Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 12 4 Solution 2026-10-14
For the unrestricted zero sequence, introduce the Weierstrass elementary factorsFor , cancellation of the first terms of the logarithm power series gives a holomorphic logarithm of the factor:Define the canonical productFix any compact disc . Since , eventually uniformly on this disc. The tail logarithms are then bounded by , a summable bound independent of . Their sum is holomorphic by locally uniform convergence of holomorphic functions, and its exponential is nowhere zero. Multiplication by the finite initial product therefore gives an entire function. Each factor has a simple zero exactly at its specified , the exponential factor has none, and a tail beginning beyond any given compact disc is nonvanishing there. Thus has precisely the prescribed zeros and no others, each simple, and . This proves the required existence without an assumption on .
For the final, unheaded product request, suppose now that . On , all sufficiently late factors have , so part (a) bounds their principal complex logarithms by . The logarithms converge absolutely and uniformly; infinite product convergence from logarithmic tails proves thatis entire and again has exactly the prescribed simple zeros. For its finite partial products,Passing to the limit provesIn particular is an entire function of exponential type. This argument uses a valid modulus estimate and does not require the false logarithm assertion in part (c).
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 12 1 Solution 2026-10-14
Choose , and . On this smaller closed polydisc, the holomorphic function and its -derivative are bounded; write and . Choose with and , replacing a zero bound by any positive upper bound if necessary, and choose .
Consider functions continuous on , jointly holomorphic in the interior, with and . This is a closed subset of a Banach space in the supremum norm. The integral operatoris well defined on the straight segment and is jointly holomorphic. Indeed, it equals , an integral of jointly holomorphic functions locally uniformly bounded in both variables. Convexity of the -disc and the derivative bound giveThus the Banach fixed-point theorem gives a fixed point . More explicitly, the successive integral iterates starting from zero converge uniformly, and locally uniform convergence of holomorphic functions makes their limit jointly holomorphic. Differentiating the integral equation gives the required complex ordinary differential equation and initial value. This proves local existence, uniqueness and joint holomorphic dependence on . Uniqueness among arbitrary local solutions follows first on a small disc where their values stay within , by the same contraction mapping estimate, and then throughout their common connected domain by the identity theorem.
For holomorphic dependence of ordinary differential equations on parameters in the initial value, fix an admissible initial value and put . The equation becomesIts right-hand side is jointly holomorphic in near . The preceding construction supplies a common disc and a jointly holomorphic solution for near . Consequently is jointly holomorphic in and its initial value .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 11 4 Solution 2026-10-14
Take a nonzero complex unital Banach algebra, with identity . The spectrum of an element isThe standard Banach algebra spectrum theorem states that it is a nonempty compact subset of , contained in the disk . Conversely, every nonempty compact set occurs: in the Banach algebra , the coordinate function has Banach algebra spectrum exactly , since has a continuous reciprocal precisely when . Thus the possible Banach algebra spectra are exactly the nonempty compact subsets of the complex plane.
For a nonconstant polynomial , factor over . Substitution givesThese factors commute. A finite commuting product is invertible exactly when every factor is invertible: if is invertible, its inverse commutes with each , and is a two-sided inverse. Hence belongs to the Banach algebra spectrum of exactly when some root belongs to , which is equivalent to . Constant polynomials give the same result directly, since . This proves the polynomial spectral mapping theorem:For a closed unital Banach subalgebra , use the common identity . An inverse in is an inverse in , so . Let . Choose tending to . Then , and . If were outside , continuity of inversion in would givewhere membership follows from closedness. This would make , contrary to the closed Banach algebra spectrum having its boundary inside it. Therefore and is approached by points outside that Banach algebra spectrum, provingContinuity of inversion here follows, for example, by writing a nearby element as an invertible element times a norm-small perturbation and using the Neumann series. This is spectrum in a closed unital subalgebra.
To retain the original Banach algebra spectrum in a commutative subalgebra, take the resolvent-generated commutative algebraEvery generator commutes with and with every other generator: commuting invertible elements have commuting inverses, and their inverses commute with all elements commuting with them. commutativity persists on the algebra they generate and on its norm closure. For every , the required inverse is in by construction, so . The inclusion for unital subalgebras gives the reverse containment. Hence .
Finally, the Banach subalgebra generated by one element is , and it is commutative. Put and suppose its complement has a bounded connected component . The boundary of lies in . For , the maximum modulus principle on a bounded domain applied to any polynomial givesHere is the spectral radius, and the equality uses the already proved polynomial spectral mapping theorem. Define . The displayed bound makes this well defined, even when two polynomials represent the same algebra element, and bounded on the dense polynomial algebra. Its continuous extension to remains linear and multiplicative, with and , so it is a character of an algebra. If were invertible in , applying to its inverse equation would give . Thus , contradicting .
There are therefore no bounded complementary components. A compact subset of the plane has exactly one unbounded complementary component: everything outside a sufficiently large disk is connected, and every unbounded component meets it. Consequently
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 4 22F Solution 2026-10-14
Let and choose with . The parallelogram identity givesCompleteness and closedness give , attaining the distance. Put . For and real , minimality gives , so . In a complex Hilbert space, also replace with to get the imaginary part zero. ThereforeThe decomposition is unique since . This proves the required orthogonal projection result rather than assuming it before the averaging argument.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 3 30A Solution 2026-10-14
If never vanishes on , integration by parts gives , hence for smooth . Endpoint terms usually attain this order; special cancellation can give faster decay.
For the final integral, take the imaginary part of . Its sole stationary point is , with and . The stationary phase formula in part (a) therefore gives
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 3 25I Solution 2026-10-14
An irreducible continuous-time Markov chain is positive recurrent when the mean return time to a state is finite, and null recurrent when return occurs almost surely but the mean return time is infinite. For the nonexplosive chain here, whose rates are bounded, positive recurrence is equivalent to existence of a normalized stationary distribution. All rates are understood to be positive.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 3 14A Solution 2026-10-14
For a positively oriented simple closed curve on which the vector field is nonzero, its Poincaré index is the total rotation of the vector field along that curve divided by , equivalently the winding number of its normalized direction. The Poincaré index of an isolated fixed point is that of a sufficiently small enclosing curve containing no other fixed point. The index of a planar periodic orbit is .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 2 11F Solution 2026-10-14
Let be the constant function and define . Positivity gives . Fix any and any continuous . The function vanishes at , so the zero-preserving assumption gives . By linearity this is . Since was arbitrary,This proves the zero-preserving linear operator on continuous functions representation. Zero preservation and linearity determine the multiplication operator; positivity is needed only for the multiplier's sign. The three numbered conditions in the source are hypotheses of this one request, rather than three separate subquestions.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 1 36A Solution 2026-10-14
Let be the rate-of-strain tensor. A Newtonian fluid has a linear isotropic constitutive law for its viscous stress tensor. To determine its form, diagonalize the symmetric tensor . Rotations by about its principal axes leave fixed, forcing its stress response to be diagonal as well. Linearity and symmetry under permutations of the axes force each diagonal entry to be , with the same constants for each axis. Rotating back gives . Since incompressibility means , adding the arbitrary isotropic pressure givesAt a material interface between ordinary viscous fluids without interfacial slip, velocity is continuous, and its normal component equals the interface's normal speed. Tangential traction is continuous when surface tension is constant. Normal traction has the curvature-dependent surface tension jump; in a convention defining signed curvature by the balance, . With no surface tension, the full traction is continuous. At rigid stationary walls the no-slip boundary condition imposes zero velocity.
Put and seek . The convective acceleration vanishes, and the Navier-Stokes equations reduce to , with . continuity of velocity and tangential traction at gives a common interface velocity and a common shear integration constant :Imposing givesThe velocity has no normal component, so the flat interface remains stationary, and its normal stresses match because pressure is common. These expressions give the two-layer plane Poiseuille flow with unequal viscosities.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 1 17F Solution 2026-10-14
Euler characteristic for a finite connected plane graph is . For a simple connected planar graph with , each facial boundary has length at least three and the total boundary length is , so . Combining gives , and therefore average degree of a graph . Some vertex has degree at most five. Components of size one or two have this property directly, so every nonempty finite simple planar graph has .
Prove five colour theorem by induction on vertex count. Remove a vertex of degree at most five and colour the remaining planar graph with five colours. If its neighbours use fewer than five colours, assign an unused colour to . Otherwise its five neighbours occur in cyclic order around with colours . If no path of colours connects to , interchange these colours in the component of , freeing colour 1 at .
If such a path exists, a simple path together with and makes a Jordan curve. The cyclic order puts and on opposite sides. A path of colours between them would have to cross the curve, impossible in the plane embedding; it cannot meet the differently coloured path or use the removed vertex. Interchange colours in the component of , freeing colour 2 at . The colouring extends in every case. Thus for finite simple planar graphs. The usual simple-graph convention is needed: loops would invalidate a proper-colouring assertion.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ib Paper 4 9H Solution 2026-10-14
The communicating classes are , and . The class is open: it can reach or and cannot be reached from either. To remain in for two steps has probability , so for . Its states are transient states. All returns within have even length and a two-step return is possible, so their period of a state in a Markov chain is .
The closed communicating class alternates deterministically between and , and therefore consists of positive recurrent states of period . The class is finite, closed and irreducible, so its states are also positive recurrent states. The self-loop at gives period there, and the period is constant on a communicating class, so every state of has period .
For , solve the stationary distribution equations:Hence . Finite irreducibility and aperiodicity imply convergence to this stationary distribution from any state of . If is the probability of eventually entering , the Markov property givesso and . Conditioning on the finite entrance time and then letting the remaining time tend to infinity proves that the limiting probabilities in are . The probability of entrance after a large cutoff tends to zero, which justifies this conditioning limit.
For , convergence depends on the parity balance on entry to a period-two Markov class. Entry always occurs at . Starting from , the probabilities of first entry at time and at time are both . Each parity therefore has total probability , so both and tend to , despite the recurrent class being periodic. Starting from , the corresponding odd- and even-entry probabilities are and , with totals and . Consequentlyso neither limit exists. From or , the probabilities at and alternate between zero and one; from they are identically zero. Finally every probability of being in tends to zero, from all starting states.
All requested conclusions are encoded below, with denoting a nonexistent limit:The class classification is : transient, period ; : recurrent, period ; : recurrent, period .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ib Paper 4 17C Solution 2026-10-14
If the primed frame moves at speed in the positive direction relative to the unprimed frame, the one-dimensional Lorentz transformation isFor a trajectory with velocity , differentiating these expressions gives . Solving for , when the particle has primed-frame speed , proves the relativistic velocity-addition formulaFor the train problem the sign of the frame velocity reverses: the train frame moves at relative to the station frame . Put . The transformation appropriate to the subsequent parts is therefore
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ib Paper 4 12G Solution Created 2026-10-14 Updated 2026-11-05
For a parametrized curve on the surface, the energy of a curve iswhere the first fundamental form coefficients are evaluated at . A fixed-endpoint variation of a curve has coordinate variation fields vanishing at . Differentiating under the integral and integrating their derivative terms by parts givesThe fields can be chosen independently with compact support in . Stationarity and the fundamental lemma of the calculus of variations therefore force both coefficients to vanish. These Euler-Lagrange equations are the geodesic equations:
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