Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 105 1 b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Suppose a classical solution existed and set . The system is preciselywhich are the Cauchy-Riemann equations for as a function of the complex number . Hence is holomorphic near . Every holomorphic function is real analytic, so its restrictionto the real axis is real analytic near zero. Its real part and imaginary part show that both and must be real analytic, contradicting the hypothesis. Therefore no such solution exists.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 105 1 c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Write . If is a classical solution, multiply by a smooth function and apply the divergence theorem. The Neumann boundary condition removes the boundary term and givesThe density of smooth functions in a Sobolev space and boundedness of the coefficients extend this identity to every , so is a weak solution.
Conversely, take to be a test function compactly supported in . The weak formulation saysThe fundamental lemma of the calculus of variations gives the equation in . Under the regularity implicit in the stated notion of a classical solution, it holds pointwise. Applying integration by parts again with arbitrary leaveswhere is the trace operator. Traces of smooth functions can be chosen arbitrarily on the boundary, so the boundary fundamental lemma of the calculus of variations gives . Thus is a classical solution.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 105 3 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
For and , define the characteristic curve byThe bounded derivative makes globally Lipschitz, uniformly in . On each finite time interval, , so Gronwall inequality prevents finite-time escape. The Picard-Lindelof theorem therefore gives a unique trajectory for every finite . Differentiation in givesso the characteristic flow map is a increasing diffeomorphism.
Along a characteristic, the chain rule changes the equation intoTracing backward by the flow therefore givesThe regularity of the flow makes this a classical solution. Conversely, every classical solution obeys the same ordinary differential equation along every characteristic, so the formula also proves uniqueness.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 iii Paper 105 2 c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
First choose a test function . The weak formulation and integration by parts giveThe fundamental lemma of the calculus of variations implies pointwise because and is continuous. The Dirichlet boundary condition on already follows from and continuity of .
For arbitrary , Green's first identity and the interior equation now reduce the weak identity toThe traces of smooth members of can be chosen freely on compact subsets of . Another application of the fundamental lemma of the calculus of variations, now on the boundary, gives pointwise on . Hence is a classical solution of the complete mixed boundary value problem.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 iii Paper 105 3 a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
The characteristic flow map solves the ordinary differential equationand henceAlong this characteristic curve, the chain rule givesThe value is therefore constant, and tracing back to time zero gives the classical solutionDirect differentiation verifies both the linear transport equation and its initial value.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 iii Paper 105 3 b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
For every compactly supported test function on , define a weak solution by the identityThe extra appears because . This identity is obtained from the linear transport equation by integration by parts in time and space.
Conversely, if and have the stated regularity, choosing test functions supported away from shows in the distributional sense that . Continuity makes the equation pointwise. Integrating that pointwise equation by parts in the displayed identity leavesfor all boundary test functions. The fundamental lemma of the calculus of variations gives , so is a classical solution.