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Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2018 Paper 1 3 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
For , the homogeneous solutions are . The left boundary condition selects , while boundedness at infinity selects on the right. Thus write for and for .
A unit Dirac delta distribution in the second derivative requires continuity of and a derivative jump of one:The second equation and the first give , so the Dirichlet half-line Green function for d2 minus 1 isThe second expression is also a method of images construction. Applying the Green's function to the forcing givesFor bounded forcing this is bounded, vanishes at zero and solves the equation; a bounded homogeneous solution vanishing at zero is zero, proving uniqueness. More general forcing is allowed when the integrals converge and the resulting function has the required growth. Arbitrary unbounded forcing need not admit a bounded solution; this distinction is relevant in part (b).
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2018 Paper 1 2 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Here and . LetTwo applications of integration by parts giveSolving these equations,Consequently the required amplitudes areThe stated initial velocity is nonzero at the fixed endpoints, whereas a classical solution differentiable there would require zero endpoint velocity. Thus it is understood on the open interval, or as an L2 space initial datum in the usual finite-energy solution. Its Fourier sine series takes value zero at the endpoints; this changes no initial energy or interior initial data.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2018 Paper 1 2 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
For each sine normal mode, the temporal characteristic equation is , with roots . Since , the first modes are overdamped and all higher modes are underdamped. No integer gives critical damping.
The zero initial displacement excludes the hyperbolic cosine and cosine terms. HencewhereTo impose the initial velocity, let be its Fourier sine series coefficients. Differentiating the expansion at gives for the overdamped modes and for the underdamped modes. These determine all coefficients. Despite the hyperbolic sine, the first modes decay: , so both temporal exponential rates are negative.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2018 Paper 1 2 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
For the linearly damped string, substitute and divide by :Thus separation of variables givesThe fixed-end Dirichlet boundary conditions require . Nonzero solutions are , with , . Neither nor a negative spatial eigenvalue produces a nonzero function obeying both endpoint conditions.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2018 Paper 1 10 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
For a nonzero admissible radial profile define the radial diffusion Rayleigh quotientMinimizing the numerator subject to introduces a multiplier . The Euler-Lagrange equation for isThe allowed variations vanish at , and the natural condition at the centre is zero radial flux. Thus the minimum, when attained, is the smallest decay eigenvalue . Equivalently, expansion in weighted-orthogonal eigenfunctions makes a weighted average of their decay eigenvalues. The Rayleigh-Ritz variational principle therefore givesAdmissible trial functions must obey the outer boundary condition, be nonzero and have finite weighted norm and energy; they need not solve the differential equation. If the diffusion operator has no lowest eigenfunction, the same variational argument bounds the infimum of its spectrum. Existence of a fundamental diffusion mode is an additional assumption for strongly vanishing diffusivity, not a consequence of the identity alone.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2018 Paper 1 10 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Multiply the separated Sturm-Liouville problem by real and apply integration by parts:The outer endpoint term vanishes because . At zero, regularity gives vanishing radial flux. This can be obtained from the equation without assuming a bounded derivative: let . Since and is bounded, has a finite limit at zero. If that limit were nonzero, positive bounded thermal diffusivity would make have fixed sign and magnitude at least a constant times sufficiently near zero, contradicting bounded . Hence , and in fact . This also forces for bounded .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2018 Paper 1 10 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Substitute into the axisymmetric heat equation and cancel the exponential:Thus the radial ordinary differential equation and its Sturm-Liouville form areThe weight in this Sturm-Liouville problem is therefore . The outer Dirichlet boundary condition is , and the physical solution is regular at the centre. The factor in the weighted inner product is also the radial part of the polar area element.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2018 Paper 1 1 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
First compute the curl directly:Reflection symmetry in makes the last component integrate to zero. The middle component gives the hemisphere's volume, soFor an independent surface integral, the closed boundary consists of the curved hemisphere and its flat base. The right-hand side in part (b) is .
On the curved part use spherical coordinates with and . There,The last component has zero angular integral. The first two components giveOn the base, and the outward normal vector is . Thus . In polar coordinates its integral isThe first components cancel, and therefore both required sides equal
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2018 Paper 1 1 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Take any constant vector . Its curl is zero, so part (a) and the divergence theorem givewhere is the outward unit normal vector. The scalar triple product identity rewrites the last integrand as . Since is arbitrary, equality of these scalar products implies the vector identity
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2018 Paper 1 1 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Apply the product rule in Einstein notation, using the Levi-Civita symbol to express the cross product:The third line uses a cyclic permutation of indices in the first term and an interchange of two indices in the second. Rearranging proves the divergence of a cross product identity:
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2017 Paper 2 9 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Squaring with the product law givesEquality to the identity matrix requires in . Since 2 has a multiplicative inverse modulo 5, this forces . The middle condition then gives , hence . ThereforeThis agrees with Lagrange's theorem: a group of odd order has no element of order two.
The subset specified by is not a subgroup. It omits the identity element. It also fails closure: both and lie in it, but their product is , whose coordinate is zero.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2017 Paper 2 9 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
A member of is . The multiplication law from part (a) becomesIt stays in and is unchanged when the two factors are exchanged, since . The identity lies in , and also lies in . Thus is an Abelian subgroup, namely the Abelian plane subgroup of a finite Heisenberg group in this coordinate convention.
There are five choices each for , soThis verifies Lagrange's theorem: the subgroup order divides the group order, and the number of distinct left cosets is five.
Explicitly, the map is a surjective group homomorphism to the additive group of , by the product formula. Its kernel of a group homomorphism is . Thus is even a normal subgroup; the five left cosets are the level sets for , with representatives . Each contains 25 elements, providing a direct count as well.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2017 Paper 2 9 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Write with in entry , in entry and in entry , and perform all arithmetic in the finite field . Direct multiplication givesThus the set is closed. Associativity comes from matrix multiplication. The identity element is , and solving the product formula for it givesBoth orders of multiplication with this inverse give the identity. Hence these matrices form a finite group, an instance of the Heisenberg group over a prime field. Each coordinate has five independent possibilities, with distinct triples giving distinct matrices, soThe explicit coordinate convention matters because the central coordinate is here; other descriptions of the Heisenberg group over a prime field may place the central coordinate last.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2017 Paper 2 8 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Let be the set of torsion elements of the given Abelian group. It contains the identity element, which has order one. If have orders , set . Commutativity permits powers of the product to split:Hence has finite order, dividing , and lies in . The nonempty set therefore satisfies the subgroup test and is a subgroup:This is the torsion subgroup. The proof uses commutativity exactly when rearranging the factors in ; one cannot use that step in an arbitrary noncommutative group. The subgroup need not itself be a finite set.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2017 Paper 2 8 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Observe that , and . Thus , while , and . The multiplication table, with the left factor labeling the row, isIt proves closure of the set. Associativity is inherited from matrix multiplication, is the identity element, and every element is its own inverse element. Therefore this set is a group. The table is symmetric, so it is an Abelian group; its three nonidentity elements have order two, identifying it as the Klein four-group .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2017 Paper 2 8 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Direct matrix multiplication gives and hence . It follows thatand . These six matrices are distinct; consequently no smaller positive power is the identity element. ThusProducts add exponents modulo six and . This verifies the cyclic group structure explicitly.
Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project
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