Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2005/ib/paper-3/13b/solution

For a homogeneous function, fix and differentiate at . The chain rule gives
Conversely, assume this derivative identity throughout . Along a positive ray define . The ray stays in by hypothesis, and linearity of the derivative gives
Therefore is constant on the connected interval and equals . Hence for every positive . This proves Euler differential identity characterizes homogeneity; no connectedness assumption on the whole domain is needed.

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