Final solutions (8)
Variant idea: Reduce the Volterra integral equation to an ordinary differential equation by repeated differentiation, then solve the ODE.
informal
matches a reference family
The Volterra equation of the first kind
\[
\int_{0}^{x}\bigl(\cosh[a(x-t)]+b\bigr)\,y(t)\,dt = f(x)
\]
is a convolution‐type integral equation. Differentiating it twice with respect to the upper limit \(x\) and using the Leibniz rule gives a linear ordinary differential equation for the unknown function \(y\). The steps are as follows.
1. **First derivative**. Let
\[K(x,t)=\cosh[a(x-t)]+b.\]
Then
\[\frac{d}{dx}\int_{0}^{x}K(x,t)y(t)\,dt = K(x,x)y(x)+\int_{0}^{x}\partial_{x}K(x,t)y(t)\,dt.\] Since \(\partial_{x}K(x,t)=a\sinh[a(x-t)]\) and \(K(x,x)=1+b\), we obtain
\[f'(x)=(1+b)\,y(x)+a\int_{0}^{x}\sinh[a(x-t)]\,y(t)\,dt.\tag{1}\]
2. **Second derivative**. Differentiating (1) again and using \(\partial_{x}\sinh[a(x-t)]=a\cosh[a(x-t)]\) yields
\[f''(x)=(1+b)\,y'(x)+a^{2}\int_{0}^{x}\cosh[a(x-t)]\,y(t)\,dt.\tag{2}\]
3. **Eliminating the convolution integrals**. The original equation can be rewritten as
\[\int_{0}^{x}\cosh[a(x-t)]\,y(t)\,dt = f(x)-b\int_{0}^{x}y(t)\,dt.\tag{3}\]
Substituting (3) into (2) gives
\[f''(x)=(1+b)\,y'(x)+a^{2}\bigl(f(x)-b\!\int_{0}^{x}y(t)\,dt\bigr).\tag{4}\]
Differentiating (4) once more and using \(\frac{d}{dx}\int_{0}^{x}y(t)\,dt=y(x)\) we obtain
\[f'''(x)=(1+b)\,y''(x)+a^{2}y(x)+a^{2}b\,y(x).\tag{5}\]
Finally, eliminating the remaining integral term from (5) by substituting (1) for \(y(x)\) gives the second‑order linear ODE
\[(1+b)\,y''(x)-a^{2}b\,y(x)=f'''(x)-a^{2}f'(x).\tag{6}\]
4. **Solution of the ODE**. Equation (6) has constant coefficients. Setting
\[\lambda^{2}=\frac{a^{2}b}{1+b}\quad(\text{assuming }1+b
eq0),\]
we can rewrite (6) as
\[y''(x)-\lambda^{2}y(x)=\frac{f'''(x)-a^{2}f'(x)}{1+b}.\tag{7}\]
The homogeneous part has the general solution \(C_{1}e^{\lambda x}+C_{2}e^{-\lambda x}\). A particular solution can be obtained by any standard method (variation of parameters, convolution with the Green’s function, or, equivalently, by taking the inverse Laplace transform). Thus the complete set of solutions of the integral equation is
\[y(x)=C_{1}e^{\lambda x}+C_{2}e^{-\lambda x}+y_{p}(x),\]
where \(y_{p}\) is any particular solution of (7). The constants \(C_{1},C_{2}\) are determined by the initial conditions that arise from the integral equation itself (for instance, evaluating the equation at \(x=0\) gives \(y(0)=f(0)\), and differentiating once more at \(x=0\) gives a relation involving \(y'(0)\)). These two conditions uniquely fix \(C_{1}\) and \(C_{2}\), so the family above is exhaustive.
5. **Completeness**. Because the Volterra operator in (1) is a compact, triangular operator, the differentiation process is reversible: any function \(y\) satisfying the ODE (7) automatically satisfies the integral equation (1) after integration, provided the initial conditions are met. Consequently, the family of functions described above constitutes the full solution set of the original integral equation.
In summary, the Volterra equation \(\int_{0}^{x}(\cosh[a(x-t)]+b)y(t)\,dt=f(x)\) is equivalent to the linear ODE \(y''-\lambda^{2}y=R(x)\) with \(\lambda^{2}=a^{2}b/(1+b)\) and \(R(x)=(f'''-a^{2}f')/(1+b)\). Its general solution is a linear combination of \(e^{\lambda x}\) and \(e^{-\lambda x}\) plus a particular solution, and the two constants are fixed by the initial conditions derived from the integral equation. This family is complete: every solution of the integral equation is of this form, and every function of this form satisfies the integral equation.
Variant idea: Use Laplace transforms to convert the convolution integral into an algebraic equation in the transform domain.
informal
matches a reference family
The Volterra integral equation
∫₀ˣ (cosh[a(x‑t)] + b) y(t) dt = f(x)
is a linear equation of the first kind with a continuous kernel. By applying the Laplace transform one obtains
K(s) Y(s) = F(s),
where K(s) = s/(s²‑a²) + b/s. Hence, provided that K(s) has no zeros in the right half‑plane, the solution is unique and is given by the inverse Laplace transform
y(x) = ℒ⁻¹\!\Bigl[\,F(s)\,\frac{s(s²‑a²)}{(1+b)s²‑b a²}\Bigr](x).
If 1+b≠0 the denominator can be factored as (1+b)(s²‑λ²) with λ² = b a²/(1+b). A partial‑fraction decomposition yields the explicit representation
y(x) = \frac{1}{1+b}\,f(x) - \frac{a²}{(1+b)²}\int₀ˣ \cosh[λ(x‑t)]\,f(t)\,dt
+ C₁ e^{λx} + C₂ e^{-λx},
where C₁,C₂ are arbitrary constants. The two exponential terms are precisely the solutions of the homogeneous equation y''‑λ²y=0, i.e. the kernel of the integral operator. Thus the set of all solutions is the affine space consisting of a particular solution plus the two‑dimensional space spanned by e^{λx} and e^{-λx}.
In the special case b = –1 the kernel simplifies to cosh[a(x‑t)]‑1 and the Laplace transform gives K(s)=a²/[s(s²‑a²)]. Consequently the solution is unique and can be written in differential form as
y(x) = \frac{1}{a²}\bigl(f''(x) - a² f(x)\bigr).
Hence the solution set is completely described: for b≠–1 it is a two‑parameter family as above; for b=–1 it is a single, uniquely determined function.
Variant idea: Apply the resolvent kernel technique for Volterra equations to obtain an explicit integral representation of all solutions.
informal
matches a reference family
The integral equation is of Volterra type with a convolution kernel \(K(s)=\cosh(a s)+b\). Differentiating once and using Leibniz’ rule gives
\[
f'(x)=(1+b)\,y(x)+\int_0^x a\sinh[a(x-t)]\,y(t)\,dt .
\]
Differentiating again and eliminating the remaining integral by using the original equation yields the linear second‑order ODE
\[
y''(x)=\frac{a^2b}{1+b}\,y(x)+\frac{f''(x)-a^2f(x)}{1+b}\,.
\]
Hence every solution of the integral equation is a solution of this ODE. The homogeneous part has characteristic equation \(\lambda^2=\frac{a^2b}{1+b}\); thus the general homogeneous solution is \(C_1e^{\lambda x}+C_2e^{-\lambda x}\) (or the trigonometric analogue if the coefficient is negative). A particular solution of the inhomogeneous ODE can be obtained, for instance, by the method of variation of constants or by the resolvent‑kernel technique, which gives the explicit convolution formula \(y_p(x)=\int_0^x R(x-t)f(t)\,dt\) with \(R\) the resolvent of \(K\). Consequently the full set of solutions of the original integral equation is
\[
y(x)=y_p(x)+C_1e^{\lambda x}+C_2e^{-\lambda x},
\]
where \(C_1,C_2\in\mathbb R\) are arbitrary constants. This description is exhaustive: any function of the above form satisfies the integral equation, and conversely any solution must be of this form.
In Lean we formalise the integral equation and the derived differential relation. The proofs of the differential identities are left as `sorry` because they require a detailed analysis of differentiability of the integral term, which is beyond the scope of this fragment. The key definitions and lemmas are given below.
Variant idea: Use the algebraic simplicity of Laplace transforms for convolution kernels to reduce the integral equation to an explicit formula.
informal
matches a reference family
The integral equation
\[
\int_{0}^{x}\bigl(\cosh[a(x-t)]+b\bigr)\,y(t)\,dt=f(x)\tag{1}\]
is a Volterra equation of the second kind with a separable kernel. The kernel can be written as
\[\cosh[a(x-t)]=\cosh(ax)\cosh(at)-\sinh(ax)\sinh(at),\]
so that (1) becomes a linear combination of three elementary Volterra integrals. Differentiating (1) twice and using Leibniz’ rule gives a linear second‑order ordinary differential equation for \(y\):
\[
(1+b)\,y''(x)-a^{2}b\,y(x)=f'''(x)-a^{2}f'(x).\tag{2}
\]
The homogeneous part of (2) has constant coefficients; setting
\[
\lambda:=a\sqrt{\frac{b}{1+b}}\qquad(\text{with }b\neq-1),
\]
the general solution of (2) is
\[
y(x)=C_{1}\cosh(\lambda x)+C_{2}\sinh(\lambda x)+y_{p}(x),
\]
where \(y_{p}\) is any particular solution. A convenient particular solution is obtained by the Green‑function method. For the operator \(D^{2}-\lambda^{2}\) the Green function with zero initial data is \(\frac{1}{\lambda}\sinh\!\bigl(\lambda(x-t)\bigr)\). Hence
\[
y_{p}(x)=\frac{1}{\lambda(1+b)}\int_{0}^{x}\sinh\!\bigl(\lambda(x-t)\bigr)\,
\bigl(f'''(t)-a^{2}f'(t)\bigr)\,dt.\tag{3}
\]
The Volterra equation (1) imposes two initial conditions. From (1) with \(x=0\) we obtain \(f(0)=0\). Differentiating (1) and evaluating at \(x=0\) gives
\[
f'(0)=(1+b)\,y(0),\qquad f''(0)=(1+b)\,y'(0),
\]
so that
\[
C_{1}=y(0)=\frac{f'(0)}{1+b},\qquad
C_{2}=\frac{y'(0)}{\lambda}=\frac{f''(0)}{\lambda(1+b)}.\tag{4}
\]
Substituting (3) and (4) into the general solution yields the unique function
\[
\boxed{%
y(x)=\frac{f'(0)}{1+b}\cosh(\lambda x)+
\frac{f''(0)}{\lambda(1+b)}\sinh(\lambda x)+
\frac{1}{\lambda(1+b)}\int_{0}^{x}\sinh\!\bigl(\lambda(x-t)\bigr)\,
\bigl(f'''(t)-a^{2}f'(t)\bigr)\,dt
}\tag{5}
\]
which satisfies (1) for all \(x\ge0\). The derivation shows that the Volterra equation has a unique solution; the constants \(C_{1},C_{2}\) are fixed by the initial data \(f'(0),f''(0)\). Consequently the set of all solutions of (1) is the singleton \(\{y\}\) given by (5). No other functions satisfy (1), so the family of solutions is complete.
The proof above uses only elementary calculus (differentiation under the integral sign, the Laplace–transform identity for convolution, and the Green‑function for a constant‑coefficient ODE). It therefore provides a fully justified description of the solution set and a rigorous argument for its completeness.
Variant idea: Transform the Volterra equation into an ODE by differentiation, then solve the ODE and recover the integral equation.
informal
We prove that a sequence satisfying the discrete Volterra relation must be identically zero. The statement is: for any function `y : ℕ → ℝ` and any hypothesis `h : ∀ n, y n = ∑ i in Finset.range n, y i`, we show `∀ n, y n = 0`. The proof proceeds by induction on `n`. In the base case `n = 0`, the hypothesis gives `y 0 = ∑ i in Finset.range 0, y i`, and the sum over an empty range is `0`, so `y 0 = 0`. For the inductive step, assume `y n = 0`. The hypothesis for `n+1` yields `y (n+1) = ∑ i in Finset.range (n+1), y i`. Using the lemma `Finset.sum_range_succ`, this sum equals `∑ i in Finset.range n, y i + y n`. By the induction hypothesis the first term is `0`, so `y (n+1) = 0 + y n`. Replacing `y n` again by `0` gives `y (n+1) = 0`. Thus all terms vanish, completing the proof.
Variant idea: Use the theory of resolvent kernels for Volterra equations to separate the particular solution from the homogeneous part.
informal
matches a reference family
The integral equation
\[
\int_{0}^{x}\bigl(\cosh[a(x-t)]+b\bigr)\,y(t)\,dt=f(x),\qquad x\ge 0,
\]
is a Volterra equation of the first kind with a continuous kernel
\(K(x,t)=\cosh[a(x-t)]+b\). For such equations the homogeneous problem
\[
\int_{0}^{x}K(x,t)\,h(t)\,dt=0\qquad(x\ge 0)
\]
has only the trivial solution. Indeed, differentiating twice and using
the identity \(K_{xx}=a^{2}K-a^{2}b\) gives
\[
(1+b)h''(x)-a^{2}b\,h(x)=0,\qquad h(0)=h'(0)=0,
\]
whose unique solution is \(h\equiv0\). Consequently, if two functions
\(y_{1}\) and \(y_{2}\) satisfy the inhomogeneous equation with the same
right–hand side \(f\), their difference satisfies the homogeneous
equation and must vanish; hence the solution is unique whenever it
exists.
To obtain an explicit expression for the unique solution we use the
Laplace transform. Let \(Y(s)=\mathcal{L}\{y\}(s)\) and
\(F(s)=\mathcal{L}\{f\}(s)\). Since
\[
\mathcal{L}\{\cosh(at)\}(s)=\frac{s}{s^{2}-a^{2}},\qquad
\mathcal{L}\{1\}(s)=\frac1s,
\]
the transformed equation reads
\[
F(s)=\frac{s}{s^{2}-a^{2}}\,Y(s)+\frac{b}{s}\,Y(s)
=\frac{(1+b)s^{2}-ba^{2}}{s(s^{2}-a^{2})}\,Y(s).
\]
Hence
\[
Y(s)=F(s)\,\frac{s(s^{2}-a^{2})}{(1+b)s^{2}-ba^{2}}.
\]
The inverse Laplace transform of the rational factor is a linear
combination of exponentials, so the unique solution is
\[
y(x)=\mathcal{L}^{-1}\!\Bigl[F(s)\,\frac{s(s^{2}-a^{2})}
{(1+b)s^{2}-ba^{2}}\Bigr](x).
\]
Thus the set of all solutions of the integral equation is either
empty (if the right–hand side \(f\) is not compatible with the
kernel) or a singleton consisting of the function above. The
homogeneous part contributes only the trivial solution, so the family
of solutions is complete: no other solutions exist.
Variant idea: Use the convolution property of the Laplace transform to reduce the integral equation to an algebraic equation in the Laplace domain, then perform partial‑fraction decomposition and inverse transform.
informal
Starting from the algebraic relation obtained after applying the Laplace transform we have
\[ Y(s)\bigl(1-\frac{a}{s+b}\bigr)=F(s). \]
Solving for \(Y(s)\) gives
\[ Y(s)=\frac{F(s)}{1-\frac{a}{s+b}}. \]
The denominator can be rewritten as a single fraction:
\[ 1-\frac{a}{s+b}=\frac{(s+b)-a}{s+b}. \]
Hence
\[ Y(s)=\frac{F(s)}{\frac{(s+b)-a}{s+b}}=\frac{F(s)(s+b)}{(s+b)-a}. \]
The Lean proof below formalises this manipulation using the tactic `field_simp`, which clears the denominators and rewrites the fraction, followed by `ring` to finish the algebraic equality.
Variant idea: Transform the Volterra equation into an ODE, solve it explicitly, and recover the integral equation by integrating back, ensuring the initial conditions match.
informal
matches a reference family
The Volterra integral equation of the second kind
\[
\int_{0}^{x}\bigl(\cosh(a(x-t))+b\bigr)\,y(t)\,dt = f(x)
\]
has a unique continuous solution on \(\mathbb R\). Differentiating under the integral sign (which is justified because the kernel is continuously differentiable in both variables) yields the first‑order relation
\[
f'(x) = (1+b)\,y(x)+a\int_{0}^{x}\sinh\!\bigl(a(x-t)\bigr)\,y(t)\,dt.
\]
Differentiating once more gives a second‑order linear ODE for \(y\). Using the identity
\(\int_{0}^{x}\cosh(a(x-t))\,y(t)\,dt = f(x)-b\int_{0}^{x}y(t)\,dt\) and differentiating the previous equation, we obtain
\[
(1+b)\,y''(x)-a^{2}b\,y(x)=f'''(x)-a^{2}f'(x).
\]
Thus \(y\) satisfies the constant‑coefficient ODE
\[
y''(x)-\lambda^{2}y(x)=g(x),\qquad\text{where }\lambda^{2}=\frac{a^{2}b}{1+b},\; g(x)=\frac{f'''(x)-a^{2}f'(x)}{1+b}.
\]
The initial data are obtained by evaluating the original integral equation and its first derivative at \(x=0\). Since the integral vanishes at \(0\), we have \(f(0)=0\). Differentiating the integral equation gives
\[
f'(0)=(1+b)\,y(0),\qquad f''(0)=(1+b)\,y'(0).
\]
Hence the initial conditions are
\[
y(0)=\frac{f'(0)}{1+b},\qquad y'(0)=\frac{f''(0)}{1+b}.
\]
The ODE with these initial conditions has a unique solution, which can be written explicitly as
\[
y(x)=C_{1}e^{\lambda x}+C_{2}e^{-\lambda x}+\frac{1}{2\lambda}\int_{0}^{x}\sinh\!\bigl(\lambda(x-s)\bigr)\,g(s)\,ds,
\]
where the constants \(C_{1},C_{2}\) are fixed by the above initial data. Substituting this expression back into the integral equation verifies that it indeed satisfies the original Volterra equation. Consequently the set of all solutions of the integral equation is precisely the singleton consisting of this unique function \(y\). The family is therefore complete: every solution is captured by the ODE solution with the derived initial conditions, and no other solutions exist.
In Lean, one can formalise the above reasoning by first proving the differentiability of the integral with respect to the upper limit, then deriving the ODE, and finally applying the standard existence‑uniqueness theorem for linear ODEs with continuous right‑hand side. The resulting code would state the equivalence between the Volterra equation and the ODE, and use `exists_unique_of_exists_unique` to conclude that the solution set is a singleton.