Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2014/iii/paper-40/3/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 40 3 i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
A Grassmann variable is an odd generator of a Grassmann algebra: , so . For one generator, any function is . The Berezin integral is the linear operationThus integration extracts a coefficient, rather than assigning a length or volume. For many generators it extracts the coefficient of the highest-degree monomial with the sign fixed by the order of the measure. Odd coefficients and Grassmann derivatives must retain their order; exchanging two odd objects changes the sign.
This operation is invariant under odd translations, because a translation only changes terms of lower degree. For an invertible ordinary matrix and , the Grassmann change-of-variables formula isThe inverse Jacobian determinant, rather than the ordinary commuting-variable Jacobian, compensates for the factor multiplying the top monomial. Integration agrees with the appropriate ordered Grassmann derivatives, but the orientation must be specified when combining barred and unbarred variables.
New to topics? Read the docs here!