Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-continuous-optimisation-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2025/3/c/solution

For , the logarithmic barrier objective is
The domain of a function is a nonempty convex set by the same concavity argument as in part (a), with strict inequalities. Differentiating twice on gives
Here by convexity, by concavity, and each outer product is a positive semidefinite matrix. Hence , proving convexity on .
The domain qualification matters: the displayed real-valued logarithm expression is not defined on all of . The precise whole-space version is the extended-real convex function equal to on and outside .

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