| Integral equations are encountered in various fields of science and numerous applications (in elasticity, plasticity, heat and mass transfer, oscillation theory, fluid dynamics, filtration theory, electrostatics, electrodynamics, biomechanics, game theory, control, queuing theory, electrical engineering, economics, medicine, etc.).
Exact (closed-form) solutions of integral equations play an important role in the proper understanding of qualitative features of many phenomena and processes in various areas of natural science. Lots of equations of physics, chemistry and biology contain functions or parameters which are obtained from experiments and hence are not strictly fixed. Therefore, it is expedient to choose the structure of these functions so that it would be easier to analyze and solve the equation. As a possible selection criterion, one may adopt the requirement that the model integral equation admit a solution in a closed form. Exact solutions can be used to verify the consistency and estimate errors of various numerical, asymptotic, and approximate methods. |
