Question 1

By taking a Fourier transform, solve the following integral equations (i.e. nd f(x)):
(a)
_

f(x x)f( x) d x =
1
x
2
+ a
2
, a > 0.
(b)
_

f(x t) exp(at
2
) dt = exp(bx
2
), a > b > 0.
Solution
(a) Fourier transforming both sides of the equation, we have (from Question 2 of Tutorial 9 and the Convolu-
tion Theorem):
2F()F() =
1
2a
e
a||
,
F() =
1
2

a
e

1
2
a||
.
Fourier inversion gives the solution of the integral equation:
f(x) =
1
2

a
_

exp
_

1
2
a||
_
exp(ix) d,
=
1
2

a
__
0

e
(a/2ix)
d +
_

0
e
(a/2+ix)
d
_
,
=
1
2

a
_
1
a/2 ix
+
1
a/2 + ix
_
,
=
_
a

2
4x
2
+ a
2
.
(b) Again, Fourier transforming both sides of the equation and using the Convolution Theorem, we have:
2F()
1

4a
e

2
/4a
=
1

4b
e

2
/4b
,
2F() =
_
a
b
exp
_

2
a b
4ab
_
.
Fourier inversion thus gives the desired solution:
f(x) =
1
2

4a
2
b
b(a b)
exp
_

ab
a b
x
2
_
,
=
a
_
(a b)
exp
_

ab
a b
x
2
_
.
Question 2
Consider the Cauchy problem for the Klein-Gordon equation

2
u
t
2
c
2

2
u
x
2
+ a
2
u = 0, < x < , t > 0,
u(x, 0) = f(x),
u
t
(x, 0) = g(x), < x < .
1
(a) Let U(, t) = F{u(x, t)} be the Fourier transform of u(x, t) with respect to x. Show that the Klein-
Gordon equation reduces to the following BVP:

2
U
t
2
+ (a
2
+ c
2

2
)U = 0, U(, 0) = F(),
U
t
(, 0) = G(),
where F() = F{f(x)} and G() = F{g(x)}.
(b) Let L(, s) = L{U(, t)} be the Laplace transform of U(, t) with respect to t. Show that the Klein-
Gordon equation further reduces to an algebraic problem for L(, s) and nd the solution.
(c) By inverting the transforms, show that
u(x, t) =
_

_
A()e
i(ktx)
+ B()e
i(kt+x)
_
d.
What is k in terms of a, c and ? What are A() and B() in terms of F() and G()?
Solution
Fourier transforming in x, we have

2
U
t
2
c
2
(i)
2
U + a
2
U = 0, U(, 0) = F(),
U
t
(, 0) = G(),

2
U
t
2
+ (a
2
+ c
2

2
)U = 0.
We could solve this ODE by using the auxiliary equation to determine its eigenvalues in the usual way. How-
ever, for the sake of illustration, we choose to take a slightly different approach. Taking a Laplace transform of
the above equation, we are down to an algebraic problem:
s
2
L(, s) sU(, 0)
U
t
(, 0) + (a
2
+ c
2

2
)L(, s) = 0,
(s
2
+ a
2
+ c
2

2
)L(, s) sF() G() = 0,
the solution of which is
L(, s) =
s
s
2
+ (a
2
+ c
2

2
)
F() +
1
s
2
+ (a
2
+ c
2

2
)
G().
Inversion of the Laplace transform recovers the solution U(, t):
U(, t) = F() cos(kt) +
1
k
G() sin(kt),
where k
2
= a
2
+ c
2

2
. Rewriting sin and cos as linear combinations of complex exponentials:
U(, t) = F()
1
2
(e
ikt
+ e
ikt
) +
1
k
G()
1
2i
(e
ikt
e
ikt
).
Rearranging, we thus have
U(, t) = A()e
ikt
+ B()e
ikt
,
where A() =
1
2
_
F()
i
k
G()
_
and B() =
1
2
_
F() +
i
k
G()
_
. Finally, to recover the solution of the
Klein-Gordon equation, we invert the Fourier transform:
u(x, t) =
_

_
A()e
i(ktx)
+ B()e
i(kt+x)
_
d.
2
Question 3
Using Question 2 of Tutorial 9 and the Convolution Theorem, show that
_

dx
(x
2
+ a
2
)(x
2
+ b
2
)
=

ab(a + b)
, a > 0, b > 0.
Solution
Let f(x) =
2a
x
2
+a
2
and g(x) =
2b
x
2
+b
2
. Then from Question 2 of Tutorial 9, we have
F() = e
a||
, G() = e
b||
.
Hence, by the result in Question 2 of Tutorial 9 and the Convolution Theorem, we have
F
1
_
e
a||
e
b||
_
=
1
2
_

f( x)g(x x) d x,
F
1
_
e
(a+b)||
_
=
1
2
_

2a
x
2
+ a
2
2b
(x x)
2
+ b
2
d x,
2(a + b)
x
2
+ (a + b)
2
=
2ab

1
x
2
+ a
2
1
(x x)
2
+ b
2
d x.
Note that this is an identity in x. In particular, for x = 0, we obtain
_

d x
( x
2
+ a
2
)( x
2
+ b
2
)
=

ab(a + b)
.
3