What is Boundary conditions: Definition and 415 Discussions

In mathematics, in the field of differential equations, a boundary value problem is a differential equation together with a set of additional constraints, called the boundary conditions. A solution to a boundary value problem is a solution to the differential equation which also satisfies the boundary conditions.
Boundary value problems arise in several branches of physics as any physical differential equation will have them. Problems involving the wave equation, such as the determination of normal modes, are often stated as boundary value problems. A large class of important boundary value problems are the Sturm–Liouville problems. The analysis of these problems involves the eigenfunctions of a differential operator.
To be useful in applications, a boundary value problem should be well posed. This means that given the input to the problem there exists a unique solution, which depends continuously on the input. Much theoretical work in the field of partial differential equations is devoted to proving that boundary value problems arising from scientific and engineering applications are in fact well-posed.
Among the earliest boundary value problems to be studied is the Dirichlet problem, of finding the harmonic functions (solutions to Laplace's equation); the solution was given by the Dirichlet's principle.

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  1. T

    Laplace's equation with unusual boundary conditions

    Homework Statement Solve Laplace's equation u_{xx} + u_{yy} = 0 on the semi-infinite domain -∞ < x < ∞, y > 0, subject to the boundary condition that u_y = (1/2)x u on y=0, with u(0,0) = 1. Note that separation of variables will not work, but a suitable transform can be applied...
  2. M

    MHB PDE and more boundary conditions

    Solve $\begin{aligned} & {{u}_{tt}}={{u}_{xx}}+1+x,\text{ }0<x<1,\text{ }t>0 \\ & u(x,0)=\frac{1}{6}{{x}^{3}}-\frac{1}{2}{{x}^{2}}+\frac{1}{3},\text{ }{{u}_{t}}(x,0)=0,\text{ }0<x<1, \\ & {{u}_{x}}(0,t)=0=u(1,t),\text{ }t>0. \end{aligned} $ Here's something new for me, the boundary...
  3. S

    Boundary conditions - Fresnel equations

    Hello, whenever I come to the derivation of the Fresnel equations I get stuck on the boundary condition for the component of the E-Field that is parallel to the surface. I know for the parallel components Maxwell dictates that: E_{1t} = E_{2t}. For the parallel incoming light field...
  4. M

    Crystal model with periodic boundary conditions

    user meopemuk mentioned this: In the case of a crystal model with periodic boundary conditions, basis translation vectors e1 and e2 are very large (presumably infinite), which means that basis vectors of the reciprocal lattice k1 and k2 are very small, so the distribution of k-points is very...
  5. V

    Why do we need boundary conditions in Physics? Its significance?

    Well as the topics says I need a clarification why do we need the so called boundary conditions? I have seen it in electostatics, magnetostatics etc. I tried in many ways to get that stuff into my head, but its just only banging my head not getting into.. I really wana know what is that and...
  6. A. Neumaier

    Classical solution of PDE with mixed boundary conditions

    Nowadays people usually consider PDEs in weak formulations only, so I have a hard time finding statements about the existence of classical solutions of the Poisson equation with mixed Dirichlet-Neumann boundary conditions. Maybe someone here can help me and point to a book or article where I...
  7. N

    Ansys - Boundary conditions for 2 cylinders and fluid

    ansys -- Boundary conditions for 2 cylinders and fluid i want to do a analysis in ansys in which a cylinder will rotate about a axis which is out side of the cylinder and this cylinder is also rotating about its own axis. cylinder is half filled with liduid. i want to do the stress analysis or...
  8. Q

    Green's functions, F/Laplace Transforms, and Boundary conditions

    I'm having a ton of trouble understanding how to solve diff eqs by using Fourier or laplace transforms to solve for the green's function, with boundary conditions included. I can understand the basics of green's function solutions, especially if transforms are not needed, but my textbook seems...
  9. M

    MHB Transform Boundary Conditions w/ Diff. $g_{0}, g_{1}$

    1) Transform the problem so that boundary conditions turn to homogeneous ones assuming that $g_0$ and $g_1$ are differentiable. $\begin{align} &{{u}_{t}}=K{{u}_{xx}},\text{ }0<x<L,\text{ }t>0, \\ &{{u}_{x}}(0,t)={{g}_{0}}(t),\text{ }{{u}_{x}}(L,t)={{g}_{1}}(t),\text{ for }t>0, \\...
  10. D

    Boundary conditions of solution to the wave equation

    Homework Statement Because q(x,t) = A*exp[-(x-ct)2/σ2] is a function of x-ct, it is a solution to the wave equation (on an infinite domain). (a) What are the initial conditions [a(x) and b(x)] that give rise to this form of q(x,t)? (b) if f(x) is constant, then Eq. (2) shows that solution is...
  11. M

    MHB Another PDE and boundary conditions

    1) Solve $\begin{aligned} {{u}_{t}}&=K{{u}_{xx}},\text{ }0<x<L,\text{ }t>0, \\ {{u}_{x}}(0,t)&=0,\text{ }{{u}_{x}}(L,t)=0,\text{ for }t>0, \\ u(x,0)&=6+\sin \frac{3\pi x}{L} \end{aligned}$ 2) Transform the problem so that the boundary conditions get homogeneous: $\begin{aligned}...
  12. fluidistic

    Neumann boundary conditions on a PDE

    Homework Statement From a previous exercise (https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=564520), I obtained u(r,\phi) = \frac{1}{2}A_{0} + \sum_{k = 1}^{\infty} r^{k}(A_{k}cos(k\phi) + B_{k}sin(k\phi)) which is the general form of the solution to Laplace equation in a disk of radius a. I...
  13. K

    (Image Theory) Boundary conditions and how many image charges do i need?

    Homework Statement An electrostatic point charge of 1 Coulomb (C) placed symmetrically between two infinitely/perfectly conducting parallel plates. These two infinitely large conducting plates are parallel to the yz plane.The region between the two plates is designated as “Region A.” Starting...
  14. V

    Neumann Boundary Conditions question

    So I'm reading through Jackson's Electrodynamics book (page 39, 3rd edition), and they're covering the part about Green's theorem, where you have both \Phi and \frac{\delta \Phi}{\delta n} in the surface integral, so we often use either Dirichlet or Neumann BC's to eliminate one of them. So for...
  15. K

    Axisymmetric vs cyclic symmetry boundary conditions

    Hi, Can anyone explain the difference between axisymmetric and cyclic symmetry boundary conditions? Isn't it the same i.e. bith cyclic symmetry and axisymmetric?
  16. Z

    FEM software? Poisson equation: Boundary conditions for a charged boundary

    Hi all, I want to calculate the electrostatic potential for an two-dimensional area with given Dirichlet boundary conditions (say, a square) with a charged ring in it (like a wedding ring, but inifinitely thin) with a given line charge density. I figured out that the problem should be...
  17. Y

    Solving a PDE with Boundary Conditions: A Minimization Problem

    Homework Statement Let Ω\subsetR2 be a region with boundary \Gamma=\Gamma1\bigcup\Gamma2. On Ω we must solve the PDE -{div}(\frac{h^{3}}{12\mu}{grad} p+\frac{h}{2}{u})+kp=f with h and f functions of the spatial coordinates, \mu and k given constants, u a given constant velocity...
  18. E

    What are strings with endpoint boundary conditions NN, DD, ND and DN?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-brane says, "The equations of motion of string theory require that the endpoints of an open string (a string with endpoints) satisfy one of two types of boundary conditions: The Neumann boundary condition, corresponding to free endpoints moving through spacetime at...
  19. M

    Solving Heat Equation w/ Neumann BCs Different Domain

    Hi guys! I'm to find the solution to \frac{\partial u}{\partial t} = \frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial x^2} Subject to an initial condition u(x,0) = u_0(x) = a \exp(- \frac{x^2}{2c^2}) And Neumann boundary conditions \frac{\partial u}{\partial x} (-1,t) = \frac{\partial...
  20. M

    How Can Green's Function Solve Boundary Conditions for ODEs?

    Homework Statement Given w'' - w = f(x) w'(0) = 1 w'(1) = 0 Homework Equations Find the Green's Function The Attempt at a Solution The solution to the homogeneous equation is known as: w(x) = A*exp(-x) + B*exp(x) For G's function we have: u(x) = A1*exp(-x) +...
  21. B

    How many boundary conditions should I have for a 2-D transient pde?

    Hello all: I'm a newbie, trying to write/use code for solving a 2D advection-diffusion problem. I'm not sure how many boundary conditions I should have for the property that is being transported. In my problem, I have diffusion switched off (advection only). The property being...
  22. L

    Electromagnetism - Boundary conditions for Polarization field at interface

    Not actually a homework question, this is a question from a past exam paper (second year EM and optics): Homework Statement Use a Gaussian surface and Amperian loop to derive the electrostatic boundary conditions for a polarization field P at an interface between media 1 and 2 with...
  23. Telemachus

    Heat equation with boundary conditions

    Hi. I'm trying to solve the heat equation with the initial boundary conditions: u(0,t)=f_1(t) u(x_1,t)=f_2(t) u(x,0)=f(x) 0<x<x_1 t>0 And the heat equation: \frac{\partial u}{\partial t}-k\frac{\partial^2 u}{\partial x^2}=0 So when I make separation of variables I get: \nu=X(x)T(t)...
  24. jegues

    Dieletric Boundary Conditions (Parallel Plate Capacitor)

    Homework Statement See figure attached for problem statement, as well the solution. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I'm confused as to how he is writing these equations from the boundary conditions. What I understand as the boundary condition for D is, \hat{n}...
  25. jegues

    Dielectric-Dielectric Boundary Conditions

    Homework Statement No problem, I just have a confusion about a certain concept. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I'm confused as to how they draw the result, \oint_{C} \vec{E} \cdot \vec{dl} = E_{1t}\Delta l - E_{2t}\Delta l = 0 You don't really need to do the...
  26. T

    Diffusion equation, boundary conditions

    EDIT: The subscripts in this question should all be superscripts! Homework Statement I'm trying to solve a temperature problem involving the diffusion equation, which has led me to the expression: X(x) = Cekx+De-kx Where U(x,y) = X(x)Y(y) and I am ignoring any expressions where...
  27. K

    Boundary conditions for buckling of column

    For fixed-fixed BC's, i have to arrest x and y displ. For simply supported case, i have to arrest y displ. Then my doubt is, while applying force at the end of the column, how the displacement will happen for fixed-fixed column.
  28. C

    Periodic Boundary Conditions on non sq lattice

    Is it possible to impose boundary conditions on the other 2d lattices like a rhombic lattice? a hexagonal lattice? an oblique lattice? How does one typically index such lattices?
  29. JK423

    Counting the states of a free particle (Periodic boundary conditions)

    Say you have a free particle, non relativistic, and you want to calculate the density of states (number of states with energy E-E+dE). In doing that, textbooks apply periodic boundary conditions (PBC) in a box of length L, and they get L to infinity, and in this way the states become countable...
  30. V

    What is generating functional and vacuum-to-vacuum boundary conditions in QFT?

    Hello everyone :) I'm reading the book QFT - L. H. Ryder, and I don't understand clearly what are the generating functional Z[J] and vacuum-to-vacuum boundary conditions? Help me, please >"<
  31. I

    Numerical FDM - wave equation - boundary conditions question

    Hello everyone and greetings from my internship! It's weekend and I'm struggling with my numerical solution of a 1+1 wave equation. Now, since I'm eventually going to simulate a black hole ( :D ) I need a one-side open grid - using advection equation as my boundary condition on the end of my...
  32. A

    Heat transfer with changing boundary conditions

    I am trying to set up for an experiment, and I need to know the time dependence of the temperature of the front surface of an assembly of plates. The assembly has a heater on one side and is exposed to a gaseous environment (of constant known pressure and temperature) on the other. I am...
  33. H

    1 dimensional heat flow boundary conditions

    Homework Statement n is given by: ∂2Θ/∂x2=1/α2 ∂Θ/∂t , where Θ(x, t) is the temperature as a function of time and position, and α2 is a constant characteristic for the material through which the heat is flowing. We have a plate of infinite area and thickness d that has a uniform...
  34. P

    Modeling the Diffusion of Fluorophores - Boundary Conditions Question

    I am trying to model the diffusion of fluorophores in a cell with a source in the middle by solving the appropriate differential equation. I can solve the PDE easily enough, however as I haven't done DE's in a while, I need a refresher on how to apply the appropriate boundary conditions for my...
  35. U

    Analytical solution for heat equation with simple boundary conditions

    I am trying to solve the following heat equation ODE: d^2T/dr^2+1/r*dT/dr=0 (steady state) or dT/dt=d^2T/dr^2+1/r*dT/dr (transient state) The problem is simple: a ring with r1<r<r2, T(r1)=T1, T(r2)=T2. I have searched the analytical solution for this kind of ODEs in polar coordinate...
  36. A

    Crank-Nicoslon scheme and nonlinear boundary conditions

    Hey guys, I'm having a conceptual problem implementing the Crank-Nicolson scheme to a PDE with nonlinear boundary conditions. The problem is the following: u_t + u_{xxxx} = 0, u(0,t) = 1,\quad u_x(0,t) = 0, \quad u_{xx}(1,t) = 0, u_t(1,t) - u_{xxx}(1,t) = f\bigl(u(1,t)\bigr). Taking m...
  37. R

    Boundary conditions in finite potential well

    Homework Statement Hi guys, I'm having trouble understanding the finite potential well, in particular the boundary conditions The well under scrutiny has potential V(x)= 0 for |x|<a and V(x)=V_0 for >a Homework Equations \frac{d^2\psi}{dx^2}=-\sqrt{\frac{2mE}{\hbar^2}}\psi=-\alpha^2\psi...
  38. B

    Neumann Boundary Conditions for Heat Equation

    I wrote a program that uses the FEM to approximate a solution to the heat conduction equation. I was lazy and wanted to test it, so I only allowed Neumann boundary conditions (I will program in the Dirichlet conditions and the source terms later). When I input low values for the heat flux, I...
  39. H

    Boundary Conditions for an Airy Stress Function

    I am using Gaussian elimination to solve the airy stress function, but I am having difficulty implementing boundary conditions. A good synopsis on the problem of identifying boundary conditions is given here (section 5.2.1): http://solidmechanics.org/text/Chapter5_2/Chapter5_2.htm Given that...
  40. F

    Choosing boundary conditions for mathematical model

    Greetings, everyone! The problem below is actually a task on Numerical Methods. But I have difficulties making a mathematical model. Homework Statement Let us have a longitudinally homogeneous system of a pipe of radius R and a propeller of nearly the same radius inside it (we shall...
  41. T

    Heat equation with nonhomogeneous boundary conditions

    Homework Statement Consider \frac{\partial u}{\partial t} = k\frac{\partial^2u}{\partial x^2} subject to u(0,t) = A(t),\ u(L,t) = 0,\ u(x,0) = g(x). Assume that u(x,t) has a Fourier sine series. Determine a differential equation for the Fourier coefficients (assume appropriate continuity)...
  42. 0

    Magnetostatics boundary conditions.

    I am sometimes just not sure how to go about solving magnetics problems and applying the right boundary conditions. I was hoping for a little advice. For example in an infinitely long cylinder (along z-axis) with radius a, and a permanent magnetization given by: \vec{M} =...
  43. D

    Fluids - boundary conditions for rotating sphere

    Homework Statement A sphere under uniform rotation R, in a simple shear flow, given at infinity by ui = G(x2 + c)deltai1 The centre of sphere is fixed at x2 Boundary conditions are ui = EijkRjxk on sphere, and ui = G(x2 + c) at...
  44. A

    DE constant coefficients and boundary conditions

    Homework Statement Find the solution of the equation v''- 4v'+5v=0,such that v=-1 and v'=1 when x=pi=3.14159Homework Equations ... The Attempt at a Solution I treat it as a polynomial=>r^2+4r+5=0 =>delta=-4=>r1=2+2i and r2=2-2i v=e^[x+2](A*cos[2]+B*i*sin[2]) v=-1=e^[pi+2](A*cos[2]+B*i*sin[2])...
  45. A

    Boundary conditions and time domain electromagnetic waves

    Boundary conditions & time domain electromagnetic waves: does classical model fit? Consider two propagating media: a lossy dielectric medium and a lossless dielectric medium. Thus, the interface that separates them has two tangential components of electric field, one for each medium. One of...
  46. I

    Boundary conditions for Laplace's equation

    I don't seem to grasp the meaning of boundary conditions for Laplace's equation. Consider the Lagendre expansion of the potential at x due to a unit charge 1/|x-x'|, where x' is the position of the unit point charge. To do the expansion, we need to consider a volume in space where the...
  47. H

    Solving Schrodinger's Eqn for Quantum Ring: Boundary Conditions?

    When solving Schrodinger's eqn for a quantum ring, what would be the boundary conditions? The solution (polar) should be Ψ(Φ) = A exp(ikΦ) + B exp(-ikΦ) And I believe the boundary conditions are Ψ(0) = Ψ(2pi) Ψ(0) = A + B Ψ(2pi) = A exp(ik*2π) + B exp(ik*2π) and I suppose I can...
  48. R

    Numerical Boundary Conditions for Fokker Planck and Kramers equations

    Hi Everyone, Apologies if this is posted in the wrong place. I am trying to produce numerical solutions for the following initial value partial differential equations, namely the overdamped Schmoluchowski equation \frac{\partial p(x,t)}{\partial t}=-\frac{\partial}{\partial...
  49. Z

    Solving PDEs without Boundary Conditions: A Conundrum?

    If a PDE has no boundary conditions specified, how does one go about providing a solution--even if this is a general solution? I'm stuck looking at the separation of variables and other methods which all seem to heavily rely on those boundary conditions and initial conditions. If anyone...
  50. Spinnor

    Klein–Gordon equation with time dependent boundary conditions.

    Klein–Gordon equation with time dependent boundary conditions. Suppose we look for solutions to the Klein–Gordon equation with the following time dependent boundary conditions, psi(r,theta,phi,t) = 0 zero at infinity psi(on surface of small ball, B_1,t) = C*exp[i*omega*t] psi(on...
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