Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2014/iii/paper-5/3/a/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 5 3 a ii Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Subtract the two weak solution identities and test with their difference . ThenA Sobolev function with zero weak gradient is constant on each connected component. One justification is to mollify locally: each mollification has zero gradient and is constant on its ball, and overlaps identify the constants; taking limits gives the original assertion. Since is connected, is one constant on .
Conversely, adding a constant changes neither the weak derivative nor the weak identity. The solution is unique up to an additive constant.
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