Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2012/iii/paper-69/4/2/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 69 4 2 Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Every convergent member is also A-stable. For , put and calculate its boundary-locus test for multistep A-stability:The denominator never vanishes on the unit circle in this parameter interval. It follows thatTherefore no amplification root can cross the unit circle as moves in the open left half-plane. For small negative real , the root near one moves to , inside the circle; the other begins at , also strictly inside. The leading coefficient never vanishes in the left half-plane. Continuity of polynomial roots and connectedness of that half-plane now keep both roots inside everywhere. On its imaginary boundary the same locus has zero real part only at , corresponding to ; that root is simple because .
At , the two interlaced subsequences follow the trapezoidal rule with step :The right side has modulus at most one for . Its unit-circle roots are simple; the double zero at lies strictly inside and is harmless. Thus the endpoint is also A-stable. Combining this with part 1, the requested range is , including the BDF2 method at .
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