pde/advection_1d.viv

pi = 3.141592653589793
C = 1.0
NU = 0.5        #: NU  the Courant number c dt / dx

#| A smooth pulse on the ring.
def pulse(x) {
    return exp(-100.0 * (x - 0.5) * (x - 0.5))
}

#| Carry the pulse once around the ring with the upwind scheme; return what comes back.
def upwind_lap(n) {
    x = linspace(0.0, 1.0 - 1.0 / n, n)
    u = pulse(x)
    steps = n / (C * NU)
    for s to steps {
        u = u - NU * (u - roll(u, 1.0))
    }
    return u
}

#| The same trip with Lax-Wendroff.
def lax_wendroff_lap(n) {
    x = linspace(0.0, 1.0 - 1.0 / n, n)
    u = pulse(x)
    steps = n / (C * NU)
    for s to steps {
        right = roll(u, -1.0)
        left = roll(u, 1.0)
        u = u - 0.5 * NU * (right - left) + 0.5 * NU * NU * (right - 2.0 * u + left)
    }
    return u
}

#| L2 distance between what came back and what set out.
def lap_error(u, n) {
    x = linspace(0.0, 1.0 - 1.0 / n, n)
    d = u - pulse(x)
    return sqrt(sum(d * d) / n)
}

# upwind reaches its asymptotic order slowly, so it is measured on finer grids than it is drawn on
up1 = lap_error(upwind_lap(1600.0), 1600.0)
up2 = lap_error(upwind_lap(3200.0), 3200.0)
up_coarse = lap_error(upwind_lap(400.0), 400.0)
lw1 = lap_error(lax_wendroff_lap(200.0), 200.0)
lw2 = lap_error(lax_wendroff_lap(400.0), 400.0)
order_upwind = log(up1 / up2) / log(2.0)
order_lw = log(lw1 / lw2) / log(2.0)
show order_upwind
show order_lw
show up_coarse
show lw2

N = 200
X = linspace(0.0, 1.0 - 1.0 / N, N)
figure("One trip around the ring", "x", "u")
plot(X, pulse(X), "exact (the starting pulse)")
plot(X, upwind_lap(N), "upwind: it diffuses")
plot(X, lax_wendroff_lap(N), "Lax-Wendroff: it keeps its height")
style("exact (the starting pulse)", "dash")

test "upwind is first order (measured between n = 1600 and 3200: it gets there slowly)" {
    assert_near(order_upwind, 1.0, 0.05)
}
test "Lax-Wendroff is second order" {
    assert_near(order_lw, 2.0, 0.15)
}
test "at the same resolution Lax-Wendroff is more than ten times closer" {
    assert_lt(lw2 * 10.0, up_coarse)
}

# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT OR Apache-2.0
# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 The Viv authors