Algorithm and mechanization to Cauchy problem of wave equation with linear damping and source terms (Q2489154)

The following Cauchy problem of the wave equation is investigated: \[ u_{tt}(x,y) - \Delta u(x,t) -\Delta u_t(x,t) +u_t(x,t) = f(x,t), \quad (x,t) \in \mathbb R^n \times \mathbb R_+ \] with initial condition of the type: \[ u(x,0)= \phi(x), u_t(x,0) = \psi(x) \quad x \in \mathbb R^n. \] Using the substitution \[ w(x,t) = u_t(x,t)+u(x,t) \] the problem can be reduced to a parabolic Cauchy problem. The main goal of the paper is the derivation of an explicit formula for the analytical solution of the original problem. This aim can be obtained under certain conditions on the right hand side function \(f(x,t)\) and the initial functions \(\phi(x)\) and \(\psi(x)\). Several examples are presented for illustrating the proposed method using the computational software MATLAB. A code for the third example is included in the paper, too.