Re: Boundary Value Problems
- To: mathgroup at yoda.physics.unc.edu
- Subject: Re: Boundary Value Problems
- From: leon at physics.su.oz.au
- Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1993 11:22:04 +1000
Javid Attai writes
>
>I'd like to get a power series solution to the following differential equation:
>
> D[a[r],{r,2}] + (D[a[r],{r,1}])/r - 0.5 a[r] + (a[r])^3/(1+(a[r])^2) = 0
>
>The boundary conditions are
>
>a[0] = 2.5
>a[Infinity] = 0
>
>da |
>-- | = 0
>dr | r = 0
>
>
>da |
>-- | = 0
>dr | r = Infinity
>
>My attempts to solve this problem have been unsuccessful.
>
>
>Any help will be most appreciated.
>
The following short sequence finds power series solutions to any number of
terms, limited only by memory and time. The boundary conditions at 0 have
been automatically included.
DE = D[a[r],{r,2}] + D[a[r],r]/r - a[r]/2 + a[r]^3/(1+a[r]^2);
nterms = 20;
vars = Table[ c[n], {n,2,nterms}];
a[r_] = 2.5 + Sum[ c[n] r^n, {n,2,nterms}];
seriesDE = LogicalExpand[Series[DE,{r,0,nterms-2}]==0];
soln = a[r] /. Solve[seriesDE, vars]
For this particular example, more efficiency can be obtained by realizing
that all the odd coefficients are identically zero.
Unfortunately, as a general technique for solving boundary value problems,
a series solution is unlikely to have a radius of convergence that extends
out to infinity and so will be of limited value.
Leon Poladian ====== ======
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