International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)

ISSN (Online): 2319-7064

Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438

Solution of One Dimensional Wave Equation using

Laplace Transform
D. A. Shah1, A. K. Parikh2
1, 2
Department of Mathematics, C.U.Shah University, Wadhwan city – 363 030, India

Abstract: In this paper the equation of motion for the string under certain assumption has been derived which is in the form of second
order partial differential equation. The governing partial differential equation represents transverse vibrating of an elastic string which
is known as one dimensional wave equation. The analytical solution has been obtained using Laplace Transform.

Keywords: Partial Differential Equation, Wave equation, Laplace Transform, Transverse

1. Introduction 2) The string is perfectly elastic and does not offer any
resistance to bending.
In this paper, we deal with initial boundary value problem 3) The tension in the string is so large that the action of the
that is a second order Partial Differential Equation that gravitational force on the string can be neglected.
𝜕𝑦
occurs frequently in many physical phenomena which is 4) The displacement y and the slope are small, so that
𝜕𝑥
known as one dimensional wave equation. The governing their higher powers may be neglected.
equation represents transverse vibrating of an elastic string.
An analytical solution obtained by using Laplace Transform.
4. Mathematical Formulation
The solution of wave equation was one of the major
Let m be the mass per unit length of the string. Consider the
mathematical problems of the mid eighteenth century. The
motion of an infinitesimal elements PQ of length δs. The
wave equation was first derived and studied by D’Alembert
mass of this element is mδs, its acceleration is 𝑦 and the
in 1746. It also attracted the attention of Euler (1748),
forces acting on it are the tensions T1 and T2 as shown in
Bernoulli (1753) and Lagrange (1759). Solution was
Figure 1.
obtained in several different forms in series of papers. The
major points at issue concerned the nature of a function and
Since there is no motion in the horizontal direction, we have
the kind of functions that can be represented by
𝑇1 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛼 = 𝑇2 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛽 = 𝑇 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 (1)
trigonometry.
By Newton’s second law of making the equation of motion
in the vertical direction is
2. Statement of the Problem
𝜕2 𝑦
Consider a uniform elastic string of length l stretched tightly 𝑚𝛿𝑠 = 𝑇2 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛽 − 𝑇1 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛼 (2)
between two fixed points O and A, and displayed slightly 𝜕𝑡 2
from its equilibrium position OA. The line OA joining the
𝑚𝛿𝑠 𝜕 2 𝑦 𝑇2 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛽 𝑇1 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛼
points origin O and A(l, O) is taken as the x – axis and a = − (3)
perpendicular line through O as the y – axis. The problem is 𝑇 𝜕𝑡 2 𝑇2 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛽 𝑇1 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛼
to determine the vibrations of the string, that is, to find its
deflection y(x, t) at any point x and at any time t > 0 (see 𝜕2 𝑦 𝑇
2
= 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝛽 − 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝛼 (4)
figure 1) 𝜕𝑡 𝑚𝛿𝑠
Since 𝛿𝑠 = 𝛿𝑥 to a first approximation and
𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦
𝑡𝑎𝑛𝛼 = , 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝛽 = (5)
𝜕𝑥 𝑥 𝜕𝑥 𝑥 + 𝛿𝑥
𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦
−
𝜕 2 𝑦 𝑇 𝜕𝑥 𝑥 + 𝛿𝑥 𝜕𝑥 𝑥
⇒ 2
= (6)
𝜕𝑡 𝑚 𝛿𝑥

As 𝑄 → 𝑃, 𝛿𝑥 → 0
𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑦
−
𝜕2𝑦 𝑇 𝜕𝑥 𝑥 + 𝛿𝑥
𝜕𝑥 𝑥
⇒ = lim (7)
𝜕𝑡 2 𝑚 𝛿𝑥 →0 𝛿𝑥
Figure 1
𝜕2 𝑦 𝑇 𝜕 𝜕𝑦
⇒ = (8)
3. Physical Assumptions 𝜕𝑡 2 𝑚 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥
𝜕2𝑦 𝑇 𝜕2𝑦
⇒ 2= (9)
We assume the following. 𝜕𝑡 𝑚 𝜕𝑥 2
1) The vibrations are lateral and take place in a plane.
Volume 4 Issue 2, February 2015
www.ijsr.net
Paper ID: SUB151721 2264
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438
𝑇 (i) The string is initially at rest on the x – axis from x = 0 to
Putting = 𝑐 2 , we get
𝑚
∞ (“Semi-infinite string”)
𝜕2 𝑦 𝜕2𝑦
= 𝑐2 2 (10) (ii) For time t > 0, the displacement is 𝑦 0, 𝑡 = 𝑓 𝑡 =
𝜕𝑡 2 𝜕𝑥 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑓 0 ≤ 𝑡 ≤ 2𝜋
This is the partial differential equation giving the transverse
= 0 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒
vibration of the string. It is also called the one dimensional
wave equation. To find the displacement 𝑦(𝑥, 𝑡) of semi
infinite elastic string, consider the following conditions:

Figure 2

(iii) Furthermore, On the right side, we assume that we may interchange

lim 𝑦 𝑥, 𝑡 = 0 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡 ≥ 0 integration and differentiation,
𝑥→∞
𝜕2 𝑦 𝜕 2 ∞ −𝑠𝑡 𝜕2
𝐿 2
= 2 𝑒 𝑦 𝑥, 𝑡 𝑑𝑡 = 2 𝐿 𝑦(𝑥, 𝑡)
Of course there is no infinite string, but our model describes 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥 0 𝜕𝑥
a long string or rope (of negligible weight) with its right end
fixed far out on the x – axis. Writing Y 𝑥, 𝑠 = 𝐿 𝑦(𝑥, 𝑡) ,

5. Solution of the Problem Thus we obtain

𝜕2𝑌
𝑠2 𝑌 = 𝑐2 2
To solve equation (10) for positive x and t, subject to the 𝜕𝑥
“boundary conditions”
𝑦 0, 𝑡 = 𝑓 𝑡 , lim⁡𝑦 𝑥, 𝑡 = 0 𝑡 ≥ 0 (11) Therefore,
𝑥 →∞
with f as given above and the initial conditions 𝜕2 𝑌 𝑠2
− 𝑌=0
𝜕𝑥 2 𝑐 2
𝑦 𝑥, 0 = 0 (12) Since this equation contains only a derivative with respect to
x, it may be regarded as an ordinary differential equation for
𝜕𝑦 Y(x, s) considered as a function of x. A general solution is
= 0 𝑎𝑡 𝑡 = 0 (13)
𝜕𝑡
𝑌 𝑥, 𝑠 = 𝐴 𝑠 𝑒 𝑠𝑥 𝑐 + 𝐵 𝑠 𝑒 −𝑠𝑥 𝑐
(14)
Now, taking the Laplace transform on both sides of equation From (11) we obtain, writing𝐹 𝑠 = 𝐿 𝑓(𝑡) .
(10), we get
𝑌 0, 𝑠 = 𝐿 𝑦(0, 𝑡) = 𝐿 𝑓(𝑡) = 𝐹 𝑠
𝜕2 𝑦 2
𝜕2𝑦 Assuming that we can interchange integration and taking the
𝐿 = 𝑐 𝐿 limit, we have
𝜕𝑡 2 𝜕𝑥 2 ∞
lim 𝑌 𝑥, 𝑠 = lim 𝑒 −𝑠𝑡 𝑦 𝑥, 𝑡 𝑑𝑡
2 𝑥→∞ 𝑥→∞ 0
𝜕𝑦 𝜕 𝑦 ∞
⇒ 𝑠 2 𝐿 𝑦 − 𝑠𝑦 𝑥, 0 − = 𝑐2𝐿
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥 2 = 𝑒 −𝑠𝑡 lim 𝑦 𝑥, 𝑡 𝑑𝑡 = 0.
0 𝑥 →∞
Now dropping out two terms by using (12) and (13),
This implies A(s) = 0 in (5) because c > 0, so that for every
fixed positive s the function 𝑒 𝑠𝑥 𝑐 increases as x increases.
𝜕2𝑦
𝑠2 𝐿 𝑦 = 𝑐2 𝐿 Note that we may assume s > 0 since a Laplace transform
𝜕𝑥 2 generally exits for all s greater than some fixed k. Hence we
By definition of Laplace Transform, have
𝑌 0, 𝑠 = 𝐵 𝑠 = 𝐹 𝑠 ,
𝜕2 𝑦 ∞
𝜕2𝑦 so that (5) becomes
𝐿 = 𝑒 −𝑠𝑡 𝑑𝑡
𝜕𝑥 2 0 𝜕𝑥 2 𝑌 𝑥, 𝑠 = 𝐹 𝑠 𝑒 −𝑠𝑥 𝑐 .

Volume 4 Issue 2, February 2015

www.ijsr.net
Paper ID: SUB151721 2265
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN (Online): 2319-7064
Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438
From the second shifting theorem with 𝑎 = 𝑥 𝑐 we obtain
the inverse transform
𝑥 𝑥
𝑦 𝑥, 𝑡 = 𝑓 𝑡 − 𝑢 𝑡 − (15)
𝑐 𝑐
𝑥 𝑥 𝑥
𝑖. 𝑒. 𝑦 𝑥, 𝑡 = 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝑡 − 𝑖𝑓 < 𝑡 < + 2𝜋 𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑡 > 𝑥
𝑐 𝑐 𝑐
> 𝑡 − 2𝜋 𝑐
and zero otherwise.

Figure 3

6. Conclusion
The solution obtained in (15) is a single sine wave traveling
to the right with speed c. Note that a point x remains at rest
until 𝑡 = 𝑥 𝑐 , the time needed to reach that x if one starts at
t = 0 (start of the motion of the left end) and travels with
speed c. The result is consistent with physical nature.

References
[1] Erwin Kreyszig, Advance Engineering Mathematics,
John wiley and sons, 8th edition
[2] Lawrence C. Evans, Partial Differential Equations. AMS,
1998
[3] G. James, Advanced modern Engineering Mathematics
(3rd edition), Pearson education limited; New york 1999
[4] Sourav Kar / Subrata Karmakar, Engineering
Mathematics – III (WBUT) Tata McGraw Hill
[5] Murray R. Spiegel, Schaum’s outline of theory and
problems of Laplace Transforms Mc Graw Hill
[6] N. Asmar, Partial Differential Equations, Prentice Hall,
New Jersey, (2005).

Volume 4 Issue 2, February 2015

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Paper ID: SUB151721 2266
Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY