The Mach-number series expansion of the potential function for the two-dimensional flow of an inviscid, compressible, perfect, diatomic gas past a circular cylinder is obtained to 29 terms. Analysis of this expansion allows the critical Mach number, at which flow first becomes locally sonic, to be estimated as M* = 0.39823780 ± 0.00000001. Analysis also permits the following estimate of the radius of convergence of the series for the maximum velocity to be made: Mc = 0.402667605 ± 0.00000005, though we have been unable to determine the nature of the singularity of M = Mc. Since Mc exceeds M* by some 1.1%, it follows that this particular “airfoil” can possess a continuous range of shock-free potential flows above the critical Mach number. This result hopefully resolves a 70-year old controversy.

The likelihood ratio approach to the detection of small signals in the presence of noise is investigated in the case where the available data have been clipped. The statistic obtained is the ratio of orthant probabilities and appears intractable; accordingly an approximation to this statistic is developed by truncating an appropriate Taylor expansion. Approximations are obtained for the mean and variance of this modified statistic and compared with those obtained from computer simulations.

The problem of thermal ignition in a reactive slab with unsymmetric temperatures equal to 0 and T is considered. Steady state upper and lower solutions are constructed. It is found that T plays a critical role. Results similar to the case with symmetric boundary temperatures are expected when T is small. When T is sufficiently large, there is only one steady state upper or lower solution. The time dependent problem is then considered. Phenomena suggested by studying the upper and lower steady state solutions are confirmed.

It is shown that, for any round-robin tournament, one can find a pairing of the teams and allocate home and away matches so that only one member of each pair plays at home in each round.

The non-linear differential difference equation of the form

is investigated. This equation, with constant coefficients, is used to model the population level, N, of a single species, and incorporates two constant time lags T2 > T1 > 0; for example, regeneration and reproductive lags. The linear equation is investigated analytically, and some linear stability regions are described. The special case in which the two delay terms are equally important in self damping, B = C, is investigated in detail. Numerical solutions for this case show stable limit cycles, with multiple loops appearing when T2/T1 is large. These may correspond to splitting of major peaks in population density observations.

The solutions of the equations describing deep global convection on a rotating planet are discussed. The existence of generalized steady axisymmetric solutions is established. It is then shown that these are classical solutions when the heat source is sufficiently smooth. The solutions are shown to be unique when the heating is sufficiently weak and asymptotically stable when the shear is sufficiently small. Finally, the application of these results to Earth's atmosphere is discussed, with eddy viscosity replacing molecular viscosity.

Vacuum field equations in a scalar-tensor theory of gravitation, proposed by Ross, are obtained with the aid of a static plane-symmetric metric. A closed form exact solution to the field equations in this theory is presented which can be considered as an analogue of Taub's empty space-time in Einstein's theory.

The effect of an enclosed air cavity on the natural vibration frequencies of a rectangular membrane is investigated. The modes specified by an even integer are not affected. For the odd-odd modes, the frequency equation is found via a Green's function formulation and is solved to first order in a parameter representing the effect of the cavity of the rectangular drum. The frequencies are raised, with the fundamental being most affected. In the case of degeneracies, each degenerate mode contributes to the frequency shift, but the degeneracy itself is not broken to first order.

Experimental evidence shows that plane Couette flow becomes unstable when the Reynolds number R reaches certain critical values. Linear stability theory does not predict these observations and has been unable to locate these instabilities. A Chebyshev/QR numerical technique is used to investigate much higher values of R than those previously tested. In particular, values of R up to 108 are confidently tested, whereas previously values of R up to only 2 × 104 have been considered.