2` 0 2` n=1 2`
Z ` Z 2`
mx X mx nx
T0 sin dx = Bn sin sin dx
0 2` n=1 0 2` 2`

2` h mx i` X
T0 cos = Bn `mn
m 2` 0 n=1
2T0  m 
1 cos = Bm
m 2
2T0
B2m1 =
(2m 1)
2T0
B2m = (1 (1)m )
2m

Substituting our expressions for Bm , we find the expansion for T (x, t) is

(2n1)2 2 a 2 2
t n 2 a t n
2T0 X
e
4`2
(2n 1)x e ` (1 (1) ) nx
T (x, t) = sin + sin .
n=1 2n 1 2` 2n `

At the interface between the two rods, that is, x = `, we have

(2n1)2 2 a
2T0 X e 4`2 t
2T0 X (1)n1 (2n 1)2 2 a
 
(2n 1)
T (`, t) = sin = exp t
n=1 2n 1 2 n=1 (2n 1) 4`2

2
 Working in dimensionless variables, that is, t a
4`2
t and x x
2`
, and substituting T0 = 100 C, we obtain

20 X (1)n1
 
1
exp (2n 1)2 2 t .
 
T ,t =
2 n=1 (2n 1)

Calculating T (20 cm, 10 minutes), using a = 0.15 cm2 sec1 and T0 = 100 C, we find

200 X (1)n1 (2n 1)2 2 (0.15) 200 0.555 e1.665
   
T (20 cm, 600 s) = exp (600) e 36.54.0 C
n=1 (2n 1) 4(20)2 3

Since this is an alternating series, the error in the partial sum is bounded above by the absolute value of the next
term in the summation. Therefore, the temperature at the interface between the rods 10 minutes after contact is
approximately 36.5 C, with an absolute error of 4.0 C.
2. A rod of homogeneous radioactive material lies along the x-axis, 0 x `. The neutron density n(x, t) at position
x and time t is affected by two processes fission and diffusion. Conservation of neutrons leads to the PDE:
n 2n
= D 2 + kn,
t x
where D is the diffusion constant and k is the fission constant, with D > 0, k > 0. Suppose that n = 0 at the
ends of the rod. Show that the rod will explode (n ) if and only if
2D
k> .
`2
Solution 2. This system of a rod undergoing homogeneous radioactive decay may be modelled in terms of the
neutron density n(x, t) using the 2nd order PDE with homogeneous type-I boundary conditions
n 2n
= D 2 + kn, n(0, t) = 0 = n(`, t), n(x, 0) = n0 (x).
t x

To solve this 2nd order PDE, we first assume the solution is separable, that is, n(x, t) = X(x)T (t). Subsituting
this into the PDE, and dividing both sides by X(x)T (t) yields
T 0 (t) X 00 (x)
=D + k.
T (t) X(x)
Since the functions on the left hand side are only dependent on time t, and the functions on the right hand side
are only dependent on position x, their ratio must be a constant , where is the eigenvalue for the ODE in time,
while D is the eigenvalue for the ODE in space. We may thus express the PDE as two separate ordinary differential
equations (ODEs) in time t and position x, that is,
k
T 0 (t) = T (t) and X 00 (x) = X(x),
D

Solving the ODE for T (t), we find T (t) has the form of an exponential

T (t) = Cet ,

in terms of and a constant C.

Solving the ODE for X(x), we find the general solution for X(x) has the form of a sum of two exponentials
k
x k x
X(x) = Ae D + Be D .

3
Applying the boundary conditions X(0) = 0 = X(`), we find A = B and
r
k k m2 2
` = im = 2 , where m N
D D `
so that
m2 2
 
k
X(x) = B sin 2 x.
D `
The general solution for the neutron density is then

m2 2
2 2
 
k
 
k
m 2 t
X
n(x, t) = Bm e D ` sin 2 x.
m=1
D `

In order for the rod to explode, that is, for the neutron density to increase without bound, the argument of the
exponential term must be positive. This means

k m2 2
2 > 0
D `
m2 2 D
k > .
`2
2 2 2 2
Since k > `2D is necessary for k > m `2 D , and k > `2D is sufficient for the neutron density to grow without
2
bound, the rod explodes if and only if k > `2D , as required.