Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 7 d ii Solution by
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For , multiply the absolutely convergent Taylor series of the sine by the geometric series:The product is odd, so all even coefficients vanish. Collecting the coefficient of givesFor example, the first terms are . The denominator vanishes at , and the numerator is nonzero there, so these are genuine simple poles. Therefore is the radius of convergence.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 7 d i Solution by
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If , factor out and use the geometric series:ThusThe radius of convergence is the distance to the nearest singularity, the simple pole at . The case must be treated separately: the function is , has no Taylor series about zero and is already its own Laurent series on .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 5 d iii Solution by
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A real matrix is a Hermitian matrix exactly when it is a symmetric matrix. Since is orthogonal, this is equivalent to , or . A generic rotation does not satisfy this; for example , gives a nonsymmetric quarter-turn. Thus
The exceptions are the identity and half-turns, as characterized by real rotation matrices that are Hermitian. For this product, a half-turn occurs when either or is an odd multiple of ; the identity occurs when both are even multiples. For example, the half-turn condition follows from .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 5 d ii Solution by
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Both factors and their product are real, so the Hermitian conjugate equals the transpose. Part (i) therefore givesHence A real orthogonal matrix is always a unitary matrix.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 5 d i Solution by
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A product of orthogonal matrices is orthogonal. In fact,Thus Its determinant is also one, since each factor has determinant one, so it remains a proper rotation matrix.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 3 b ii Solution by
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Now is continuous, so has no delta contribution. Integrate its normalized differential equation over . The bounded lower-order terms have integrals tending to zero, while the integral of is the difference of the two one-sided first derivatives. Hence the jump condition isThe denominator is evaluated at the source point; it is not a variable left over after taking the limits. The positivity or negativity of this jump follows the sign convention used for the leading coefficient of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 3 b i Solution by
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Suppose the piecewise smooth Green function has jump . Its first distributional derivative then contains , and its second contains . In the normalized equation from part (a), the first-derivative term can supply a delta but no delta derivative. The right side has only a delta. Thus its delta-derivative coefficient must vanish:Equivalently, the two homogeneous branches must join continuously. This is the continuity part of the jump condition for a second-order Green function.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 10 d ii Solution by
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The added sine vanishes at zero. Its derivative at one is , so nontrivial admissible choices areNegative values give the same trial directions after changing the sign of ; adds nothing. For each choice, minimize the Rayleigh quotient of over , or optimize over several coefficients simultaneously. The original trial is included, so the best bound is no larger than . Enlarging the trial subspace successively is the Rayleigh-Ritz method; the boundary-compatible half-integer sines provide additional independent shapes.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 10 d i Solution by
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For the added trial term , the left Dirichlet boundary condition is automatic for a positive integer . At the right endpoint,To preserve for an arbitrary variational coefficient , choose . Then minimize the Rayleigh quotient of over .
Since remains available, this optimization cannot worsen the original upper bound. For , the added function is a multiple of the first trial, so the quotient does not change: an independent choice is needed for extra freedom. More generally, several such functions form the exponential-polynomial trial space for a mixed Sturm-Liouville problem, and the Rayleigh-Ritz method reduces minimization to a small generalized eigenvalue problem.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2020 Paper 1 8 b iv Solution by
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Split the inverse transform into the intervals and , and in each case pair the positive-frequency integral with its complex conjugate at negative frequency. The low-frequency pair becomessince and the decaying spatial factor is real. In the high-frequency positive half, replace by . The negative half is again its conjugate. Combining the two pieces givesEvery integrand satisfies the massive wave equation because . Linearity, and taking the real part, preserve the equation whenever differentiation under the integrals is justified, or distributionally under the corresponding spectral assumptions. The construction is exactly the real bounded Fourier modes of the Klein-Gordon equation decomposition.
The displayed expression uses ordinary spectral amplitudes. If distributions supported at are admitted, a further bounded threshold contribution , independent of , is possible. It is not a missing propagating or evanescent branch of the open frequency intervals.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2020 Paper 1 8 b iii Solution by
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Reality requires . The way it constrains the amplitudes depends on whether the spatial wave number is real or imaginary.
For , is real and even. Complex conjugation interchanges the two exponentials, so comparing independent spatial factors givesThe companion equation is the same constraint with frequency reversed and conjugated. Neither oscillatory spatial branch grows as .
For , put with . ThenBoundedness excludes the growing exponential, and reality then pairs the remaining amplitudes:These are the two independent low-frequency requirements. At threshold boundedness eliminates the separate linear-in- solution discussed in (ii). The constraints are understood for a Fourier transform representation in which spatial mode amplitudes are well defined; sufficient amplitude integrability also ensures the spectral integral itself is bounded.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2020 Paper 1 8 b ii Solution by
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At fixed frequency, the transformed equation has characteristic roots , whereFor a consistent explicit branch chooseThis branch is even in . Away from the two thresholds, the spatial solution is , so Fourier inversion givesAt , the spatial equation has a double zero characteristic root and its full solution is . The two exponentials at represent only its constant part. This isolated-frequency issue does not change an integral with ordinary integrable amplitudes; threshold-supported distributional modes require separate treatment.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2020 Paper 1 8 b i Solution by
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Transform in time, leaving as a parameter. Applying the derivative identity twice gives . ThereforeThese manipulations can be justified for sufficiently decaying smooth fields, or with distributional Fourier transforms when ordinary integrability is unavailable.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2020 Paper 1 8 a ii Solution by
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For real , complex conjugation commutes with its absolutely convergent Fourier integral:ThusThis Hermitian symmetry pairs the positive- and negative-frequency components of a real signal; its real part is even and its imaginary part is odd.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2020 Paper 1 8 a i Solution by
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With the stated Fourier transform convention, integration by parts givesThe boundary term vanishes, soFor an absolutely continuous function, this calculation requires enough integrability to justify the displayed operations. Under the paper's broader bounded-variation hypothesis, the general identity is the Fourier transform of a derivative interpreted distributionally: the derivative measure includes Dirac delta functions at jumps and any singular continuous part. If one instead differentiates only the smooth pieces and discards jumps, the formula needs the corresponding jump corrections. Absolute integrability and bounded variation ensure the limits of at both infinities are zero, but do not by themselves make its ordinary derivative capture those singular parts.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2020 Paper 1 6 a ii Solution by
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First move the order parameter term to the right-hand side:Here , , so the integrating factor obeysChoose the irrelevant positive constant . Multiplying the equation by givesThus a Sturm-Liouville theory eigenvalue formulation with the requested eigenvalue isThis is the Sturm-Liouville formulation with Bessel order as eigenvalue. The spectral parameter is the squared order of the Bessel function, with treated as fixed. This differs from the also familiar formulation in which is the eigenvalue.
The factor is singular at the origin. Consequently the integral defining cannot literally use lower limit zero; take a positive reference point , obtain , and absorb into the normalization. The differential identity holds for . Boundary conditions and admissibility at zero and at the outer endpoint are additional ingredients needed to make a particular self-adjoint spectral problem.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2020 Paper 1 6 a i Solution by
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When , write the differential expression in divergence form,Two integrations by parts give the Lagrange identity for a Sturm-Liouville operator:The terms cancel because is real. Hence the exact boundary criterion, in the sense of self-adjointness defined in the question, isAt regular endpoints, all separated homogeneous conditions of the following type satisfy it:with real coefficients, not both zero at either endpoint. The allowed value-and-flux pairs at an endpoint are proportional, so their determinant vanishes. This includes Dirichlet boundary conditions, Neumann boundary conditions, Robin boundary conditions and arbitrary mixtures of these at the two ends.
Coupled conditions can also work: periodic conditions and make the two endpoint expressions equal; simultaneous minus signs give the antiperiodic case. Thus requiring each endpoint term separately to vanish is sufficient, but not necessary.
More generally, for regular endpoints set and . All maximal homogeneous self-adjoint boundary conditions can be written with real two-by-two matrices satisfying and . If an endpoint is singular, the relevant limiting boundary form and admissible domain must instead be specified; the assumption only in the interior does not itself fix those endpoint limits.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2020 Paper 1 2 b ii Solution by
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The far field is proportional to , since . After matching the growing terms, write the exterior solution asAn added constant has here been excluded by interpreting the far-field condition as . Differentiate and impose the radial Neumann boundary condition:The Orthogonality of Legendre polynomials makes each coefficient vanish separately. Thus for , and . ConsequentlyIndeed , which vanishes at the boundary, while the correction decays at infinity. If the far-field condition is intended to specify only the leading growing term, an arbitrary additive constant is also allowed; its gradient has no effect on the Neumann boundary condition.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2020 Paper 1 2 b i Solution by
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Substitute into the axisymmetric Laplace equation and multiply by . The radial and angular terms must be separate constants:ThusWith , the angular equation becomesRequiring boundedness on the entire polar interval, and using the supplied characterization of bounded Legendre polynomial solutions, gives and for . Trying gives , hence or .
The globally angular-regular separated modes and their superposition are thereforeCoefficients and convergence are determined by the radial domain and boundary data. A domain containing the origin excludes negative radial powers for a regular solution. If the angular domain excludes a polar axis of the spherical coordinate system and singular angular behavior is allowed, additional Legendre-function branches are possible; the displayed family is the one regular over the complete sphere, as intended by the hint.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2020 Paper 1 2 a ii Solution by
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For an integer , choose the series whose integer parity agrees with and set the other initial coefficient to zero. At , the numerator in the recurrence vanishes, so and every later coefficient in that integer parity vanishes. With a nonzero coefficient of , this gives a polynomial of degree exactly . Normalize it by .
For , the even branch is constant; for , the odd branch is proportional to . For , the recurrence gives , so normalization fixes . HenceThe opposite-parity branch generally does not terminate; polynomial termination does not mean that both independent solutions become polynomials.
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