Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2021/prelims/mathematics-ii/5/a/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford 2021 Prelims Mathematics II 5 a ii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
For , choose , . For , define the continuous functionIts values at the grid points have the telescoping sumIf one summand is zero, we already have a zero of . Otherwise the summands cannot all have the same sign, so two of these values have opposite signs. The intermediate value theorem between their arguments gives with . Set , . ThenThis is the horizontal chord of reciprocal-integer length property; the telescoping sum explains why reciprocal integers appear.
New to topics? Read the docs here!