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2.2.1: A Linearization Method

  • Page ID
    2168
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    We can transform the inhomogeneous Equation (2.2.1) into a homogeneous linear equation for an unknown function of three variables by the following trick.

    We are looking for a function \(\psi(x,y,u)\) such that the solution \(u=u(x,y)\) of Equation (2.2.1) is defined implicitly by \(\psi(x,y,u)=const.\) Assume there is such a function \(\psi\) and let \(u\) be a solution of (2.2.1), then

    $$
    \psi_x+\psi_uu_x=0,\ \ \psi_y+\psi_uu_y=0.
    $$
    Assume \(\psi_u\not=0\), then
    $$
    u_x=-\frac{\psi_x}{\psi_u},\ \ u_y=-\frac{\psi_y}{\psi_u}.
    $$
    From (2.2.1) we obtain
    \begin{equation}
    \label{homthree}\tag{2.2.1.1}
    a_1(x,y,z)\psi_x+a_2(x,y,z)\psi_y+a_3(x,y,z)\psi_z=0,
    \end{equation}
    where \(z:=u\).

    We consider the associated system of characteristic equations
    \begin{eqnarray*}
    x'(t)&=&a_1(x,y,z)\\
    y'(t)&=&a_2(x,y,z)\\
    z'(t)&=&a_3(x,y,z).
    \end{eqnarray*}

    One arrives at this system by the same arguments as in the two-dimensional case above.

    Proposition 2.2. (i) Assume \(w\in C^1\), \(w=w(x,y,z)\), is an integral, i. e., it is constant along each fixed solution of (\ref{homthree}), then \(\psi=w(x,y,z)\) is a solution of (\ref{homthree}).

    (ii) The function \(z=u(x,y)\), implicitly defined through \(\psi(x,u,z)=const.\), is a solution of (2.2.1), provided that \(\psi_z\not=0\).

    (iii) Let \(z=u(x,y)\) be a solution of (2.2.1) and let \((x(t),y(t))\) be a solution
    of
    $$
    x'(t)=a_1(x,y,u(x,y)),\ \ y'(t)=a_2(x,y,u(x,y)),
    $$
    then \(z(t):=u(x(t),y(t))\) satisfies the third of the above characteristic equations.

    Proof. Exercise.

    Contributors and Attributions


    This page titled 2.2.1: A Linearization Method is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Erich Miersemann.

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