The exact solutions to the generalized (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear wave equation

Due to the importance of the nonlinear partial differential equations in applied physics and engineering, many mathematicians and physicists are interesting to the nonlinear partial differential equations. One of the main tasks of studying the nonlinear partial differential equations is to obtain the exact solutions for the nonlinear partial differential equations. In this paper, we study the exact solutions of a generalized (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear partial differential equation. According to the modified hyperbolic function method and the traveling transformation method, the generalized (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear partial differential equation is changed into an ordinary differential equation. By taking the homogeneous balance between the highest order nonlinear terms and the highest order derivative terms, we change the differential equation into an algebraic system. By solving the algebraic system, we obtain the solutions for the nonlinear partial differential equation. At last, some solutions and their figures are given by specific parameters. All the solutions conclude the trigonometric function solutions, the positive hyperbolic function solutions, and the hyperbolic trigonometric function solutions. These solutions exhibit the dynamics of nonlinear waves and the solutions are useful for the study on interaction behavior of nonlinear waves in shallow water, plasma, nonlinear optics and Bose–Einstein condensates.