Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/paper-2/13/a/iii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 1 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2009 Paper 2 13 a iii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
The zero level set consists of the lines and . The height is positive where and negative where that product is negative. In each of the four resulting regions, closed nonzero contours surround its extremum; levels closer to zero extend further from the extremum towards the zero-level axes and towards large distance. The height tends to zero at infinity. The figure marks the four extrema and central saddle point, and includes the downhill path used below.
Contours, stationary points and the steepest downhill path on the Gaussian-weighted surface
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