Conformal mapping as an aid for solving problems in physics

Abstract

Most of the relevant physics problems involve differential equations. A special class of problems is those that involve second-order partial differential equations. The Laplace equation, for example, is fundamental in electrostatics, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics. In many cases, obtaining the solution to the Laplace equation is difficult with the frequently used methods, namely: separation of variables and the method of images. In this work, we will present the conformal transformations as an additional tool that, in certain cases, is much simpler to use. As this tool is often overlooked in regular exact courses, our goal is to help fill this gap by presenting a didactic, introductory, and an easily understood text to the interested public.

Keywords
conformal mapping; Laplace’s equation; physics problems; complex variables