Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2006/iii/paper-67/1/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2006 iii Paper 67 1 Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For , the Bernstein polynomial isThe weights sum to one by the binomial theorem. Equivalently, if has the binomial distribution with parameters , then . This interpretation makes the cancellation of apparent high-degree terms transparent.
For the falling factorial , with , direct cancellation in the binomial weights givesThe polynomials form a monic triangular basis of the degree-at-most- polynomials. Hence , andFor , its leading coefficient is . If has actual degree and leading coefficient , linearity shows that the leading coefficient of is ; lower-degree terms cannot cancel it. Thus the Bernstein polynomial degree preservation property givesThis includes the requested , and also explains why the property cannot simply be extended to .
The same moments give and . ThereforeThe first two approximation errors vanish identically, whileAll three convergences are consequently uniform convergence on .
New to topics? Read the docs here!