Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ii Paper 2 22G a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Let be a Cauchy sequence in the operator norm. For each ,so is a Cauchy sequence. Completeness of the Banach space permits the definition
. Pointwise passage to the limit proves that is a linear. A norm-Cauchy sequence is a bounded sequence, say , and therefore
, so is bounded. Finally, letting in
gives
. Thus in operator norm and
is Banach.
. Pointwise passage to the limit proves that is a linear. A norm-Cauchy sequence is a bounded sequence, say , and therefore
, so is bounded. Finally, letting in
gives
. Thus in operator norm and
is Banach.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ib Paper 1 10G Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
A Cauchy sequence in a metric space satisfies: for every there is such that whenever . A complete metric space is one in which every Cauchy sequence converges to a point of the space.
Now suppose is complete and is a decreasing sequence of nonempty closed sets with . Choose . Given , choose with . For , both points lie in , so . Completeness gives . For each fixed , the tail lies in the closed set , hence . Therefore
Conversely, assume the nested-set property and let be Cauchy. DefineThese sets are nonempty, closed, and decreasing. The Cauchy property implies ; taking a closure does not change the diameter. Choose . Since ,Thus every Cauchy sequence converges and is complete. This proves the Cantor intersection theorem characterization.
The contraction mapping theorem states that a contraction of a nonempty complete metric space has a unique fixed point.
For each , the map is a contraction with the common constant , so it has a unique fixed point . This defines the required unique function. Fix . The fixed-point identities and the triangle inequality giveConsequentlyThe numerator tends to zero as by the assumed continuity for the fixed point . Hence is continuous, an instance of continuous dependence of the fixed point of a uniform contraction.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 136 2 a Solution 2026-09-28
One strong form of Hensel lemma is this: if is complete for a discrete valuation , , and satisfiesthen there is a unique root satisfying
Define the Newton iteration over a valued fieldTaylor expansion and the ultrametric inequality show inductively that andThus the valuations of the corrections tend to infinity, so is a Cauchy sequence. Completeness gives a limit , and continuity gives . If is another root in the stated ball, Taylor expansion of shows that the linear term has strictly smaller valuation than all higher terms unless , proving uniqueness.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 1 22F b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Let be a Cauchy sequence in this norm. For each ,so is Cauchy in the scalar field. Define . Passing to limits in the linearity identities shows that is linear.
A norm-Cauchy sequence is bounded, say . Hence , so . Given , choose such that for . Letting givesfor every , and therefore . Thus in operator norm, proving completeness of the dual space: is Banach.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 136 1 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
The strong form of Hensel lemma says the following. Let be a discrete valuation on a complete field . If andthen has a root satisfying .
To prove it, apply Newton iteration over a valued field:The initial inequality says that the first correction has valuation greater than . Taylor expansion then shows inductively that , while the valuations of the corrections tend to infinity. Hence is a Cauchy sequence. Completeness gives a limit , and continuity gives .
Now decompose the multiplicative group asThe P-adic valuation givesand cubing is the identity on . Put . Expansion gives . Conversely, for , choose and put . For ,so the strong form of Hensel lemma produces a cube root in . Thus . Finally,is an isomorphism. Combining the valuation and principal-unit factors proves the cube-class group of the 3-adic numbers identity
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 105 2 f Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
The Rellich-Kondrachov compactness theorem says that if is a bounded Lipschitz domain, thenfor when . When , the embedding is compact into every finite , and when it is compact into , hence into every .
The boundedness of the domain is essential. Choose a nonzero and setTranslation invariance gives , so after a fixed rescaling these functions lie in the unit ball. Their supports are pairwise disjoint andNo subsequence is Cauchy in , so the unit ball is not compact. This is the standard failure of Rellich compactness on an unbounded domain.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 136 3 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
One useful form of Hensel lemma is this: if is a complete discrete valuation ring, , andthen there is a unique such that and . Indeed, after constructing with , choose the unique modulo for whichand put . The resulting Cauchy sequence converges by completeness, and the same first-order congruence proves uniqueness.
Apply this to . Every nonzero class in is a simple root, so it has a unique Teichmuller representative in . These give all roots of unity of order prime to . For odd , the group has no nontrivial torsion: if , then the binomial theorem gives , which is incompatible with finite -power order. HenceFor , the subgroup is torsion-free by the same argument, while supplies the extra torsion element. Thus . This describes the roots of unity in a p-adic field for .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 iii Paper 131 1 d Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
The pointwise inequality impliesEvery -Cauchy sequence is therefore -Cauchy. Since is geodesically complete, the Hopf-Rinow theorem makes a complete metric space, so in for some .
On a coordinate neighbourhood with compact closure around , smooth positive-definite Riemannian metrics are uniformly equivalent. Thus there is such thatthere. For all sufficiently large , a short -geodesic from to stays in this neighbourhood, and henceThus is complete. Another application of Hopf-Rinow shows that is geodesically complete.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 iii Paper 202 2 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Let be Cauchy in the normChoose a subsequence for whichTonelli theorem impliesalmost surely. The subsequence therefore converges uniformly on , outside one null event, to a continuous process . For each , is the almost-sure limit of -measurable variables; completeness of the filtration makes the chosen version adapted. The same summable bound and monotone convergence theorem show that and that in norm.
Since the original sequence is Cauchy, the usual triangle argument upgrades convergence of the subsequence to in norm. Thus the space of indistinguishability classes is a Banach space.
For a bounded self-adjoint operator , every bounded sequence whose images converge has a norm-convergent subsequence exactly when its kernel is finite-dimensional and its range is closed, or equivalently for the essential spectrum of a bounded self-adjoint operator. Split the sequence into kernel and kernel complement: finite dimensionality gives a subsequence on the first part and the closed-range bound on the kernel complement makes the second part a Cauchy sequence. Infinite kernel or approximate null unit vectors in its complement obstruct the property.
Weakly Cauchy sequence Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
A sequence is weakly Cauchy when is a Cauchy sequence for every continuous linear functional . Its consecutive differences form a weakly null sequence.