Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/ii/paper-2/25h/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ii Paper 2 25H i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
For a regular simple closed plane curve of length enclosing area , the planar isoperimetric inequality is , with equality precisely for a circle.
The periodic Wirtinger inequality states that an absolutely continuous -periodic function of mean zero with square-integrable derivative satisfieswith equality only for a linear combination of and . Parametrize the curve by arc length and translate its position vector so that both coordinate means vanish. Then , since . Green's theorem and the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality giveEquality requires a first-harmonic parametrization and equality in Cauchy-Schwarz; its radius vector is a constant multiple of the rotated unit tangent. It is therefore a circle. Conversely, a circle attains equality.
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