Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/iii/paper-12/5/iv/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 iii Paper 12 5 iv Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Set . Since , the field is , and everywhere, even when the gradient of is unbounded. The divergence theorem on givesLetting proves . This is the fact that an entire bounded vector field cannot have nonzero constant divergence; it holds in every dimension.
The equation is now exactly the minimal surface equation for a graph. Apply the supplied Bernstein theorem for minimal graphs in dimensions to concludeThus no nonzero constant right-hand side is possible for an entire graph, and in the stated dimensions every possible graph is an affine plane.
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