Paper 4, Section II, B
Part II, 2017
A horizontal layer of inviscid fluid of density occupying flows with velocity above a horizontal layer of inviscid fluid of density occupying and flowing with velocity , in Cartesian coordinates . There are rigid boundaries at . The interface between the two layers is perturbed to position .
Write down the full set of equations and boundary conditions governing this flow. Derive the linearised boundary conditions appropriate in the limit . Solve the linearised equations to show that the perturbation to the interface grows exponentially in time if
Sketch the right-hand side of this inequality as a function of . Thereby deduce the minimum value of that makes the system unstable for all wavelengths.