MST3261906F1PV1

MST326/H

Module Examination 2019

Mathematical Methods and Fluid Mechanics

Thursday 13 June 2019 2.30 pm – 5.30 pm

Time allowed: 3 hours

Instructions
This examination comprises TWO parts, both of which should be
attempted.
You should attempt any SEVEN questions from Part 1, and attempt any
THREE questions from Part 2. Each question in Part 1 carries 7% of the
total marks for the examination. Each question in Part 2 carries 17% of
the marks.
You may answer questions in any order, writing your answers in the
answer book(s) provided.
At the end of the examination
Check that you have written your personal identifier and examination
number on each answer book used. Failure to do so will mean that
your work cannot be identified.
Put all your used answer books together with your signed desk record on
top. Fasten them in the top left corner with the round paper fastener.
Attach this question paper to the back of the answer books with the flat
paper clip.

Copyright 
c 2019 The Open University
PART 1
Answer any SEVEN questions in this part.
Each question carries 7% of the total examination marks.
The number of marks assigned to each part of a question is given in
square brackets.
Part 1 as a whole carries 49% of the total examination marks.

Question 1
A U-tube of uniform cross-section has one arm open to the atmosphere
and the other end closed. The U-tube contains water, with an air
pocket above the water in the closed arm. The air pocket has length 1
and the water surface in the open arm is lower than the top of the
closed arm by a length 2 , as shown in the diagram (a) below. We know
that 1 = 32 .

(a) (b)

(a) Express the pressure pa in the air pocket in terms of 1 , the

atmospheric pressure p0 , the density ρ of water, and the magnitude
g of the acceleration due to gravity. [2]
(b) A further volume of water is now added to the open arm. This
causes the new length of the air pocket, which we denote as 1 to
reduce to 1 = (2/3)1 , as shown in the diagram (b) above, while
the temperature of the air in the pocket remains unchanged. Show
that the length 2 of the water surface in the open arm, which is
now higher than the top of the closed arm, is given by
p0
2 = 2 + . [5]
2ρg

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Question 2
Consider the following differential equation
x2 y  + 3xy  + y = 4x (x > 0).
The associated homogeneous equation has independent solutions
1 ln x
y1 (x) = and y2 (x) = .
x x
(You are not asked to show this.)
(a) Show that the Wronskian is 1/x3 . [2]
(b) By using the method of variation of parameters find the general
solution of the given differential equation. [5]
Hint: You may find the following integral useful:
  
2 ln x 1
x ln x dx = x −
2 4

Question 3
(a) Show that the partial differential equation for u(x, y) given by
∂u ∂u
y2 + x2 =0 (y > 0)
∂x ∂y
has characteristic curves described by
y 3 − x3 = constant. [3]

(b) The general solution of the given partial differential equation is

u(x, y) = f (y 3 − x3 ),
where f is an arbitrary function (you are not asked to show this).
Find the particular solution that satisfies the condition
u(x, 1) = x6 . [4]

Question 4
Consider the velocity vector field
1 3 3
u = e−r sin(3θ) er − r 2 e−r cos(3θ) eθ (r = 0),
r
where r, θ are plane polar coordinates.
(a) Show that u represents the velocity field of an incompressible flow. [2]
(b) Find the circulation of u around any circle of radius R with centre
at the origin. [2]
(c) Find the vorticity at all points of the flow. [3]

MST326 June 2019 TURN OVER 3

Question 5
(a) Water flows steadily in a uniform, rectangular, horizontal channel,
at a volume flow rate per unit width of Q = 4 m2 s−1 . The height of
the water surface is 1 m above the channel floor. Calculate the
Froude number for this flow, and discuss whether the flow is
subcritical, critical, or supercritical. (Take the magnitude of the
acceleration due to gravity to be g = 10 ms−2 .) [2]
(b) Suppose now that the flow of part (a) is downstream of a weir, and
that flow at the weir is critical. Estimate the height of the water
surface (above a channel bed at the same horizontal level) on the
upstream side of the weir. [5]

Question 6
The velocity field of a fluid flow is
u = (x2 − y 2 − x)i + y(1 − 2x)j.
A closed curve C is formed from the straight-line segments joining the
points O(0, 0), A(1, 0), and B(0, 1). These line segments are
parametrised as follows:
OA : x = α, y = 0 (0 ≤ α ≤ 1)
AB : x = 1 − β, y = β (0 ≤ β ≤ 1)
BO : x = 0, y = 1 − γ (0 ≤ γ ≤ 1)

By evaluating the line integral, show that the circulation C
u·dr is
equal to zero. [7]

Question 7
The function u(x, t) satisfies the problem
∂2u ∂2u
− 4 =0 (0 < x < 3, t > 0),
∂t2 ∂x2
 
u(x, 0) = sin 12 πx (0 < x < 3),
∂u
(x, 0) = 0 (0 < x < 3),
∂t
∂u
u(0, t) = (3, t) = 0 (t ≥ 0).
∂x
(a) The partial differential equation and initial conditions are sufficient
to determine the solution u(x, t) within a triangular region R of the
(x, t)-plane.
(i) Use d’Alembert’s solution to find an expression for u(x, t) that
is valid within R. [3]
(ii) Specify the lines that bound the region R. [2]
(b) Verify that the expression you found in part (a)(i) satisfies the two
boundary conditions, and hence is the solution of the whole
problem stated at the start of this question. [2]

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Question 8
(a) Obtain the general form for a function u(r, θ) that is
• harmonic on the disc r < R, −π < θ ≤ π,
• periodic in θ with period 2π, and
• such that ∂u/∂θ is periodic in θ with period 2π. [3]
(b) Starting from the general form obtained in part (a), find the
function u(r, θ) that satisfies the Dirichlet problem with boundary
condition
1
u(R, θ) = sin2 θ (−π < θ ≤ π). [4]
2

Question 9
A horizontal smooth-walled cylindrical pipe of diameter 0.8 cm and
length 3 m is used to supply compressed air in a factory. The machinery
requires a flow rate of Q = 7 × 10−4 m3 s−1 .
The kinematic viscosity of air can be assumed to be ν = 10−5 m2 s−1
and the density is ρ = 1.2 kg m−3 .
(a) Use the flow rate to determine the mean flow speed. Hence,
determine the Reynolds number, and establish whether the flow is
turbulent. [3]
(b) Show that λ = 0.03 is a good approximation of the Darcy friction
factor for a smooth-walled pipe with the given flow rate. [2]
(c) Estimate the pressure drop in the pipe. [2]

MST326 June 2019 TURN OVER 5

PART 2
Answer any THREE questions in this part.
Each question carries 17% of the total examination marks.

Question 10
Consider a two-dimensional fluid flow whose velocity field in Cartesian
form is
u = 2xyi + (x2 − y 2 )j (x > 0)
(a) Is the flow (i) incompressible, (ii) irrotational, (iii) steady? Give a
reason for each of your answers. [4]
(b) (i) Write down the equations describing the stream function for
this flow, and hence find the stream function. [5]
(ii) Find the equation of the streamline that passes through the
point (1, 2) at time t = 0. [3]
(c) Suppose that the fluid is inviscid and of constant density ρ, and
that is acted upon by a body force (per unit mass)
F = 4x3 i + 4y 3j.
Verify that the pressure distribution in the fluid is:
1  2
p(x, y) = p0 + ρ x2 − y 2 , [5]
2
where p0 is a constant.

Question 11
The function u(x, y) satisfies the partial differential equation
∂2u ∂2u 2
2∂ u 1 ∂u
2
+ x − 2x 2
− =0 (x > 0).
∂x ∂x∂y ∂y x ∂x
(a) Show that this equation is hyperbolic. [2]
(b) Find the equations of the characteristic curves, and hence show
that the characteristic coordinates may be chosen as
ζ = y − x2 and φ = 2y + x2 . [5]

(c) Show that the corresponding standard form for the equation is
∂2u
= 0. [8]
∂ζ ∂φ

(d) By solving the standard form given in part (c), find the general
solution of the original equation. [2]

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Question 12
Consider an incompressible fluid of constant density ρ and coefficient of
viscosity μ that flows steadily down on one side of a vertical plate. The
flow is considered to be two dimensional on the (x, z) plane, and the
plate may be assumed to be of infinite extent along the z-axis. The
surface of the liquid at x = h is exposed to air at atmospheric pressure
p0 , and the plate is moving with velocity Uk, as shown in the diagram
below. As a consequence of various modelling assumptions, the velocity
field of the flow is to be taken as u = u(x)k.
U

(a) Verify that this flow satisfies the continuity equation. [1]
(b) Write down the boundary conditions for u(x). [2]
(c) Show that the pressure is constant throughout the liquid. [3]
(d) By solving the appropriate Navier–Stokes equation along with the
boundary conditions, show that the velocity profile of this flow is:
α
u(x) = U + x(x − 2h),
2
where α = ρg/μ. [5]
(e) (i) Find the volume flow rate per unit width, Q, of this problem
and show that Q = 0 when U = αh2 /3. [4]
(ii) Find the value of U for which the velocity is zero at x = h. [2]

Question 13
Consider the problem for u = u(x, y) given by
∇2 u = 0 (0 < x < 1, 0 < y < 2),
u(0, y) = u(1, y) = 0 (0 < y < 2),
u(x, 0) = 0 (0 < x < 1),
u(x, 2) = x(1 − x) (0 < x < 1).
Use the method of separation of variables to find the solution to this
problem in the form of an infinite series. [17]

MST326 June 2019 TURN OVER 7

Question 14
A long straight section of a canal contains water of equilibrium
depth 3 m. Sinusoidal waves of wavelength λ can be propagated in the
water. Take the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity to be
g = 9.81 ms−2 .
(a) (i) For the case where λ = 70 m, use an appropriate model to
estimate the speed of waves propagated in the canal. Find
also the speed of groups of waves whose wavelengths are close
to 70 m. Give your answers to two decimal places. [3]
(ii) Repeat part (a)(i) for the case where λ = 4 m. [3]
(iii) State, with a reason, in which of these two cases the waves are
dispersive. [1]
(b) An instantaneous disturbance in the canal at position A generates
surface waves. At position B, some distance along the canal, the
resulting waves are later observed. It is noted that at 10:00 GMT,
fifteen waves pass B in 18 s, whereas at 10:10 GMT, fifteen waves
pass B in 12 s. Assume that the deep water wave theory applies
and that groups of waves leave A at the same time and travel with
their respective group velocities.
Find the distance of B from A, and the time at which the
disturbance occurred. [10]

[END OF QUESTION PAPER]

8 MST326 June 2019