Notes

Chapter 4: Systems Based on Numbers

Section 9: Partial Differential Equations


Equation for the background [in my PDEs]

If u[t, x] is independent of x, as it is sufficiently far away from the main pattern, then the partial differential equation on page 165 reduces to the ordinary differential equation

u''[t] (1 - u[t]2)(1 + a u[t])

u[0] u'[0] 0

For a = 0, the solution to this equation can be written in terms of Jacobi elliptic functions as

(3 JacobiSN[t/31/4, 1/2]2) / (1 + JacobiCN[t/31/4, 1/2]2)

In general the solution is

(b d JacobiSN[r t, s]2)/(b - d JacobiCN[r t, s]2)

where

r = -Sqrt[1/8 a c (b - d)]

s = (d (c - b))/(c (d - b))

and b, c, d are determined by the equation

(x - b)(x - c)(x - d) -(12 + 6 a x - 4 x2 - 3 a x3)/(3a)

In all cases (except when -8/3 < a < -1/6), the solution is periodic and non-singular. For a = 0, the period is 2 31/4 EllipticK[1/2] 4.88. For a = 1, the period is about 4.01; for a = 2, it is about 3.62; while for a = 4, it is about 3.18. For a = 8/3, the solution can be written without Jacobi elliptic functions, and is given by

3 Sin[Sqrt[5/6] t]2/(2 + 3 Cos[Sqrt[5/6] t]2)



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From Stephen Wolfram: A New Kind of Science [citation]