Paper 4, Section I, B

Mathematical Biology
Part II, 2014

The concentration c(x,t)c(x, t) of a chemical in one dimension obeys the equations

ct=x(c2cx),c(x,t)dx=1\frac{\partial c}{\partial t}=\frac{\partial}{\partial x}\left(c^{2} \frac{\partial c}{\partial x}\right), \quad \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} c(x, t) d x=1

State the physical interpretation of each equation.

Seek a similarity solution of the form c=tαf(ξ)c=t^{\alpha} f(\xi), where ξ=tβx\xi=t^{\beta} x. Find equations involving α\alpha and β\beta from the differential equation and the integral. Show that these are satisfied by α=β=1/4\alpha=\beta=-1 / 4.

Find the solution for f(ξ)f(\xi). Find and sketch the solution for c(x,t)c(x, t).