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12: Partial Differential Equations

  • Page ID
    106881
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    Objectives
    • Learn the method of separation of variables to solve simple partial differential equations.
    • Understand how to apply the method of separation of variables to two important problems in the physical sciences: The wave equation in one dimension and molecular diffusion.

    • 12.1: Introduction to Partial Differential Equations
      Many important equations in physical chemistry, engineering, and physics, describe how some physical quantity, such as a temperature or a concentration, varies with position and time.
    • 12.2: The Method of Separation of Variables
      The separation of variables is a methods for solving ordinary and partial differential equations, in which algebra allows one to rewrite an equation so that each of two variables occurs on a different side of the equation.
    • 12.3: The Wave Equation in One Dimension
      The wave equation is an important second-order linear partial differential equation that describes waves such as sound waves, light waves and water waves. In this course, we will focus on oscillations in one dimension.
    • 12.4: Molecular Diffusion
      Molecular diffusion is the thermal motion of molecules at temperatures above absolute zero. The rate of this movement is a function of temperature, viscosity of the fluid and the size and shape of the particles. Diffusion explains the net flux of molecules from a region of higher concentration to one of lower concentration. The term "diffusion" is also generally used to describe the flux of other physical quantities like thermal energy (heat).
    • 12.5: Problems


    This page titled 12: Partial Differential Equations is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Marcia Levitus via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.