Can you find the the function given the value of its definite integral

89 Views Asked by At

While solving a physics problem , I came across a equation that looks like this, $$\int_0^\pi \sigma(\theta)\,\sin(2\theta)\,d\theta=\frac{q}{\pi a^2} $$ Is there a way to solve for $\sigma(\theta)$. Understand that I am absolutely not familiar with these kinds of equations so maybe I am in the wrong track but I would still like to know it there is a unique or a family of solutions to this equation. q and $a^2$ are constants.

Edit: There is one more constraint, $$\int_0^\pi \sigma(\theta) sin(\theta)d\theta = \frac{q'}{2\pi r^2}$$ q' and r are also constants.

1

There are 1 best solutions below

0
On

Since we do not know anything about the function we are searching for, we will start by imposing some things that will facilitate the search process for us.

  1. $\sigma(\theta) $a polynomial of degree n+1

$$I = \int ^{\pi} _{0}\sigma(\theta)\,\sin(2\theta)\,d\theta=\frac{-1}{2}(\sigma(\pi)-\sigma(0))-\frac{1}{4}\int^{\pi}_{0}\sigma^{(2)}(\theta)\sin(2\theta)d\theta$$ Therfore: $$I=\frac{-1}{2}(\sigma(\pi)-\sigma(0))+\sum^n_{k=2}\frac{(-1)^k}{2^{k+1}}(\sigma^{(2k-2)}(\pi)-\sigma^{(2k-2)}(0)) +\frac{(-1)^n}{2^{n+1}}\int ^{\pi}_{0}\sigma^{(2n)}(\theta)d\theta$$ we have $\sigma(\theta) $ polynomial of degree n+1 implies that $\sigma^{(n+2)}(\theta) =0\implies \sigma^{(2n)}(\theta) =0 ,$

This implies that : $$I =\frac{-1}{2}(\sigma(\pi)-\sigma(0))+\sum^{\lfloor \frac{n+4}{4}\rfloor}_{k=2}\frac{(-1)^k}{2^{k+1}}(\sigma^{(2k-2)}(\pi)-\sigma^{(2k-2)}(0)) =\frac{q}{\pi a^2}$$

Let $n=0$ (I'm going to look for a polynomial of degree 1)

Therfore: $$I = \frac{-1}{2}(\sigma(\pi)-\sigma(0))=\frac{q}{\pi a^2}$$ This implies that : $$\sigma(\pi)=\sigma(0)+\frac{-2q}{\pi a^2}$$

Now find the function that satisfies these conditions $\sigma(\pi)=\sigma(0)+\frac{-2q}{\pi a^2}$. It is usually assumed that: $\sigma(0)=0$

Therfore : $$\sigma(\theta)=\begin{cases} \sigma(0)=0 \\ \sigma(\pi)=\frac{-2q}{\pi a^2}\end{cases}$$

$$\boxed{\sigma(\theta)=\frac{-2q}{\pi a^2}\theta}$$