*Department of Mathematics, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology
**School of Mathematics and Actuarial Science, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology
***Department of Mathematics
Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 65M06; Secondary 65M12, 65M12, 65L12, 65M22
A wave motion is the transmission of energy from one place to another through a material or a vacuum. Wave motion may occur in many forms such as water waves, sound waves, radio waves, light waves among other forms. In this paper, we use finite difference method to solve the third order viscous wave equation
utt = uxx + uxxt, 0 < x < ∞,t > 0
where x is the distance along the axis of propagation and t denotes time, subject to boundary conditions
u(0,t) = f(t), u(∞,t) = t > 0
and initial conditions
u(x,0) = 0, ut(x,0) = 0
The results we have obtained agree with the reality that sound wave propagation in viscous fluids is damped.
Sound wave, wave equation, finite difference method
