Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ia Paper 3 11A ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
On the outward-oriented sphere of radius , , so . HenceAway from the origin, the divergence and curl of a radial vector field with giveIf the enclosed volume excludes the origin and its boundary avoids it, this field is smooth throughout the volume. The divergence theorem then gives . The nonzero sphere flux is compatible with zero divergence away from the origin because the enclosed singularity prevents applying that smooth-volume theorem directly to the full ball.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ia Paper 3 11A i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
For , the definition of the Laplacian gives . Integrating over and applying the divergence theorem yieldsThis is the flux form of Poisson equation, for an outward-oriented piecewise smooth boundary and the usual smoothness of on a neighborhood of the volume. In particular, a singularity cannot be ignored when applying this identity.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ia Paper 3 9A d Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Close the truncated two-sheet double circular cone by the lateral circular cylinder , . Together these form the boundary of the solid in part (c); no planar caps are required because the cone meets the circular cylinder along both end circles. On the circular cylinder the outward unit normal is , so , and . Its flux integral isThe divergence theorem now gives , using the volume integral from part (c). Henceagreeing with tangency. The isolated vertex can be handled by excising a ball of radius and passing to the limit: since there and the added area is , its extra flux is and tends to zero.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ib Paper 2 18A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
For a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium, the interior field is zero and the surface is equipotential. The tangential exterior field is zero. A thin Gaussian pillbox gives the normal jump . Thus, in vacuum and with pointing out of the conductor,These are the electrostatic boundary conditions at a conductor.
To obtain electrostatic energy in field form, integrate over the space outside the conductors, cutting it off first at a large sphere. From the Maxwell equations, and , soOn a conductor boundary, the outward normal of the integration region points into the conductor, so its flux contribution is . At the remote outer boundary the flux integral tends to zero: for a localized charge distribution, and . The divergence theorem therefore givesSince the field vanishes inside conductors,The field integral is over all space, although the charges occupy a finite volume. For a finite outer integration boundary there is additionally the term .
For the electrostatic energy of alternating-charge concentric shells, the total enclosed charge after shell isBy spherical symmetry and Gauss's law, the field is zero for , and in every subsequent gap, including outside the last shell,Although its direction alternates, its squared magnitude is the same in every gap. ConsequentlyThe coefficient of is , independent of the other radii and of the number of shells.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ib Paper 2 6A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Use compatible orientations for the loop and spanning surface. The relevant Maxwell equations areThe magnetic flux transport for a moving circuit separates the change of the field from the motion of its boundary. To see the boundary term, freeze at time . Orient the closed swept surface as . Its side element isto first order. Hence its flux is . By the divergence theorem and , the sum of the three fluxes is zero, giving the purely geometric changeAdding the temporal field change and applying Stokes theorem yieldsThusThe boundary contribution is the motional electromotive force; the field contribution is Faraday's law.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ib Paper 4 18B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Apply mass conservation to a fixed horizontal region . The layer mass is and the outward horizontal flux is . The divergence theorem and arbitrary choice of giveThis depth-integrated law retains free-surface motion; neglecting the vertical velocity in horizontal momentum is not the assumption that the depth cannot change.
Take the free-surface pressure to be constant. hydrostatic pressure gives , so the horizontal pressure forces are . Linearization about a resting layer gives the linearized shallow water equationsTaking the curl of the momentum equations yields . Combining with continuity gives the linearized shallow-water potential-vorticity anomalyFor , . Taking the divergence of momentum gives . Eliminate the divergence with continuity to obtainFor , substitution of gives the inertia-gravity wave dispersion relationThe associated purely oscillatory velocity field isThese formulas satisfy all three linearized equations and the zero-anomaly condition. A separately added spatially uniform inertial oscillation is not part of this monochromatic wave.
To first order in amplitude evaluate the wave at a particle's equilibrium coordinate , so . Integrating its velocity gives displacements relative to the orbit centreThese are particle ellipses for rotating shallow-water waves, with axis ratio . For the stipulated positive signs, the velocity at phases points respectively right, up, left, down, with magnitudes . The particle orbits are clockwise as time advances, since the phase decreases.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 5 2 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The interior elliptic regularity assertion for the Laplace equation is that a harmonic function is smooth, in fact real analytic, throughout . No boundary regularity of its unspecified boundary values is implied.
First let and . On a ball compactly contained in , differentiating its spherical average and applying the divergence theorem expresses that derivative as a constant factor times , which is zero. The spherical average tends to at the center as . This proves the mean value property for harmonic functions.
Choose a radially symmetric smooth mollifier , supported in , with integral one. By integrating the spherical mean value property,whenever . For fixed the right side is a smooth convolution, since all derivatives can be placed on . Thus is smooth. The same argument proves the Weyl lemma for a distributionally harmonic : first mollify , apply the fixed-radius identity, and let the mollification radius tend to zero in distributions to obtain the same smooth representative.
To prove real analytic regularity, differentiating the fixed-radius convolution gives the interior derivative estimate for a harmonic functionfor any harmonic . All derivatives of are harmonic. On nested balls between and , apply this estimate times, decreasing the radius by each time. For ,The inequality follows by integrating below the sum defining . Apply the one-dimensional Taylor theorem along each segment, expanding directional derivatives by the multinomial formula. The remainder is bounded by , so it tends to zero for sufficiently small . This gives a locally convergent multivariate Taylor series. A harmonic function is real analytic in the interior.
The usual inhomogeneous elliptic regularity statement also follows: if and is smooth, take a cutoff equal to one near a given point and set , where is a fundamental solution of the Laplace equation with . Moving every derivative to the compactly supported smooth function shows is smooth. Locally is harmonic, so is smooth there too.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 76 2 iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For , put , and , where . Then and division by givesWe may take without loss of the dynamics by conjugating the original equation if necessary; otherwise reverses the time orientation. The scaling is singular at and is not a transformation for that exactly zero-frequency case.
The Hamiltonian limit of three-to-one forcing drops the terms proportional to . For the remaining real system isThe proposed first integral isIndeed and , hence . The unperturbed equation is a planar Hamiltonian system, with a center equilibrium at the origin and three saddle equilibria atAll saddle equilibria have . The factorizationshows that their central separatrix consists of the three sides of an equilateral triangle. Each level inside this triangle is a closed periodic orbit. Indeed, inside the triangle and . Each ray from the origin therefore meets each such level once, giving a compact simple closed contour with no equilibrium point on it. The nonzero vector field traverses this contour periodically; the period grows without bound as the separatrix is approached. This supplies an infinite family, not a claim that every level outside the central region is closed.
Restore the small radial perturbation. Its exact effect on the first integral isConsequently the continuum of Hamiltonian system orbits generally does not persist. The origin becomes a weak attracting focus for or a repelling focus for , and the three hyperbolic saddle equilibria persist with perturbed stable manifold and unstable manifold. For a small positive , outward drift on very small orbits balances cubic damping on somewhat larger ones, selecting a stable limit cycle rather than an arbitrary energy level. Near the center equilibrium , so its leading radius is when is also small.
For a more general closed unperturbed orbit , the averaged area criterion for perturbed Hamiltonian cycles says that persistence requires the averaged energy drift to vanish. Since the unperturbed speed is , the planar divergence theorem converts this leading drift towhere is the enclosed region. Isolated zeros select candidate periodic orbits; a drift changing from positive inside to negative outside gives an attracting limit cycle. The separatrix triangle has mean , so its leading flux changes sign at . This marks the leading possible heteroclinic transition, with higher-order corrections needed to locate it precisely.
As a cycle approaches the saddle equilibria, long residence times and splitting of the heteroclinic cycle become important. Orbits can instead drift inward to the equilibrium point at the origin or leave the periodic island and approach one of the stable states with phase locking of the full canonical equation. Those upper-branch threefold phase-locked equilibria have , so they lie outside the local scaling. Thus the small perturbation gives energy selection, attracting or repelling oscillations, and possible switching/locking transitions; it does not preserve a conserved or an infinite family of neutral periodic solutions. This qualitative picture does not assume all global parameter values have the same attractor.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 11A iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Put , with . The Jacobian determinant in spherical coordinates gives , soDifferentiation under this fixed-domain integral yieldsThe last step is the divergence theorem and the Laplace equation. Hence is constant on radii for which the closed ball lies inside . Continuity at the origin gives , proving the mean value property for harmonic functions:
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 11A i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Apply the divergence theorem to , for functions smooth enough on the closure of the bounded piecewise smooth volume. The product rule givesThus Green's first theorem, also called Green's first identity, isThe normal is outward. This identifies the boundary term and its sign directly from the divergence theorem.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 9A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
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.
Meridional section of the annular volume between the unit cylinder, inverse-square surface and lower plane
. Details. 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.


