Feynman's Inverse Problem
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: We analyze an inverse problem for water waves posed by Richard Feynman in the BBC documentary Fun to Imagine. We show that the problem can be modeled as an inverse Cauchy problem for gravity-capillary waves, conduct a detailed analysis of the Cauchy problem, and give a uniqueness proof for the inverse problem. Somewhat surprisingly, this results in a positive answer to Feynman's question. In addition, we derive stability estimates for the inverse problem for both continuous and discrete measurements, propose a simple inversion method, and conduct numerical experiments to verify our results.
Source: SIAM Review
DOI: 10.1137/23m1611488
Author: Adrian Kirkeby
Language: English
Subfield: Mathematical Physics
Field: Mathematics
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4404147071