Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2021/prelims/mathematics-iv/7/b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford 2021 Prelims Mathematics IV 7 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
To find a critical point, apply multivariable Newton iteration to the gradient, rather than to the scalar value . The gradient and Hessian matrix areWrite the correction as . At , Newton's method in optimization requiresSubtracting the second equation from the first gives , so and . HenceThe gradient there isA critical point has not been found after one iteration.
At the alternative starting point , the Hessian matrix and gradient areThe correction would need to satisfy and simultaneously. This linear system is inconsistent. The standard iteration cannot take even its first step: the Hessian matrix is a singular matrix, and the required correction does not exist. This is a Newton correction compatibility condition failure, not merely an ambiguity between several corrections.
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