Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/ia/paper-2/11f/c/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ia Paper 2 11F c Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Summing the geometric series for the offspring probability generating function givesThe fixed-point equation is , whose only root in is one. The Galton-Watson extinction fixed point result therefore proves extinction is certain.
For the explicit iterates, the proposed formula at is , so the base case holds. If it holds at , part (a) givesThis is exactly the same formula with replaced by . By induction,Evaluating the probability generating function at zero selects the mass of an empty generation:These probabilities increase to one, also confirming the extinction conclusion directly.
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