The 1D Heat Equation on the Real Line

The Gauss-Weierstrass Kernel


The Gauss-Weierstrass Kernel Gt(x) = 1/(2 π t)1/2 exp(-x2/2t)

Initial conditions: Heaviside step function: h(x)= { 0 if x < 0; 1 if x ≥ 0
Solution by Gaussian Convolution: u(x,t) = Gt*h(x)

Initial conditions: f(x) = h(x+2) - h(x-2)
Solution by Gaussian Convolution: u(x,t) = Gt*f(x)

Initial conditions: f(x) = h(x+2) +h(x) - 2 h(x-2)
Solution by Gaussian Convolution: u(x,t) = Gt*f(x)

These animations were generated using Waterloo MAPLE, and were optimized using the GIMP image manipulation program.


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