Method of characteristics

In mathematics, the method of characteristics is a technique for solving particular partial differential equations. Typically, it applies to first-order equations, though in general characteristic curves can also be found for hyperbolic and parabolic partial differential equation. The method is to reduce a partial differential equation (PDE) to a family of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) along which the solution can be integrated from some initial data given on a suitable hypersurface.

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