Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ii Paper 3 23F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Let be the universal covering map. Since the complex plane is a simply connected domain, the lifting criterion for a covering space gives a holomorphic lift between one-dimensional complex tori such thatFor every , the difference belongs to the discrete period lattice . It depends continuously on , so it is constant. Differentiating shows that the derivative is -periodic. It is bounded on the compact closure of a fundamental parallelogram, and periodicity makes it bounded on all of . The Liouville theorem therefore makes constant, and henceThus every holomorphic map has an affine lift of a holomorphic map between one-dimensional complex tori. If “map of complex tori” means an identity-preserving map, choose ; then , so is the required linear map. Without that convention the statement must say affine, since a nonzero translation in a group of the torus lifts to .
The Weierstrass elliptic function of isThe subtracted term gives the Normal convergence of the Weierstrass elliptic-function series away from . PutThe Laurent coefficients of the Weierstrass elliptic function at zero giveSet and . Direct substitution shows that the principal part and constant term ofvanish at zero. Since is an elliptic function, translation gives the same cancellation at every point of the period lattice. Every apparent isolated singularity is therefore a removable singularity, so is an entire function. It is periodic and hence bounded on the translates of a compact fundamental parallelogram. The Liouville theorem gives , which proves the Weierstrass elliptic differential equation
Finally suppose that is a biholomorphic group homomorphism. Its identity-preserving lift has the form by the first part. Since the inverse map also lifts linearly,Choose a -basis of . Multiplication by is then represented by a unimodular matrix . As a real-linear transformation of , it has determinant ; hence and . The characteristic polynomial of and the Cayley-Hamilton theorem giveThis already has the required form with and . Moreover , so forces . Thus is a root of unity, of order , , , , or , completing the description of an automorphism of a one-dimensional complex torus.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ib Paper 1 8F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
The rank of a matrix is the dimension of its column space, equivalently the dimension of the image of a linear map represented by the matrix. For , the rank-nullity theorem givesAn injective endomorphism of a finite-dimensional vector space is surjective, hence invertible. By the adjugate matrix identity is invertible when ; conversely, multiplicativity of the determinant shows that an invertible has nonzero determinant. Therefore
Let be the matrix unit with its only nonzero entry at . The following matrices are all nonsingular:Indeed, is an elementary shear when , while is diagonal with one diagonal entry equal to two. Their linear span contains every except initially , because , and it then containsThus spans the -dimensional space and, having members, is a basis. This also covers , when .
Now let be a nonsingular zero-one matrix. If it had fewer than zero entries, at least two rows would contain no zero at all. Those two rows would both be the all-one row, contradicting linear independence. Hence every such matrix has at mostones. The bound is attained. Let be the all-one matrix and setwhere there are initial diagonal ones. If and , the first row equations give , while the last gives . Hence every , so is nonsingular and has exactly ones. Therefore
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ii Paper 1 26F c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For a chosen unit normal field , the second fundamental form isIn a local parametrization , its coefficients, up to the equivalent simultaneous sign convention, areThe Gaussian curvature is the determinant of the shape operator, henceTheorema Egregium states that is determined entirely by the first fundamental form. In particular, it is intrinsic and is preserved by every local isometry.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ia Paper 1 6B a iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ib Paper 1 1F a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For , the determinant isForany nonzero term in the Leibniz formula for determinants must match every row in the lower block to a column in the block. The remaining upper rows must then match the columns. The sum consequently factors into the determinant sums for the two diagonal blocks:
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ib Paper 2 10G Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
The implicit function theorem states that if and the partial derivative is an invertible linear map, then near the zero set of is uniquely the graph of a continuously differentiable function.
If is a differentiable bijection with differentiable inverse , the chain rule applied to and givesThus is an isomorphism with inverse .
If a continuously differentiable map has invertible derivative everywhere, the inverse function theorem makes it a local diffeomorphism. In particular it is an open map, so its image is open. Its image need not be closed: has nonzero derivative everywhere and image .
For the given map of elementary symmetric polynomials,and direct evaluation of the determinant givesHence the critical set isIts complement is the Zariski-open set on which the three coordinates are pairwise distinct. Each point has one of the six possible strict coordinate orderings, and each ordering defines a nonempty convex open region. A continuous path cannot change an ordering without crossing . Therefore has exactlyconnected components.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 iii Paper 112 3 c Solution 2026-09-28
Expand the determinant of the matrix from part (b) by the Leibniz formula for determinants. A matrix entry is a signed sum of monomials arising from the possible corners at its crossing. Choosing one summand in every row chooses one corner at every crossing, while choosing distinct columns puts exactly one chosen corner in every region with and none in the two deleted regions . The surviving determinant terms are therefore in bijection with the Kauffman states .
The sign of a permutation in the determinant together with the corner signs gives , and multiplying the corner monomials gives . Since part (b) identifies this determinant with the Alexander polynomial of a knot up to a unit,
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 iii Paper 115 1 a Solution 2026-09-28
An by matrix has matrix rank exactly when at least one of its by minors has nonzero determinant. For each multi-index , the setis open in the vector space of all real by matrices, because the determinant is continuous. Their union is , so is itself open in . It therefore inherits the standard smooth manifold structure and has dimension . This is the full-row-rank matrix manifold.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ia Paper 1 8B Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-10-03
A real matrix is orthogonal when . If , norm preservation gives . If and , preservation of the Hermitian inner product gives ; distinct unit-modulus eigenvalues therefore have orthogonal eigenvectors.
The nonreal eigenvalues of a real matrix occur in conjugate pairs. Since their product is one and , the remaining real eigenvalue is . If , then , and , so : the plane is invariant.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ia Paper 3 8D Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
The first isomorphism theorem says that for a homomorphism ,The map is well-defined because equal cosets differ by a kernel element; it is a surjective homomorphism onto the image, and injectivity follows because its kernel is the identity coset.
Here consists of invertible real matrices and consists of those with determinant one. The latter is the kernel of the surjective determinant map to , so it is normal and
The given integral matrices form a group because products and inverses remain integral. The inverse formula shows that an integral inverse exists exactly when the determinant divides every cofactor; taking determinants shows more directly that , hence , and the adjugate formula proves the converse. The matrices show infinitude.
Reduction modulo two is a homomorphism . Its kernel is exactly , so is normal; its index is finite because the target has only six elements.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ib Paper 1 9E Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
Suppose the additive group of the integral domain is isomorphic to . Every ideal is then an additive subgroup of a finitely generated free abelian group, so it has finitely many additive generators . These also generate as an -ideal: integer coefficients are coefficients from the canonical copy of in . Thus every ideal is finitely generated, proving that is Noetherian by noetherianity from finite additive rank.
For an example that fails (i)--(iv), takeIt is an integral domain and has additive group . The idealhas index two: modulo , one has and , and the resulting quotient is . If , multiplication by its generator would have determinant and absolute indexwhich has no integer solution. Hence is not principal, as detailed in nonprincipal ideal in the integers adjoined a square root of minus five. Condition (i), and therefore all four equivalent conditions, fails.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ib Paper 2 11F Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
The tangent vectors ofareHence the first fundamental form has coefficientsPutThe upward unit normal is , so the second fundamental form has coefficientsThus the two forms are
For the final claim, fix a point of and make a rigid motion taking to the plane . The common tangent plane is horizontal, so locally is the graph . Along the projected curve of tangency,Differentiating the second identity givesBecause is a smooth curve, , so the Hessian is singular. Its determinant is zero, and the graph formula gives at every point of . This is tangency to a plane along a curve forces zero Gaussian curvature.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ib Paper 3 3B b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Differentiate the affine relation with respect to and :Using the Cauchy-Riemann equations, the second equation becomesThusThe determinant is , so and therefore . A holomorphic function with zero derivative on a connected open set is constant. Hence is constant, as in analytic function with image in an affine real line.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ib Paper 3 4C Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-10-05
If is once differentiable, this is equivalent to monotonicity of its gradient:Equivalently, every tangent hyperplane supports the graph:If is twice differentiable, convexity is equivalent to the Hessian matrix being positive semidefinite throughout .
Forthe Hessian isA real symmetric two-by-two matrix is positive semidefinite exactly when its two diagonal entries and its determinant are nonnegative. ThusThe largest convexity domain is thereforeFor , its boundary is the hyperbola in the first quadrant and the domain lies above it. For , it is the closed first quadrant. This is the convexity domain of x cubed plus y cubed plus Axy.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 3 25G a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Choose the orientation of a surface represented by a smooth Gauss map . The shape operator at isIf its principal curvatures are , then by definition
Let be a proper Euclidean motion of Euclidean three-space, so . Orient by transporting the normal:The chain rule gives the orthogonal conjugacyThe determinant and trace are invariant under similarity, so the Euclidean invariance of the shape operator yields
If the surface orientation is reversed, then and are multiplied by . Therefore the orientation reversal of surface curvature says
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 ia Paper 3 12B iv Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Both sides are alternating in and in . If either triple repeats an index, both sides vanish. Otherwise each triple is a permutation of ; the determinant of the corresponding permutation matrix is exactly the product of the two permutation signs. HenceThere are nonzero components of , each equal to , so
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 ia Paper 3 2D i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The special orthogonal group isIfits first column is a unit vector, say . The second column is the unique unit vector perpendicular to it that gives positive determinant, namely . Thusso is rotation through about the origin.
For , its real characteristic polynomial of odd degree has a real eigenvalue. Every eigenvalue of an orthogonal matrix has modulus one, so every real eigenvalue is . Nonreal eigenvalues occur in conjugate pairs whose product is one, while ; if all eigenvalues are real, their product likewise forces at least one to be . Hence fixes a nonzero vector . The plane is -invariant, and the restriction to it is an orientation-preserving orthogonal map. By the result it is a planar rotation. Therefore is a rotation about the axis .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 ia Paper 3 5D i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For , let be its permutation matrix and define the sign of a permutation bySince ,so this is a homomorphism. A transposition interchanges two columns of the identity matrix and therefore has determinant . If is expressed as a product of transpositions, then ; because the determinant depends only on , the parity of is independent of the chosen expression.