Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2002/ib/paper-2/10e/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 ib Paper 2 10E a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
The contraction mapping theorem says that a self-map of a nonempty complete metric space satisfying for a constant has exactly one fixed point. Apply it to to obtain with .
No continuity of itself is needed: composition givesThus is also a fixed point of , whose uniqueness forces . Conversely any fixed point of is fixed by , so it must equal . The unique fixed point of the contracting iterate is also the unique fixed point of . The usual nonempty-space hypothesis is necessary; an empty space has no fixed point.
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