Lack of BV bounds for approximate solutions to the \(p\)-system with large data (Q2441685)

The authors study \(p\)-system of isentropic gas dynamics in Lagrangian coordinates with one spatial variable (pressure is a nonlinear function of velocity). Considering a front-tracking approximation of the system with initial data with large BV initial data, allowing an error in the velocity of the outgoing wave fronts with fixed strength, the authors show that the total strength (or total variation) of waves can approach infinity in finite time. This is proved by constructing counter-examples.