Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2002/iii/paper-65/2/a/solution

Because is a real symmetric positive-definite matrix, its inverse exists and all its eigenvalues are positive. Completing the square gives
The translation has unit Jacobian determinant. Choose an orthogonal matrix with , where . The change also has absolute Jacobian one. The remaining integral is the product of one-dimensional Gaussian integrals, each equal to . Consequently the linear-source multivariate Gaussian integral is
The determinant square root is the positive one, as required by convergence of the original real integral.

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