Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2004/ia/paper-1/2c/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 ia Paper 1 2C Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Write , , . If , every and the claimed inequality is immediate. Otherwise the sum of squaresholds for every real . Choosing gives , and hence the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality in its stronger absolute-value form:In particular , as requested. For unit vectors, , so this same argument givesThe absolute value is essential for opposite-pointing vectors; it follows from the squared inequality without a sign assumption on their dot product.
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