432 CHAPTER 1 1 • APPLICATIONS OF HARMONIC FUNCTIONS
1.0
0.8
0.6
Figure 11.6 The graph of u = <P (x, y) with the boundary values 4> (x, O) = 1, for
lxl < 1, and 4> (x, 0) = 0, for lxl > 1.
Solution This three-value Dirichlet problem has ao = 0, a 1 = 1, and % = 0
and x 1 = - 1 and x 2 = 1. Applying Equation (11-5) yields
0-1 1-0
<P(x , y) = 0 + -Arg (z + 1) + --Arg(z - 1)
'Tr 'Ir
= -l Arctan- Y- + ~Arctan-Y-.
7r x + l 7r x-1
A three-dimensional graph of u = <f>(x, y) is shown in Figure 11.6.
We now state the N -value Di.richlet problem for a simply connected domain.
We let D be a simply connected domain bounded by the simple closed contour C
and let z 1 , z2, ... , ZN denote N points that lie a long C in this specified order as
C is traversed in the positive direction (counterclockwise). Then we let Ck denote
the portion of C that lies strictly between Zk and Zk+l> for k = 1, 2, ... , N - 1,
and let CN denote the portion that lies strictly between Z N and z1. Finally, we
let a1, az,... , aN be real constants. We want to find a function <P (x, y) that
is harmonic in D and continuous on D U C 1 U C2 U · · · U CN that takes on the
boundary values
<f>(x, y) = a1,
<P (x, y) = a2,
<P(x, y) = aN,
for z = x + iy on C1;
for z = x + iy on C2;
for z = x + iy on CN-
The situation is illustrated in Figure 11.7.
(11-6)