Final answer:
D'Alembert's method is a technique used to find solutions to partial differential equations, such as the wave equation. We can then find the general solution by finding appropriate functions F and G.
Step-by-step explanation:
D'Alembert's method is a technique used to find solutions to partial differential equations, such as the wave equation. In this case, we have the wave equation ∂t² / ∂x² u = 4 ∂x² / ∂x² u.
To solve this equation using D'Alembert's method, we can introduce two new variables, ξ and η, defined as follows:
ξ = x - t, η = x + t
Using these variables, the wave equation can be rewritten as:
4(∂² / ∂ξ² - ∂² / ∂η²) u = 0
This is a homogeneous equation in ξ and η.
We can solve this equation by assuming a solution of the form u(ξ, η) = F(ξ) + G(η), where F and G are arbitrary functions.
We can then find the general solution by finding appropriate functions F and G.