Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 9A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
In cylindrical coordinates, and . The chain rule gives and . ThereforeThis is cylindrically radial divergence, valid for .
The bounded domain is outside the unit cylinder, below the inverse-square surface and above the lower plane:The upper plane touches only the rim ; it is not an extra positive-area top face. Revolving the shaded meridional region below around the axis gives the three-dimensional domain.
With the Jacobian determinant of cylindrical coordinates,Zero divergence gives , hence the most general solution on the positive radial interval isAlthough this vector field is singular on the axis if , the entire closure of lies at , so it is smooth on a neighbourhood of and the divergence theorem applies.
Its volume integral of divergence is zero. Compute the outward surface integral directly. On the inner cylinder, , , and the flux is . On the curved roof , the outward vector surface element of a graph isTherefore its flux isThe horizontal bottom has zero flux and the top rim has zero surface area. Summing giveswhich verifies the divergence theorem with every boundary contribution accounted for.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 10 1 2 Solution 2026-10-06
We prove finite propagation speed using a shrinking cone energy argument. Fix and , and suppose the Cauchy data vanish on . For , define the local wave energyThe homogeneous wave equation gives the local conservation lawDifferentiate the integral over the moving ball. Its boundary moves inward with speed one, so the divergence theorem givesHere is the outward unit normal, the normal derivative, and the component of the gradient tangent to the boundary. Since and , we have . Hence both and vanish inside the backward light cone. Integrating from the zero initial displacement gives ; continuity then gives .
Applying the same energy estimate to the difference of two solutions proves the domain of dependence assertion. If , the initial ball misses , and the preceding argument proves the stated support bound. No disturbance propagates faster than one.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 1 36E iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
For constant viscosity, differentiating gives , since . This is zero by the body-force-free Stokes equations.
Apply the divergence theorem to the annular fluid. Its outer normal is , but its inner normal is minus the sphere's outward normal. Therefore . The second integral is the hydrodynamic force on the inner sphere, , because that sphere exerts on the fluid. Thus again , without differentiating the far field. Local momentum conservation carries the same total force through every enclosing surface.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ia Paper 3 11C a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
The product rule for the divergence givesSubtracting cancels the two gradient products. ThereforeTo obtain the requested order of terms, apply this identity with interchanged and use the divergence theorem on the spherical shell. On the outer sphere the shell's outward unit normal is ; on the inner sphere it is . Write on both spheres. Then the resulting Green second identity isThe minus sign records the inward radial direction of the shell's normal on its inner boundary. Thus the normal derivatives in the displayed difference are outward from each individual ball; using shell-outward normals instead would put a plus sign between the two boundary integrals.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ib Paper 1 16D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
In electrostatics, the relevant Maxwell equations reduce to and . For a volume with outward unit normal , integrate the first equation and apply the divergence theorem:This is the integral form of Gauss's law, with the enclosed electric charge. The zero curl is the accompanying condition allowing an electrostatic potential locally, and globally when the domain permits one.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 328 3 iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Let be a bounded piecewise smooth domain, and , with the outward normal vector. Integrating the divergence form from part (i) and using the divergence theorem gives two global relations for a linear boundary value problem:These conjugate global relations for the modified Helmholtz equation are identities between the prescribed Dirichlet boundary condition and its unknown normal derivative; neither is a pointwise boundary equation. Both hold for every nonzero boundary spectral parameter under the usual trace regularity assumptions.
If is real, its two boundary traces are real. Since and the outward normal vector is real,Thus apply complex conjugation to the first global relation for a linear boundary value problem, and replace its parameter by , to get the second. For complex , conjugation would also replace its traces by their conjugates, so that argument requires the stated reality assumption. There is also an algebraic redundancy in this particular parametrization: , hence even for complex data. This does not change the requested conjugation identity.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ia Paper 3 10B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Let be any constant vector and take . The product rule for divergence gives . The divergence theorem on a bounded region with piecewise smooth boundary, oriented outward, therefore yieldsSince is arbitrary, equality of all components provesHere is continuously differentiable on a neighbourhood of the closed region.
For the side of this right circular cone, the parameter tangents are and . Their cross product in the outward order isThe sign is outward because the solid right circular cone lies at smaller cylindrical radius for fixed height. Reversing the parameter order reverses the oriented surface element.
To check the integral identity, the closed boundary must include the top Euclidean disk , radius , as well as the curved side. For , horizontal components cancel on integrating . The side contribution isOn the top Euclidean disk and , so its contribution is . The total is . Independently, the cross-section of the solid at height has area , and , givingThus the two sides agree. The curved side alone is not a closed surface and does not satisfy this volume identity. The apex has zero area; alternatively one can truncate at height and let , with the extra boundary contribution vanishing.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 314 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Write for the material derivative and for the cross-helicity density, so . The ideal magnetohydrodynamic induction equation of ideal magnetohydrodynamics, with , givesThe dot product of the Euler momentum equation with the magnetic field has no Lorentz force contribution, because . Consequently,Here is the specific enthalpy, the temperature, and the specific entropy; is the internal energy per unit mass. The first law of thermodynamics in this convention is , so . Substitution, followed by , yields the cross-helicity conservation lawThe vector triple product identity puts this in the equivalent form
For the fixed volume, the divergence theorem gives the exact cross-helicity balanceThus cross-helicity is constant when the net source equals the outward flux. Simple sufficient hypotheses are throughout the volume and on its boundary. The first condition includes a homentropic flow; the second prevents both relevant boundary fluxes. Periodic boundary conditions, or sufficiently rapid decay at infinity, provide alternatives. These statements concern smooth ideal magnetohydrodynamics: material specific entropy conservation alone, , does not eliminate spatial specific entropy gradients along the magnetic field lines.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 314 1 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Let the constant mass density be and put , the Alfvén velocity. Since both the velocity and the magnetic field have zero divergence, the magnetic tension and magnetic pressure decomposition of the Lorentz force givesThe Newtonian gravitational potential remains in ; uniform mass density does not justify dropping a prescribed gravitational acceleration. Adding and subtracting the two equations proves the Elsässer variable equationsHere ; each Elsässer variable is transported by the other.
Define . Taking the dot product with gives the Elsässer energy invariant balanceThe divergence theorem proves whenever the net boundary flux vanishes. In particular, makes , so both fluxes vanish pointwise. Periodic boundary conditions or decay at infinity are also sufficient. These boundary conditions matter: fixed volume alone gives no conservation.
The kinetic energy plus magnetic energy isExpanding and using the cross-helicity definition yieldsBoth energy and cross-helicity therefore follow from the two Elsässer energy invariants. The quantity here is exactly the requested kinetic energy plus magnetic energy, without an additional gravitational term.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 342 4 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For the two Stokes flow solutions take the same incompressible Newtonian fluid, with constant viscosity , no body forces, andHere and are the symmetric rate-of-strain tensors. The equality of viscosities is part of comparing two solutions in the same fluid; symmetry of an arbitrary constitutive stress alone would not suffice.
In components, with derivatives , use the product rule to compute the divergence of the cross-work flux:The pressure term vanishes by incompressibility; the antisymmetric part of the velocity gradient has zero contraction with the symmetric stress. Interchanging the hatted and unhatted fields gives exactly the same scalar. ThusIntegrate over and apply the divergence theorem. In its usual form the normal is outward from the fluid volume, whereas the printed points into the fluid. Reversing the normal multiplies both integrals by the same minus sign, leaving the Lorentz reciprocal theorem for Stokes flow:This proof applies to smooth fields or the corresponding finite-energy weak formulation. For an exterior domain one first truncates at a large sphere, applies the same identity, and takes the limit when the outer cross-work terms vanish, as for the decaying fields used below.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ib Paper 3 17C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Take the dot product of Ampère-Maxwell equation with and of Faraday's law with . The divergence of a cross product identitythen gives the local Poynting theoremIntegration and the divergence theorem produce the stated equation. Its terms are the rate of change of electromagnetic energy, the work per unit time done on charges, and the outward flux of the Poynting vector .
Let the plate separation be and their radius be , so . Between the plates,For a circular Amperian loop of radius , the displacement current in the Ampère-Maxwell equation givesThereforewhich points radially outward. Its flux through the cylindrical side is , exactly for the stored capacitor energy .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 105 2 b iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The positive uniform ellipticity condition from part (i) is needed here. It is not explicitly imposed in the printed preamble. Without it the conclusion is false: on , take , , and . The Neumann boundary condition is satisfied by , and for arbitrarily large shifts.
There is also an actual error in the PDF's supplied trace inequality: a nonzero constant has nonzero trace and zero gradient. Use instead the valid multiplicative trace inequality on a bounded smooth domainFor completeness, choose a smooth vector field agreeing with the outward normal vector on the boundary. The divergence theorem gives, for smooth ,Approximation and the Sobolev trace theorem extend it to . Thus the intended existence result remains true after correcting the hint.
Set , , , , andUniform ellipticity and the Young inequality giveFor , the bilinear form is coercive on the real Hilbert space with coercivity constant .
All coefficients are bounded, and the Sobolev trace theorem gives . The Cauchy-Schwarz inequality applied to each volume and boundary term therefore proves . Also is a continuous linear functional, with . Every hypothesis of the Lax-Milgram theorem is now verified, and it gives
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 107 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
For the spherical average , rescaling the sphere and applying the divergence theorem givesBy continuity, as . Integrating these spherical averages in radius proves the mean value property for harmonic functions:For the strong maximum principle for harmonic functions, suppose an interior point attains the maximum on a connected domain. The continuous nonnegative function has zero average on each sufficiently small ball around that point, so it vanishes there. The maximum set is therefore open as well as closed, and connectedness makes it the entire domain. Apply the same argument to for a minimum.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 314 1 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Write for the kinetic helicity density, and retain . Since is a curl, . Differentiating the density and using the equations from the preceding part givesThe divergence of a cross product givesThe first term on the right is zero, while . Thus the kinetic helicity conservation law has fluxThe last equality for the flux uses the vector triple product identity. Integrating and applying the divergence theorem gives for a fixed volume. Hence its total kinetic helicity is conserved when the boundary flux vanishes; for example, tangency of both velocity field and vorticity to the boundary is sufficient. The local conservation law does not by itself imply that its density follows each fluid particle unchanged.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 317 1 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Work in an inertial frame centred on the centre of mass, and follow a fixed material mass, with no stellar wind or accretion through its boundary. Assume nonrelativistic motion, Newtonian self-gravity, no external gravitational field, and sufficiently regular integrable fields. DefineHere is the scalar second mass moment, rather than a moment of inertia about one axis. The kinetic energy measures resolved internal motions relative to the centre of mass; random microscopic motion contributes to pressure and internal energy, and must not be counted again in .
The paper's symmetric compressive tensor is minus the tensile stress tensor, so its force per unit volume is . Differentiating the material integral twice and substituting the equation of motion givesIntegration by parts and the divergence theorem turn the stress contribution intoFor the requested scalar stellar virial theorem, assume isotropic pressure, , with uniform surface pressure . Then and the surface integral is . No spherical shape is needed for this step.
Finally, symmetrizing the pair integral for the Newtonian gravitational potential givesThereforeAnisotropic magnetic or viscous stresses retain their full trace and boundary terms; a changing integration mass adds transport terms.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 329 2 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Take to be the force and couple exerted by the body on the fluid, equivalently the external force and couple needed to maintain its motion. This fixes the sign for a positive hydrodynamic resistance matrix. If one uses the fluid's force on the body, both resultants have the opposite sign.
For two Stokes flows and in the same fluid domain , with zero body force, the Lorentz reciprocal theorem for Stokes flow isHere points out of the fluid. To see the identity, take the divergence of the difference of the two cross-work fluxes. The stress divergences vanish, while incompressibility and symmetry of the Newtonian fluid stress tensor reduce the remaining terms to . The divergence theorem proves the result.
On the body, the no-slip boundary condition is , and the far-field contribution vanishes for decaying exterior flows. Reciprocity becomesWith and , this is for all pairs, so . The power identity givesEquality would force zero strain throughout the connected exterior domain, hence a rigid fluid motion. Decay at infinity makes that motion zero, and the no-slip boundary condition then gives . This proves the symmetry and positivity of a rigid-body resistance matrix:
For the helix, assume and use cylindrical unit vectors. Its arclength element and tangent areIntegrating to gives . In a combined axial translation and rotation, . The slender-body force density, or local resistive-force theory, givesWriting , , its axial and azimuthal components areThe axial couple density is . Integration over arclength gives the axial resistance matrix of a slender helix:Thus pure translation gives , and pure rotation gives . The mixed coefficients agree, as reciprocity requires, and . The sign of follows the handedness in the parametrization; reversing handedness reverses propulsion.
For the helical microswimmer with a spherical head, the diagram's rotation relation is . Neutral buoyancy and the absence of external forcing make the whole swimmer force-free and torque-free. Neglecting interactions between its parts givesWith , solving this pair givesThe head counterrotates, providing the reaction to the flagellum's rotation. The figure fixes this relative rotation convention; it is duplicated and corrupted in the local TeX.
For a very large head, the coefficient regime is and . ConsequentlyThe large translational resistance makes the microswimmer slow even though the flagellum rotates almost at the motor rate.
For a very small head, and . The appropriate denominator retains the translation-rotation coupling:Both tend to zero with , while . The motor mainly rotates the low-resistance head, and produces little flagellar motion relative to the fluid.
In the intermediate coefficient regime and , the head supplies a strong rotational reaction with little translational penalty. ThenThe head radius has dropped out. To find the optimal pitch of a helical microswimmer, put . The dimensionless speed becomes and has derivative . Hence, for with the chosen handedness,The angle is measured from the horizontal plane. An intermediate pitch combines axial and transverse tangent directions, allowing anisotropic drag to convert rotation into translation; either extreme removes that coupling.
The geometric head-size regimes quoted in the paper hold with the logarithmic slenderness factor treated as fixed. More precisely, requires , while requires . These coefficient inequalities state the validity of the intermediate approximation when the logarithm is quantitatively important. The many-turn and local-drag assumptions of slender-body theory also remain in force.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 3 13C b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Integrating the continuity equation over state space and applying the divergence theorem givesAssume the probability density function and its derivatives decay sufficiently rapidly at infinity, or impose a zero-flux boundary condition. The boundary integral then vanishes, so is constant. Since it is initially one, the distribution remains normalized for all time.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 3 39C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
For each incompressible Stokes flow without body force, andThe divergence theorem givesIncompressibility removes the pressure term, antisymmetric velocity-gradient parts do not contract with the symmetric stress, and the remaining integrand is , symmetric under . This proves the Lorentz reciprocal theorem for Stokes flow:
By Linearity of Stokes flow, the drag on a translating body is linear in its velocity, so . Apply the reciprocal theorem to two translation solutions with velocities and . Their surface velocities are constant and the far-field contribution vanishes, yieldingSince the two vectors are arbitrary,Thus the hydrodynamic resistance matrix is symmetric and, for fixed fluid viscosity, depends only on body geometry.
A straight rod has fore-aft symmetry about its centre. Gravity acts through that centre, so the translational-rotational coupling and applied torque vanish. Kinematic reversibility of Stokes flow and Uniqueness of Stokes flow then rule out spontaneous rotation: the inclination remains constant.
Let the speed for perpendicular translation be . The given factor of two makes the parallel speed for the same force component. Resolving gravity parallel and perpendicular to the rod givesResolving these velocities horizontally and vertically givesTherefore
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ia Paper 3 11B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Using the Levi-Civita symbol and the epsilon-delta identity,ThereforeOne particularly simple vector potential for isDirect differentiation gives and .
Parametrize the curved cone byThe outward oriented surface element isSubstitution and integration over , give
Because , the divergence theorem predicts that the two outward fluxes sum to zero. On the top disk , and , so, with ,as predicted.
The outward orientation on induces the stated anticlockwise orientation on , whereas the outward orientation on induces the reverse orientation. Since , Stokes theorem predictsOn , put . Thenverifying both identities.
