Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2016/ib/paper-4/3g/b/solution

The contraction mapping theorem states that a contraction mapping of a nonempty complete metric space into itself has a unique fixed point . For any starting point , the iterates converge to , with the quantitative estimate
Completeness and the self-map condition are essential: the geometric estimate makes the iterates a Cauchy sequence, completeness supplies their limit in , and continuity of the contraction mapping makes that limit a fixed point. If two fixed points existed, their distance would be at most times itself, forcing equality of the points.

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