Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 36 1 e Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The normal distribution standardized statistic for the binomial distribution count isBecause the alternative is two-sided, the approximate p-value is . A continuity correction replaces by and gives approximately , with the same conclusion. Thus the result is statistically significant at both the 5% and 1% levels. The p-value is a null tail probability, not a posterior probability that the null hypothesis is true.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 38 1 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The original PDF specifies a geometric distribution on , with probabilities . Its probability generating function is . By independence, the total original claim count hasThe coefficient follows from the negative binomial series. Thus one representation uses independent unit-rate exponential distribution steps and a negative binomial distribution count .
There is a second useful random sum of independent claims representation. For one policy, the random-sum transform identity givesThis is the mixture distribution of zero with probability and a rate- exponential distribution with probability . Consequentlywith the binomial distribution count independent of the independent steps. Equality follows by multiplying the moment-generating functions. This is a negative-binomial sum of exponential claims.
When , the three values of giveThus the zero mass is , and the conditional positive probability density function isIts integral is . Equivalently the positive-component cumulative distribution function isso . For , .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 51 3 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use the usual asymptotic convention: the output approaches the desired -copy pure target in trace distance, and any recorded failure probability tends to zero. Define the binary entropyThe entanglement entropies per source and target are and . The asymptotic pure-state entanglement conversion rate isBoth achievability and the upper bound matter here.
For entanglement concentration, expand sources in their correlated computational basis. Every pair of strings of Hamming weight has the same amplitude . Alice measures only this weight, without resolving the individual string. Bob's string has the same weight automatically. Conditional on , the normalized state is maximally entangled on correlated strings. Its outcome probability is , a binomial distribution. By the weak law of large numbers, in probability; Stirling's formula then gives . A uniform Schmidt vector on entries is majorized by a uniform vector on entries padded with zeros. Thus Nielsen's pure-state conversion theorem converts the conditional state into that many Bell pairs exactly. For any fixed , one obtains at least Bell pairs with probability tending to one.
For entanglement dilution, consider the Schmidt strings of targets with probabilities . The quantum typical subspace retains strings satisfyingThe retained probability tends to one by the weak law applied to the independent variables . The number of retained strings is at most , because their probabilities sum to at most one. Normalize the target after truncation to those strings. Its squared overlap with the full target is . A uniform Schmidt vector of dimension , with , is majorized by the truncated target's Schmidt vector padded with zeros: the sum of its largest entries is at least . Hence Bell pairs prepare the truncated target exactly by LOCC. Its trace distance from the true target is . Combining concentration and dilution achieves any rate . Choosing margins tending sufficiently slowly to zero attains the ratio as a limiting rate.
For the converse, average monotonicity of pure-state entanglement entropy follows from Concavity of Von Neumann entropy: a measurement by one party leaves the other party's reduction unchanged on average, so its average conditional entropy cannot increase. Refine local measurement records, including local discarded systems, to obtain pure output branches on the output qubits of each party. Iterating the concavity argument givesLet and let the squared-overlap error of the average output be . Define , the pure-state trace distance. Concavity of the square root gives . Partial trace cannot increase trace distance, so the reduced states are also within . The continuity bound for quantum conditional entropy, with trivial conditioning and local dimension , impliesConsequentlywhich excludes a limiting rate exceeding .
The vanishing-error convention is essential. If exact deterministic conversion were required for every finite block, majorization would also require the largest squared Schmidt coefficient to satisfy , henceThis can be strictly smaller than the entropy ratio: at , the two bounds are approximately and . Thus the boxed rate answers the standard asymptotic task, rather than imposing unmentioned exact zero-error conditions on every finite block.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 51 3 e Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Applying the optimal single-copy filter independently gives a random number of exact successful targets with binomial distributionThe weak law of large numbers gives in probability. In contrast, collective entanglement concentration and entanglement dilution yield asymptotically targets with vanishing output error. The improvement is strict, not just nonnegative. Differentiating binary entropy givesSince , it follows thatThis is collective advantage over independent two-qubit filtering. Independent filtering discards the entanglement in product-state failure branches; the collective reversible asymptotic procedure avoids that extensive loss. The separately filtered targets are exact conditional on success, whereas the collective statement uses the vanishing-error convention from the previous part. Here the counted outputs are target states ; that is also the notation in the original printed question.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 2 3F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
For events with , the conditional probability is . Applying the definition in both orders gives Bayes' theorem:Conditionally on , independent fair tosses give a binomial distribution for the head count, so . The joint probability mass function is consequentlyUse the law of total probability and the differentiated geometric series, , to obtain . The posterior coin count after exactly one head is thereforeThese probabilities sum to one by the same series identity. The conditioning weights possible coin counts by their likelihood of producing exactly one head.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 32 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Use the standard infinite-population slotted ALOHA model with independent fresh arrivals with Poisson distribution , . Newly arrived packets attempt in the next slot. Given old backlogged packets, each independently attempts with fixed probability , so the retransmission count has binomial distribution , independent of and earlier random choices. Let record whether is zero, one, or at least two. A single transmission succeeds and departs; a collision makes every transmitted packet remain. ThereforeOnly the present backlog determines the law of the next independent choices, so is a time-homogeneous Markov chain.
For , put and , with . Its nonzero transition probabilities areFor example, a single fresh arrival leaves the backlog unchanged only if no old packet transmits; if an old packet also transmits, that fresh arrival becomes a new backlogged packet. These cases explain the extra diagonal term and the suppressed one-step increase at . At the same formulas hold with , and for .
Here is an almost-sure proof of permanent collisions in constant-probability slotted ALOHA for , rather than just a positive-drift heuristic. For , the conditional exponential increment isAs this tends to a number strictly below one. Choose so the expression is at most one for . Stopping when the chain first enters gives a nonnegative supermartingale. Downward jumps have size at most one, so it hits at . Optional sampling theorem for a supermartingale, first at bounded times and then by a limit, yields the exponential-supermartingale escape boundThis is an irreducible Markov chain: every positive state can successively decrease to zero, and from zero Poisson batches reach every state at least two, with state one then reached from two. An irreducible recurrent Markov chain would hit that finite set with probability one from every state, contradicting the bound. Hence every state is a transient state, every finite set is visited only finitely often, and almost surely.
The conditional success probability is . The centered success indicators form a martingale difference sequence with bounded increments. The strong law for martingales with bounded increments givesThe conditional means have Cesàro average zero, while the strong law of large numbers gives . Therefore almost surely. Finallydecays exponentially along this linear backlog growth. Its sum over is almost surely finite. The Conditional Borel-Cantelli lemma then implies that only finitely many slots have zero or one transmission. Thus . At , a fresh batch of size at least two eventually occurs, after which at least two old packets retransmit in every slot, giving the same conclusion directly.
The qualification is essential: if , then depends only on the independent Poisson arrivals, and zero- or one-arrival slots occur infinitely often. Positive mean arrival rate alone, without the Poisson model or another assumption allowing collisions to develop, would also be insufficient: Bernoulli fresh arrivals and initial backlog zero never collide.
One alternative is binary exponential backoff: after collisions a packet selects a waiting time uniformly from and tries when its counter expires. Its attempt behavior depends on its collision history, rather than a common constant . Another possibility, if a backlog estimate is available, is to set the attempt probability near , keeping the offered retransmission count near one. These descriptions illustrate adaptive access rules; they do not assert that every backoff variant is stable at arbitrary load.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 41 2 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
The two independent binomial distributions give fitted event probabilities and . Their odds ratio and log odds ratio areUsing the log odds ratio variance from a two-by-two table,The stated normal approximation and quantile approximately two give the confidence intervalExponentiation gives the corresponding odds ratio interval . Its lower endpoint exceeds one.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 70 2 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
First prove necessity. If polynomials with integer coefficients converge to in the supremum norm, their values at and are convergent sequences of integers. Each such sequence is eventually constant, since a convergent sequence is Cauchy and two distinct integers are at distance at least one. Its limit is an integer. Thus .
For sufficiency we also need uniform convergence of the Bernstein polynomial to . Here is a direct argument. For , write . The binomial distribution has and . For every , uniform continuity of and the Chebyshev inequality giveFirst make small and then large; the bound is uniform in . Hence .
If the endpoints are integers, part (b) gives . Each coefficient multiplying in is an integer. Expanding by the binomial theorem therefore gives integer coefficients in the ordinary monomial basis. The triangle inequality proves . Thus the integer endpoint condition is necessary and sufficient for integer-coefficient polynomial approximation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 82 6 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use a Boolean circuit of unbounded-fan-in AND and OR gates, with negations pushed to the input Boolean literals. Its circuit depth is the largest number of AND/OR gates on an input-to-output path, and its circuit size counts these gates. Constants and Boolean literals may be supplied as inputs. Equivalent standard size conventions only enlarge the absolute constants. One can merge adjacent gates of the same type; the depth-reduction argument below keeps the two possible normal forms available at each gate.
A random restriction with parameter independently leaves each variable live with probability and otherwise fixes it to zero or one with probability each. The Håstad switching lemma states that for a width- DNF or conjunctive normal form ,Width bounds Boolean literals in a term or clause, not the number of terms. A decision tree of depth at most has both a DNF and a conjunctive normal form of width at most and has real multilinear degree at most . Indeed every leaf condition is a product of at most factors or ; sum the accepting leaves. The switching lemma controls the canonical decision tree, hence implies this representation bound.
We detail the Boolean circuit simplification parameters. First use a -random restriction. For a bottom AND gate, let count its live Boolean literals on the event that no fixed Boolean literal kills it. For distinct Boolean literals,Thus the probability of retaining more than live Boolean literals without becoming constant is at most . The same calculation applies to bottom OR gates, with the opposite killing value. Repeated Boolean literals are removed and contradictory Boolean literals make a constant gate. A union bound makes all nonconstant bottom gates width at most , except with probability at most .
Now apply successive restrictions, each retaining probability of the remaining variables. At a two-layer gate, the current bottom forms are width- DNFs or conjunctive normal forms. The Håstad switching lemma bounds its probability of failing to reduce to decision-tree depth at most by . Convert the successful decision tree into the opposite normal form, whose terms or clauses have width at most , and merge its outer gate with the adjacent gate of the same type. This removes one layer. Repeat upwards until the output has a depth- decision tree.
The bookkeeping matters: although a decision tree may give clauses, each subsequent switching event is charged to the corresponding original Boolean circuit gate, not to each newly created clause. The lemma permits any number of terms. Each original gate is charged once, so the sum of the failure probabilities is at most , without an extra exponential size factor. Conditioning on successful preceding stages is harmless because each next restriction is fresh and the width bound holds for every preceding success. For a general Boolean circuit the conjunctive normal form or DNF representation at a shared gate can be chosen separately for each outgoing use; no extra gates need to be counted as switching targets.
The composed restriction has live-variable probabilityFixed values are still unbiased and coordinates independent. We have proved the useful intermediate estimateFor , the initial bottom-gate argument alone gives this conclusion. This is a depth-reduction estimate, not the desired Fourier-tail theorem used as a black box.
Next derive exactly how restrictions affect the Fourier-Walsh transform. Let be the random live set and the fixed assignment outside . With , the restricted coefficient at isOrthogonality of the fixed-coordinate characters eliminates cross terms after averaging over . Thereforeand then averaging over gives the expected Fourier weight after a random restriction identityThe original high-degree tail is not preserved: each original coefficient is weighted by a binomial distribution survival probability. On successful restrictions the left-hand tail vanishes; on failures it is at most one by Parseval's identity and . Hence its expectation is at most .
Put . If , choose and the preceding value of . For every , the binomial distribution mean satisfiesIts variance is at most . The Chebyshev inequality givesThus the exact expectation identity bounds at least half the original tail above , andWhen the same bound follows from the trivial total-weight bound . We obtain explicit absolute constants,This supplies the requested overview of the Linial-Mansour-Nisan theorem with the actual switching scale, gate-count bookkeeping and restriction-to-Fourier calculation. The argument uses the unbounded-fan-in AND/OR Boolean circuit basis; allowing arbitrary gates would make the theorem false, since one parity gate could have all its nonconstant Fourier weight at level . The original theorem is Linial, Mansour and Nisan's circuit Fourier bound.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 9 1 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
It suffices to prove the assertion after replacing by : that replacement gives a tighter interval. Thus assume and , and putAt , let count isolated vertices in . The same indicator random variable calculation as for all isolated vertices givesBy the Chebyshev inequality, with high probability. Since eventually, the marked vertices are then not all connected.
At , the logarithmic-regime giant component result applies with and any fixed . Its unique giant component misses vertices. On the event that it misses at most twice that number, exchangeability makes the missed vertex set uniform conditional on its size. A union bound therefore givesThus all of is connected at with high probability.
For the uniform random graph process, assign uniform labels to the edges of the complete graph as independent random variables and reveal them in label order. The binomial random graph is the prefix containing the labels at most , where has a binomial distribution with parameters and . Its variance at is , whereas the gap between and the relevant endpoint is . The Chebyshev inequality gives and with high probability, with harmless integer rounding. The monotone graph property that all marked vertices are connected now impliesThe marked-set connectivity threshold is lower than the threshold for connecting every vertex, because only about specified vertices need to avoid the small graph components.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 9 4 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Write , , , and let be the total progeny of a binomial branching process. The preceding binomial branching survival correction gives . For a branching process conditioned on extinction, the offspring probability generating function is , with meanfor sufficiently large . Summing expected generation sizes therefore gives .
Put and let count vertices in graph components of order at least . A breadth-first exploration of a binomial random graph is dominated by . The Markov inequality applied to finite total progeny givesAlways . Since , we have and . Hence . This bound controls the expected value directly, including rare large graph components.
For the lower bound, use the breadth-first exploration of a binomial random graph with unseen vertices, active vertices and explored vertices, starting from , . Let indicate a new root. Conditional on the past, the newly discovered count has a binomial distribution . Put . The unseen-count recursion givesHere is a martingale. Up to , martingale-difference orthogonality gives , since each conditional variance is at most and is bounded.
Take . Then , and . The Doob L2 maximal inequality impliesThe Taylor expansion, uniformly for , gives . Thus throughout the integer interval for large . The new-root sum is nonnegative, so on the preceding event throughout this interval. No graph component finishes there: all these explored vertices belong to one graph component, of order at least , with high probability. Its expected value is therefore at least . Combining both inequalities provesThe barely-supercritical largest-component expectation uses both a positive exploration window and a finite-progeny bound; a bare convergence-in-probability assertion would not by itself justify this expectation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ia Paper 2 12F a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Let mean that the selected coin is biased and that it is fair. Both have prior probability . Conditional on either coin, tosses are independent. For the observed head count, the two binomial distribution likelihoods are and . Bayes' theorem cancels the common coefficient and equal prior weights, givingThis applies for , including endpoint coin biases with zero-power factors interpreted by the corresponding likelihood. The fair-coin likelihood is positive, so the denominator cannot vanish.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 28 2 Solution 2026-10-07
For an aggregate claims model, let denote one claim size, with expected value and variance . The total is zero when the claim count is zero. Given , independence givesThe law of total expectation and law of total variance, together with for a Poisson distribution, implyThe raw second moment appears because the random count itself contributes to the variance.
Conditional on , the moment-generating function of the sum is . Averaging with the Poisson distribution therefore gives the compound Poisson distribution transformThis is valid wherever is finite. Finite first and second moments alone do not ensure positive exponential moments; for positive claims the corresponding Laplace transform always exists.
For the independent portfolios put and . Their Poisson distribution counts add to a Poisson distribution with parameter . By Poisson-multinomial conditioning, conditional on the total count the first risk count has a binomial distribution with parameters , and the second is the remaining count. Thus one can generate the same total loss by drawing independent risk labels with these weights, then drawing each claim from its label's law. The merged severity has mixture distributionIt follows that has a compound Poisson distribution with count parameter and this severity law. This is the fixed-year version of Poisson superposition of insurance portfolios. Its expected value and variance areAlternatively, multiplying the two independent aggregate Laplace transforms yields wherever finite, confirming the same compound Poisson distribution.
For the retained compound Poisson aggregate under per-claim reinsurance, replace each claim by its retained payment . Assume the retention is measurable, with as usual. The count parameter remains , and the severity law is the pushforward measure of the mixture severity under . Thus the retained compound Poisson aggregate has a compound Poisson distribution with that transformed severity andIts moment-generating function is on its finite domain. For a general retention , zero retained payments can occur and are allowed as compound-Poisson marks; they may equivalently be removed by Poisson thinning. The two specified contracts retain strictly positive payments for strictly positive claims.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 32 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
For independent binomial distributions in the two trial arms, the estimate of the log risk ratio isThe delta method gives ; replacing by the sample proportion gives , where is the event count. Adding the independent arm contributions therefore givesThe standard error is . Using the stipulated normal quantile two, the approximate confidence interval isThe point estimate of the risk ratio is , corresponding to approximately 79% lower mortality risk in the transfusion arm. Exponentiating the endpoints gives an approximate 95% confidence interval for the risk ratio of . It includes one, so the trial is compatible with no difference as well as substantial benefit or some harm. The point estimate favours transfusion, but the data are too imprecise to establish a difference at the 5% level. These are large-sample approximations, especially rough with only one event in an arm. A frequentist confidence interval describes repeated-sampling coverage, not a 95% posterior probability for this fixed parameter.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 37 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
In the slotted ALOHA model, a station retains one packet until it successfully transmits. Conditional on , take fresh independent trials with a Bernoulli distribution of parameter for the backlogged stations. Let arrivals be independent across slots and independent of these trials, with Poisson distribution of mean . New arrivals join the next slot's backlog. An idle slot serves nobody, exactly one attempt serves one packet, and a collision serves nobody. Consequently the backlog changes by arrivals minus the success indicator.
Under these independence assumptions, is a time-homogeneous Markov chain: the feedback probabilities and the independent arrival law depend only on its current state. Merely specifying Poisson arrival marginals would not suffice. For example, take , , , and arrivals , , for independent random variables with Poisson distributions. Histories with and both have current backlog two, but the next backlog is respectively two and four. The usual model therefore includes fresh arrivals as an assumption.
Write and . Set for , and use their exact binomial distribution probabilities at . Away from the clipping boundary, the conditional drifts areNear , the latter must use for each update , rather than itself.
When both coordinates are large with , the Poisson limit theorem approximates the attempt count, which has a binomial distribution, by a Poisson distribution of mean . Thus and . Rescaling state by and slot time by motivates the fluid approximation of slotted ALOHAThis is an interior fluid approximation of slotted ALOHA, not the exact conditional drift at a clipped boundary.
Here is one explicit set of sufficient conditions, independent of the arrival rate within the subcritical range:Put . ThenHence is negative below one and positive above one: the controller decreases the attempt denominator when offered contention is too small, and increases it when contention is too large.
Use the ratio time change for a homogeneous fluid model, . The equations becomeFor ,since and . Also . Therefore is negative on , and by continuity on for some . Its value at zero is , so nonnegative backlog is preserved.
The ratio remains bounded by and eventually enters : on the compact interval , its derivative is bounded above by a strictly negative number. Once inside it cannot cross upward. The bounded ratio and smooth coefficients make the transformed equations exist for all . In this region , so decreases at least exponentially in . The original time satisfies and has a finite limit ; boundedness of gives as well. Thus every nonnegative interior fluid trajectory drains to the origin in finite fluid time. At the origin the ratio equation is undefined; the usual stopped fluid trajectory is held there afterward. A state with enters the interior under the continuous limiting boundary drift ; the same argument then applies.
This proof supplies sufficient conditions, not a characterization of every stabilizing triplet. It also does not assert the positive recurrent Markov chain property of the original stochastic chain solely from the heuristic ODE.
If , the ALOHA throughput bound givesNo choice of the three feedback increments can make this fluid backlog drain, since . For the displayed controller, the supercritical fluid trajectory is global and grows instead of draining. At the ray consists of stationary fluid states, explaining why the strict load inequality matters.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 34 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Put for . This is the quantile function, rather than an ordinary inverse requiring strict increase. The limits of the distribution function at infinity make finite, and the fact that is a right-continuous function ensures . ConsequentlyIncreasing shrinks the set in the infimum, so the quantile function is a monotone function. To prove the left continuity of the quantile function, fix and let . If , choose . Then , so some satisfies , a contradiction. Thus as . At a flat stretch of the distribution function, the quantile function may jump immediately to the right, consistent with this left-continuous convention.
For the uniform order statistic, count the observations at most . That count has the binomial distribution with parameters , givingDifferentiating makes adjacent terms telescope: use and . The probability density function is thereforeIn particular, has the Beta distribution with parameters .
Write for the specified median. Continuity of the distribution function gives and no mass at , even if the distribution function has a flat stretch there. Thus has the binomial distribution with parameters . Except on a null event, the order-statistic confidence interval for a median covers exactly when . Symmetry of the binomial distribution makes its two failure probabilities equal. Alternatively, the probability integral transform givesHence the coverage is exactly , withThe asymmetric open/closed endpoint convention does not change the coverage because the continuous probability distribution assigns no mass to the median.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 35 2 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For a binomial distribution, the score function isIts squared expected value is , using the binomial distribution variance . Hence the Jeffreys prior isthe beta distribution . The factor is independent of and disappears on normalization.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 35 2 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Independent Jeffreys priors and the two independent binomial distribution likelihood factors give, by Beta-binomial conjugacy,The Bayesian posteriors remain independent because each observation factor involves only its own probability. Their posterior means are respectively and . Notice that is the probability of saying milk first when tea was first, rather than the probability of a correct tea identification.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 35 2 e 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Conditional on , the auxiliary binomial distribution gives and . Thus large makes close to . The law of total variance also givesThe latent variable encodes the first draw increasingly accurately.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 35 2 f Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Apply the law of iterated expectation to the auxiliary binomial distribution:This expectation is over the full prior distribution construction, not over a particular observed auxiliary count.