Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 7 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
On a compact metric space , a conservative Feller semigroup is a strongly continuous semigroup of positive linear maps on satisfying . Positivity means . These conditions imply sup-norm contraction. Conversely, for a contraction semigroup with and , differentiation on the generator domain gives , so . On the real space , if , then , implying . Scaling proves positivity for every nonnegative . This is the unital contraction positivity criterion. For complex the same conclusion follows because each functional has norm one and value one on , hence is a positive linear functional.
For each , the Riesz-Markov-Kakutani representation theorem represents that functional by a unique Borel probability measure :Continuity of gives weak continuity of . Approximating indicators of open sets increasingly by continuous functions proves Borel measurability in ; a monotone-class argument then gives a Markov kernel. The semigroup property and uniqueness of representing measures yield and the Chapman-Kolmogorov equationThese are the required transition probabilities.
An invariant probability measure for a semigroup satisfies for every and . Equivalently its distribution is preserved by the Markov kernel. For , Jensen inequality gives pointwise. Integrating and using invariance provesAlso . Continuous functions are dense in these spaces for a finite Borel measure on a compact metric space, so the contraction extends to a strongly continuous semigroup on .
For real with , the kernel form of Jensen inequality gives , with equality at . Take its right derivative to obtain the generator square inequalityThis is nonnegativity of the associated carré du champ.
Each time-average functional is positive with , hence represents a Borel probability measure . The compactness of probability measures on a compact metric space gives a subsequence converging weakly to a probability measure . Explicitly, is a separable Banach space, so Banach-Alaoglu theorem and a countable dense family give a subsequence converging on every continuous function, rather than merely a net. For fixed , the semigroup property gives the Krylov-Bogolyubov time-average argument:Its absolute value is at most . Pass to the subsequential limit, observing that , to get . Thus the limiting measure is invariant.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 2 19G b iv Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
The integration functional satisfies . If never vanishes, its sign is constant and attains equality. In general use the continuous functions , of supremum norm at most . Thenby the dominated convergence theorem. Therefore . Every bounded subset of its finite-dimensional target is relatively compact, so is compact, including when .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ia Paper 1 12F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
The stated bound is Lipschitz continuity with constant . For every and every , taking ensures whenever . The same works at every point, so is both continuous and uniformly continuous.
For an integer , partition into equal intervals and define a step functionAt the remaining endpoint set , so the final interval may be taken closed on the right. The Lipschitz bound givesChoosing proves the requested uniform step approximation on a compact interval:A sufficiently fine partition gives a piecewise constant approximation uniformly over the whole interval.
The continuous function and every finite step function are Riemann integrable. Put . Integrating each constant piece explicitly givesSince the sine differences have absolute value at most , the triangle inequality and uniform approximation giveTo prove convergence, fix and first choose with . With this held fixed, the finite number is independent of , so the second term is also less than for sufficiently large . ThereforeFirst make the approximation error small, then let the oscillation frequency grow. This is the step-function proof of the Riemann-Lebesgue lemma; it does not require assuming that a Lipschitz function has an everywhere-defined derivative.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ia Paper 1 9E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
The Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem states that every bounded sequence of real numbers has a convergent subsequence. We first use it to show that a continuous function on is bounded above. Otherwise, choose with . A convergent subsequence exists, with because the interval is closed. Continuity would give , contradicting .
Let , which is finite. By the definition of supremum, there are with . Another application of the Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem gives a subsequence . By continuity,Thus the supremum is actually attained:This proves the maximum part of the extreme value theorem from sequential compactness rather than assuming it.
Now suppose on . Applying the mean value theorem to shows that is strictly decreasing. At a local maximum of a differentiable function, the left difference quotients are nonnegative and the right difference quotients are nonpositive; existence of the derivative forces . A strictly decreasing function has at most one zero. ThereforeIf that zero exists, is positive to its left and negative to its right, so the local maximum is also a global maximum.
For the uniform bound by , defineIts derivative is , so is strictly decreasing by the mean value theorem. Comparing with givesBecause , this makes negative at sufficiently large positive and positive at sufficiently large negative . The function is continuous, since it is differentiable; the intermediate value theorem supplies a zero between such points. Its strict decrease makes this zero unique. Again using the mean value theorem for , the derivative signs imply that increases up to and decreases after :This illustrates uniform negative curvature and global maximization.
Merely requiring does not force existence. TakeThen and , but is strictly increasing, approaches as , and never equals . The answer to the final question is no, even for a function bounded above:The stronger uniform curvature assumption prevents this behaviour. Here at the end where the supremum is approached, so no uniform negative bound of that kind is available.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 106 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The definitions in a unital C-star algebra areThus a Hermitian element of a C-star algebra is self-adjoint, a Unitary element of a C-star algebra has inverse , and a Normal element of a C-star algebra commutes with its adjoint. We derive the needed C-star algebra facts directly from , as required.
First gives , andgives ; applying the same argument to gives equality. Thus the involution is an isometry. For a Unitary element of a C-star algebra ,The general Banach algebra spectrum bound gives for . Such a is nonzero, and the inverse spectral mapping theorem gives , so also . Hence
If , the convergent exponential series and the isometric involution give . These commuting exponentials multiply to , so is unitary for real . By the exponential spectral mapping theorem, if then . Taking gives , soOnly general Banach algebra spectral mapping theorem and the defining C-star identity were used.
Now prove spectral permanence for C-star algebras. Let be the norm-closed C-star subalgebra with the same identity. The algebraic inclusion always gives . For , both spectra lie in . If , choose nonreal . Since , each belongs to . By continuity of inversion in a Banach algebra, these inverses converge in to , which belongs to because is closed. Thus , proving equality for hermitian elements.
For the requested normal , suppose is invertible in . The element is hermitian and invertible in , so the equality just proved places in . ConsequentlySince already has a two-sided inverse in , multiplying by that inverse gives . Hence its inverse belongs to , and
We need one more elementary consequence of the C-star identity: the spectral radius norm equality for normal elements. If , then . If is normal, commutativity of givesEvery power of is a Normal element of a C-star algebra. Induction gives . The general spectral radius formula therefore implies
The continuous functional calculus is the unique unital -homomorphism taking the coordinate function to . For bounded linear operators on a Hilbert space, the adjoint identity gives . ThereforeThis proves the C-star identity for directly; completeness and submultiplicativity come from the operator norm. LetBecause is a normal operator, this is a commutative unital C-star algebra. Every element of is a Normal element of a C-star algebra, so the preceding norm identity says its Gelfand transform is isometric:Here is the compact character space from the general Gelfand representation theorem for commutative Banach algebras.
Each algebra character preserves the involution. Indeed, write with hermitian; and similarly for , so . Therefore the continuous mapis injective: its value determines and hence its value on all the dense polynomials. It is surjective because the general character description of the spectrum gives , and spectral permanence for C-star algebras identifies this with . A continuous function that is a bijection from a compact space to a Hausdorff space is a homeomorphism, so we identify with .
Under this identification, the Gelfand transform sends to and to . Its image is an isometric, and therefore closed, unital self-adjoint subalgebra of . It separates points because it contains . The complex Stone-Weierstrass theorem makes the image dense, hence equal to all of . Inverting the Gelfand transform and including into givesan isometric unital C-star homomorphism with .
To prove uniqueness without assuming automatic continuity of C-star homomorphisms, let be any other such map. Since every is normal, is normal. A unital algebra homomorphism preserves inverses, soUsing the normal-element norm identity yields . Thus is contractive. It agrees with on polynomials in , since both send them to the same polynomials in . These polynomials are dense by the Stone-Weierstrass theorem, so continuity proves . This establishes the continuous functional calculus with no unproved theorem specific to C-star algebras.
A disconnected spectrum gives a nontrivial closed invariant subspace. Write with nonempty and both open and closed in . The indicator function is continuous on , even though no such continuity is needed across the gap outside . Let . The continuous functional calculus givesIts isometry gives and , so . The linear projection has closed range . Its range is nonzero and proper, and proves invariance. Since it also commutes with , the same subspace is reducing. This proves disconnected spectrum gives a reducing subspace.
The figure can be realized without any eigenvalues: take , where is planar area on the two closed disks, and let multiply by . Its adjoint multiplies by , so it is a normal operator. An eigenvector for would be supported on the area-zero singleton , hence would be zero in . Outside , multiplication by is a bounded inverse to . For , normalized indicator functions of have , excluding a bounded inverse. Thus its spectrum is exactly . The linear projection in the figure multiplies by , and its range consists of functions supported on the left disk.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 124 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the convention that a z-sieved number is a positive integer with no prime factor strictly below ; is included. Such integers are also called rough numbers. Using instead exclusion of primes at most changes an endpoint convention, not the following fixed- asymptotic.
The Buchstab function is the continuous function determined bySuccessive integration over intervals of length one determines the Buchstab function uniquely from its initial values.
A standard fixed- form of Buchstab theorem states that, for each fixed , as ,For , this agrees with the Prime number theorem, since apart from an immaterial endpoint the z-sieved numbers in this range are and the primes from to . The restriction matters: at the count is bounded, so the displayed asymptotic does not hold there.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 204 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Let be the event that the origin has an open graph path to the boundary of . The graph path can be stopped on its first boundary visit, so depends on only finitely many sites. Its probability is a finite sum of terms , and is therefore a continuous function of . Also , and the König infinity lemma gives . By continuity from above of a measure,The monotone coupling of Bernoulli percolation described below shows that is nondecreasing. For , its right limit of a function exists and is at least . For every fixed ,Taking the infimum in proves . This proves right continuity of percolation probability throughout ; at right continuity is understood relative to the parameter domain. The argument does not interchange two uncontrolled limits.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 3 3E a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The product topology has as a basis of a topology all sets , where is open in and is open in . Open sets are arbitrary unions of these rectangles. The projection maps are and . For any open and ,These are open rectangles, including the empty case. Taking inverse images of open sets therefore proves that both projection maps are continuous functions.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 106 4 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The prescribed-pole form of Runge theorem is this: let be compact, and let meet every connected component of the complement in the Riemann sphere. If is holomorphic on a neighbourhood of , then for every there is a rational function with all its poles in whose uniform distance from on is less than . A polynomial is regarded as having its only possible pole at infinity. The empty compact set is trivial, so assume .
First suppose . Let be the uniform rational approximation algebra with prescribed poles, the uniform closure of rational functions whose finite poles lie in . It is a commutative unital Banach algebra, and contains . Setwhere the inverse in this definition is the pointwise continuous function on . The set is relatively open: if the inverse at belongs to , the Neumann series gives inverses at nearby points. It is relatively closed: when , the corresponding scalar functions converge uniformly on , and is closed.
Each bounded complementary component meets in a finite point , and is an allowed rational function. The unbounded component meets because for the geometric series for belongs to . Being both open and closed in the complement, therefore contains every component, so it is the entire complement. Conversely, evaluation at any prevents from being invertible. HenceApply the holomorphic functional calculus in to near . For every , the evaluation character of an algebra and the contour formula from (b) give . Thus . By the definition of this uniform closure, the required rational approximations exist.
If , choose a finite point in the component containing infinity. The Möbius transformation sends to a compact subset of the plane and sends to a set containing infinity. It preserves complementary components, so meets every component of the complement of . The transformed function is holomorphic near , since . The case already proved approximates by rational functions with poles in . Pulling them back gives rational approximations to on with poles only in : a pole at infinity in the -plane becomes a pole at , and every other pole has its prescribed preimage. In particular the pullbacks do not acquire a pole at the original infinity, since .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 106 5 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The Riesz-Markov-Kakutani representation theorem identifies the dual of the complex space of continuous functions on a compact space with finite regular complex Borel measures on : each bounded linear functional has a unique representationHere is the variation measure; positive functionals correspond exactly to positive regular measures. This is the measure representation theorem, rather than the Hilbert-space representation of a functional by a vector.
For the spectral construction use the convention that the Hilbert inner product is linear in its first argument. A unital subalgebra of is understood to contain : an algebra whose abstract identity is a smaller projection could not give a resolution normalized by . On a compact Hausdorff space, a resolution of the identity is understood to be a normalized regular projection-valued measure: its scalar measures are regular, its values are orthogonal projections, and it is countably additive in the strong operator topology. Regularity is part of the usual convention needed for the uniqueness assertion; the statement is interpreted in this sense.
The Commutative Gelfand--Naimark theorem makes the Gelfand transform an isometric unital star-isomorphism , where is compact Hausdorff. Denote its inverse by . For , the bounded linear functional has norm at most . Riesz-Markov-Kakutani gives a regular complex measure such thatUniqueness makes these measures sesquilinear in . For , the identity shows positivity, so is positive with total mass .
For every Borel set , the bounded sesquilinear form determines an operator by Hilbert-space Riesz representation theorem, withIn particular and is self-adjoint. We now verify the projection identity rather than assume it.
For continuous , uniqueness of the representing measure applied to continuous test functions givesThese identities imply . Testing once more against a continuous givesThe restriction of a finite regular Borel measure is still regular, so uniqueness in Riesz-Markov-Kakutani yields . Consequently, for any Borel ,Taking proves that is an orthogonal projection. Also and . For disjoint , these projections are orthogonal, and scalar countable additivity gives weak countable additivity. If , then is the projection of the remaining union andThus countable additivity holds in the strong operator topology. The scalar measures are the regular measures already constructed. This completes the scalar-measure construction of a projection-valued measure.
By the integral theorem permitted in the question, continuous satisfies , and hence . For , this proves the spectral theorem for a commutative operator algebra:Any other regular resolution giving these integrals has the same scalar integrals on all of ; Riesz-Markov-Kakutani uniqueness forces the same scalar measures and therefore the same projections on every Borel set.
For nonempty open , compact Hausdorff normality supplies a nonzero continuous function supported in . If , the stated squared-norm identity for spectral integrals gives , contradicting the isometry of . This proves the full support of a faithful spectral measure propertyFaithfulness of the representation is essential here.
The spectral theorem for normal operators says that a bounded normal operator on a nonzero complex Hilbert space has a unique regular projection-valued measure on such that . Its support is all of , and bounded Borel functions have the associated Borel functional calculus for a normal operator.
For the proof sketch, is commutative because commutes with ; polynomials in these two operators commute, as do their norm limits. The map , , is onto by the character of an algebra formula and spectral permanence for C-star algebras. It is one-to-one because a character of an algebra preserves the star operation and its values on determine it on their dense polynomial algebra. It is therefore a homeomorphism from compact to the Hausdorff spectrum. Transport the resolution just constructed through this homeomorphism. It gives the formula for and full support; conversely a regular resolution for gives the same integrals for polynomials in , hence by density the same continuous functional calculus and the same resolution. This argument works without separability of .
Finally choose disjoint nonempty relatively open sets around two distinct spectral points, and put . Full support gives and , while , so . The spectral integral, or multiplicativity of its Borel calculus with , gives and also . Thus is closed, nonzero and proper, and . The spectral projection gives a reducing subspace conclusion isIn fact it is a reducing subspace, since it is also invariant under .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 136 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
On continuous functions on the p-adic integers, define the forward difference operator and the Mahler coefficients byWriting , the explicit iterate follows from . The ultrametric inequality and integral binomial coefficients imply and , where the supremum norm is taken over .
The Mahler theorem states that every such has a unique expansion with uniform convergenceConversely, every sequence in tending to zero yields a continuous function by this expansion. The binomial polynomials form an orthonormal expansion in the non-Archimedean sense: .
Here is the requested proof under the permitted coefficient-decay assumption. For , the binomial polynomial is a continuous function on . Its values on nonnegative integers are integral, and those integers are dense in the p-adic integers. Since is a closed set in , . Also , so , including .
If , the ultrametric inequality gives the uniform tail boundCompleteness of gives a uniform limit , and the uniform limit theorem makes continuous. At any nonnegative integer , all with vanish. Finite binomial inversion givessince the inner sum is . Hence on a dense subset and therefore on all of . The values at recover each coefficient recursively because ; this proves uniqueness. The expansion bounds by , and the earlier coefficient inequality proves equality. This also proves the converse statement.
Although the problem allows us to assume decay, it can be established independently. By compactness and uniform continuity, approximate uniformly by constant on residue classes modulo . On this finite-dimensional space, andThe matrix of has entries divisible by , so its operator norm is at most ; consequently for . Thus . Since , arbitrary uniform approximation proves automatic decay of Mahler coefficients.
For the last claim, construct the discrete antidifferentiation on the p-adic integersIts coefficient sequence is , still tending to zero, so it is continuous. By Pascal's identity, . The boundedness of permits applying it to the uniform limit, giving . For the stated linear map, invariance under translation by one now givesThus translation-invariant linear forms on p-adic continuous functions vanish:No continuity of has been assumed or used. In particular, one must not justify this by applying termwise to an infinite Mahler expansion; it is the existence of a continuous discrete antiderivative that makes the conclusion valid.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 217 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Construct a mean-square derivative of a Gaussian process on the original probability space before choosing its continuous modification. The real covariance function satisfies , because covariance is symmetric. Three-times differentiability implies that is continuous everywhere and differentiable at zero. Since is an even function,This uses differentiability of at zero, not a bound on throughout a neighborhood.
Let for . Twice applying the fundamental theorem of calculus to the covariance function givesOriented integrals make this identity valid for negative as well as positive . For a fixed , the right side tends to as . In particular,By completeness of L2 space, the mean-square derivative of a Gaussian processexists. Finite vectors consisting of values of and have a centered multivariate normal distribution: approximate the coordinates by difference quotients and use mean-square convergence and characteristic functions. Thus is a centered Gaussian process jointly constructed with , withIn particular , and is a positive-semidefinite kernel because it is an actual covariance function. Merely constructing an unrelated Gaussian process with that covariance function would not yet construct a modification of a stochastic process of .
The increment variance of isFor small , differentiability of at zero bounds this by . For the remaining distances in , continuity of enlarges to give the same bound. The fourth moment of a centered normal distribution is three times its variance squared, soThe one-dimensional Kolmogorov continuity theorem states that with gives a continuous modification, with sample-path Hölder continuity of every order less than . Apply it here with . We obtain a continuous modification on . On its null exceptional event, set the entire path equal to zero.
Define, on this same probability space,The path integral exists because its integrand is a continuous function. It agrees in L2 space with the integral of : Riemann sums converge in L2 space because is mean-square continuous; sums of have the same values almost surely at each finite collection of mesh points and converge pathwise to the integral. These two limits therefore agree almost surely for each fixed . Equivalently, the integral is the Bochner integral of the L2 space-valued map .
To verify the modification of a stochastic process property directly, put and . The preceding covariance identities and the fundamental theorem of calculus giveTherefore and almost surely for every fixed . This is also the mean-square fundamental theorem of calculus in this stationary setting. If a version on all of is desired, retain the original outside ; equality at every fixed parameter still holds.
The ordinary fundamental theorem of calculus now gives the simultaneous pathwise conclusionThus the requested differentiable modification of a stationary Gaussian process exists. Integrability of is compatible with the hypotheses but is unnecessary for this direct argument. It also avoids any assumption that a third absolute moment of a spectral density follows from three-times differentiability.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 19F iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Let be disjoint closed subsets of . They are compact. For each , the Hausdorff space condition gives disjoint open neighbourhoods . For fixed , finitely many cover ; intersect the corresponding and take the union of those to obtain disjoint open sets and . Finitely many cover . Their union and the intersection of the corresponding are disjoint open neighbourhoods of . The case of an empty set is immediate. Hence is a normal topological space.
Urysohn lemma states that in a normal topological space satisfying , disjoint closed sets admit a continuous function with on and on .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 19F ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Since a subalgebra is closed under addition and scalar multiplication, the given absolute-value property yieldsThe same identity with a minus sign gives . These are pointwise operations on real-valued continuous functions.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 11F a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Let , a continuous map into the unit circle. By uniform continuity, partition so finely that on each interval beginning at , . This ratio lies in the right half-plane and has a continuous complex argument with value zero at . Starting from , add these local arguments successively, matching endpoint values. This constructs a continuous real lift with .
Any two such lifts with the same initial value differ by a continuous function taking values in , and hence coincide. Since the curve closes, . Define its winding number byChanging the chosen initial argument adds a constant multiple of to the whole lift, so the winding number is independent of that choice. No differentiability of the curve is required.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 22F ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Take . Its Fourier transform iswith value one at zero. It is bounded near zero and is at infinity, so is integrable for . ThereforeIf a continuous function agreed with this indicator almost everywhere, continuity would force it to equal zero on and one on : any violation has a nonempty open neighbourhood of positive measure. The one-sided limits at zero would then differ, a contradiction. Hence no continuous representative exists.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ia Paper 1 9F a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
If this holds and , eventually , so . Conversely, if continuity fails, some allows, for every , a point with but . Then while , a contradiction. This is the sequential characterization of continuity in metric spaces.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ib Paper 2 3F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
The L1 norm properties of absolute homogeneity and the triangle inequality follow from the corresponding properties of the absolute value and the integral. If , the nonnegative continuous function has zero integral. Were , continuity would make it bounded below by a positive number on a nontrivial interval, contradicting the zero integral. Thus , proving positive definiteness.
Put and choose the continuous cutoff functionThen , , and is supported in the two endpoint intervals of total length . Therefore
Now suppose for every . Apply this to the above . By the uniform norm bound,Hence , and continuity again gives .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 1 2F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Sperner's lemma says that if a triangle is triangulated, its vertices are labelled , and label is forbidden on the edge opposite vertex , then an odd number of small triangles have all three labels.
To prove it, count incidences with edges whose endpoint labels are and . Along the outer -edge, the labels begin at and end at , so the number of transitions is odd; no other boundary edge contributes. An interior edge contributes twice. A small triangle contributes an odd number precisely when its three labels are : a triangle using only contributes two, and every other non-tricoloured triangle contributes zero. The number of tricoloured triangles is therefore odd.
Now suppose the closed sets in the question existed. Let be the distance from a point to a closed set . Empty triple intersection makes , sois a continuous function from the large triangle to itself, where is the vertex opposite . Since the cover the triangle, at least one vanishes, so always lies on the boundary. On , its th barycentric coordinate vanishes, hence . Thus is face-preserving on the boundary; its boundary restriction is homotopic there to the identity by the straight-line homotopy. This would give a map from the triangle into its boundary whose boundary degree is one, contradicting the no-retraction theorem, the standard topological consequence of Sperner's lemma. Therefore the three closed sets must have a common point.
