SEPARATION OF VARIABLES FOR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS - AN EIGENFUCTION APPROACH

Adopting the view common in the finite element analysis, the authors of Separation of Variables for Partial Differential Equations: An Eigenfunction Approach introduce a computable separation of variables solution as an analytic approximate solution. At the heart of the text, they consider a general partial differential equation in two independent variables with a source term and subject to boundary and initial conditions. They give an algorithm for approximating and solving the problem and illustrate the application of this approach to the heat, wave, and potential equations. They illustrate the power of the technique by solving a variety of practical problems, many of which go well beyond the usual textbook examples. Written at the advanced undergraduate level, the book will serve equally well as a text for students and as a reference for instructors and users of separation of variables. It requires a background in engineering mathematics, but no prior exposure to separation of variables. The abundant worked examples provide guidance for deciding whether and how to apply the method to any given problem, help in interpreting computed solutions, and give insight into cases in which formal answers may be useless.