INTEGRAL TRANSFORMS
Find the Laplace transform ofd^2 f/dt^2.
Using the definition of the Laplace transform and integrating by parts we obtain
L
[
d^2 f
dt^2
]
=
∫∞
0
d^2 f
dt^2
e−stdt
=
[
df
dt
e−st
]∞
0
+s
∫∞
0
df
dt
e−stdt
=−
df
dt
(0) +s[sf ̄(s)−f(0)], fors> 0 ,
where (13.57) has been substituted for the integral. This can be written more neatly as
L
[
d^2 f
dt^2
]
=s^2 f ̄(s)−sf(0)−
df
dt
(0), fors> 0 .
In general the Laplace transform of thenth derivative is given by
L
[
dnf
dtn
]
=snf ̄−sn−^1 f(0)−sn−^2
df
dt
(0)−···−
dn−^1 f
dtn−^1
(0), fors> 0.
(13.58)
We now turn to integration, which is much more straightforward. From the
definition (13.53),
L
[∫t
0
f(u)du
]
=
∫∞
0
dt e−st
∫t
0
f(u)du
=
[
−
1
s
e−st
∫t
0
f(u)du
]∞
0
+
∫∞
0
1
s
e−stf(t)dt.
The first term on the RHS vanishes at both limits, and so
L
[∫t
0
f(u)du
]
=
1
s
L[f]. (13.59)
13.2.2 Other properties of Laplace transforms
From table 13.1 it will be apparent that multiplying a functionf(t)byeathas the
effect on its transform thatsis replaced bys−a. This is easily proved generally:
L
[
eatf(t)
]
=
∫∞
0
f(t)eate−stdt
=
∫∞
0
f(t)e−(s−a)tdt
=f ̄(s−a). (13.60)
As it were, multiplyingf(t)byeatmoves the origin ofsby an amounta.