grandes-ecoles 2011 Q17
View
Let $a , b \in ] 0,2 \pi [$ such that $a < b$. We denote by $\phi _ { a , b } : \mathbb { R } \rightarrow \mathbb { R }$ the continuous $2 \pi$-periodic function defined as follows. The function $\phi _ { a , b }$ is zero on $[ 0 , a ]$ and $[ b , 2 \pi ]$. For every $t \in [ a , b ] , \phi _ { a , b } ( t ) = \sin ^ { 2 } \left( \frac { \pi } { b - a } ( t - a ) \right)$.
Recall that every non-empty open set of $] - 1,1 [ ^ { 2 }$ contains a rectangle of the form $] \cos b , \cos a [ \times ] \cos d , \cos c [$ where $0 < a < b < \pi$ and $0 < c < d < \pi$.
Consider the solution $x ( t ) = \sum _ { i = 1 } ^ { 2 } \cos \left( t \sqrt { \lambda _ { i } } + \varphi _ { i } \right) e _ { i }$ of (1) obtained by taking $c _ { 1 } = c _ { 2 } = 1$ in (2). Let $\Omega$ be a non-empty open set of $\left\{ u e _ { 1 } + v e _ { 2 } \mid u , v \in ] - 1,1 [ \right\}$. Prove that there exists $t \in [ 0 , + \infty [$ such that $x ( t ) \in \Omega$. (One may reason by contradiction and justify the existence of a function of the type $\left( \theta _ { 1 } , \theta _ { 2 } \right) \mapsto \phi _ { a , b } \left( \theta _ { 1 } \right) \phi _ { c , d } \left( \theta _ { 2 } \right) = \Phi \left( \theta _ { 1 } , \theta _ { 2 } \right)$ such that $\Phi ( \theta ( t ) )$ is zero for all $t \in [ 0 , + \infty [)$.