Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2023/prelims/mathematics-ii/6/b/ii/solution

For every real , , so there is no fixed point. Direct differentiation gives
Writing , the inequality shows
In particular , but as . There is no common contraction constant smaller than one. Strict pointwise bounds on the derivative therefore do not suffice for the contraction mapping theorem.

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