Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 ib Paper 1 9G Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ib Paper 4 10G Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
The algebraic dual space is , the vector space of all real linear functionals. For a finite basis , define the dual basis by , so . Every linear functional satisfiesThis equality follows by evaluating both sides on each vector of the basis. It proves spanning directly. If , evaluation on gives , proving linear independence without assuming a theorem on dual dimensions.
For a vector subspace , its annihilator of a vector subspace isExtend a basis of to a basis of . Then has basis , so .
The dual map of is , . In the corresponding dual bases its matrix is the transpose of the matrix for . A matrix and its transpose have the same rank, giving . Directly,Thus . Also every vanishes on , so . Both spaces have dimension by the preceding annihilator of a vector subspace formula and rank-nullity theorem, provingAlternatively, a linear functional vanishing on the kernel descends to the image of and can be extended to by extending a basis.
For the infinite-dimensional polynomial ring, the coefficient functionals are linearly independent: evaluate a finite relation on each monomial. However, they do not span the algebraic dual space. The linear functional takes value one on every monomial, while any finite combination of the vanishes on every sufficiently high-degree monomial. Thus the do not form a basis of . An infinite formal sum of coefficient functionals is not a finite linear combination.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 122 3 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The algebra must be finite-dimensional, and there is no universal bound on its dimension. Let and write its coevaluation morphism as a finite sumFor any , one snake identity givesThus the finitely many span , making it a finite-dimensional vector space. The other snake identity shows that is nondegenerate in the other variable as well, so the maps to the dual space determined by this pairing are isomorphisms. In the standard algebraic terminology this is a Frobenius algebra.
Every positive finite dimension of a vector space occurs: take with coordinatewise multiplication and . The coordinate idempotents give and . If zero unital algebras are allowed, the zero object gives dimension zero too.
The pairing need not make a semisimple algebra. For example, the dual numbers with have pairing matrixand coevaluation morphism . This pairing is nondegenerate over every field, despite the nilpotent ideal . Finite-dimensionality is the dimension conclusion; separability is not part of the given definition.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 309 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Write and for its dual space. A type- tensor is equivalently a linear map : the corresponding scalar-valued multilinear map is . Thus the composition definesIt is linear in because and are linear maps, and linear in the covector by evaluation. This proves directly that the composition is a tensor of type .
Choose a basis of the tangent space and its dual basis . With the paper's component order ,Equivalently, in the usual output-first matrix notation, : the matrix product is , not . This composition of mixed tensors contracts one output index with one input index. Under the tensor component transformation law, the two Jacobian factors at that contracted index cancel, leaving exactly one factor for each free index.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 313 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
A Poisson bivector is a smooth antisymmetric contravariant two-tensorwhose bracket on smooth functions,satisfies the Jacobi identity. Bilinearity and antisymmetry are immediate, and the product rule makes the bracket a derivation in each argument. Together these properties define a Poisson manifold. Unlike a symplectic form, the Poisson bivector need not be nondegenerate.
Apply the Jacobi identity to the coordinate functions. Since ,Changing to and rearranging the three summands gives the printed coordinate Jacobi condition for a Poisson bivector:This is also sufficient: expanding the Jacobiator of three arbitrary smooth functions, all terms involving second derivatives cancel in pairs by antisymmetry. The remaining coefficient of is the coordinate-function Jacobiator displayed above.
For a Lie algebra, the natural global space carrying the proposed linear bracket is its dual space . If is the chosen basis, define its linear coordinate function by . The Lie-Poisson bracket iswhere are elements of . On a general manifold the same coordinate expression gives a local construction; a global one requires compatible transition rules. The use of supplies that compatibility intrinsically.
Here and . The left side of the coordinate Jacobi condition for a Poisson bivector is thereforeThe final coefficient is the negative of the coefficient of in the Lie algebra identity . Thus the Lie-Poisson bracket satisfies the Jacobi identity.
It remains to find the Lie algebra structure constants for the printed rotation fields. Distinguish their original spatial coordinates from the coordinates on the dual space. Use the conventional Lie bracket of vector fields. Their component vectors are , and , respectively. For example,Similarly,The negative sign is essential: these are the fundamental fields of a left rotation action with the stated Lie bracket of vector fields, and consequently have the infinitesimal left-action sign convention discussed above. The first field here has component , as printed in the PDF.
The Lie-Poisson bracket on the dual space consequently hasFor the evolution convention , the Hamiltonian function has derivatives . Substitution gives the quadratic rotational Lie-Poisson dynamicsThese are Euler-type Hamilton's equations on a noncanonical Poisson manifold. When , and with positive principal inertias, they are the Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body in body angular-momentum coordinates. As a check, is conserved by antisymmetry of the Poisson bracket, and is a Casimir function of a Poisson manifold. Direct differentiation of in the three equations cancels the terms . The Hamiltonian flow therefore lies on both an energy level and a sphere, a symplectic leaf of this signed rotational bracket.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 326 2 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For a proper convex function on a real Hilbert space, its subdifferential at isIn a Banach space, interpret the pairing with an element of the dual space. For a chosen subgradient , the Bregman distance isIf also , its symmetric Bregman distance isThe subgradient inequality proves nonnegativity. These quantities depend on the chosen subgradients and generally are not metrics: they need not distinguish different points or obey the triangle inequality.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 4 10F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The dual space here is the algebraic dual space , consisting of every linear functional; no topology or boundedness is imposed. For a basis , define . These are linear functionals satisfying . Evaluating on each gives , proving linear independence. Conversely, for every ,This proves spanning and hence proves, without assuming a dimension theorem, that the dual basis is a basis and .
The canonical bidual evaluation map isIts definition makes no choice of basis and it is linear. If , one coordinate functional is nonzero on , so is injective. For any , choose . Expanding in the dual basis gives , proving surjection explicitly. Thus is an isomorphism.
If is any basis of , its dual basis in exists by the result just proved. Put . These vectors form a basis of , and . Every basis of the finite-dimensional dual is a dual basis, of a uniquely determined basis of .
For a separating subspace of an algebraic dual , choose a basis of . The linear map is injective because separates nonzero vectors. The rank-nullity theorem implies ; but implies . HenceThe zero-dimensional case also has this conclusion.
For , the monomials form an infinite basis, each polynomial using only finitely many of them. The map identifies with all real sequences, because any sequence defines . The linear subspace of finitely supported sequences is proper (it excludes ) and separating (one coefficient functional detects any nonzero polynomial). Thus
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 217 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The Cameron-Martin space of a Gaussian random variable in a Banach space is most conveniently defined using the first Gaussian chaos. Work over the real separable Banach space , with continuous dual space . For a centered Gaussian random variable in a Banach space, defineThe set inside the closure is already a linear subspace. Every is a centered Gaussian random variable. The Bochner integral defining exists: Fernique's theorem states that for some , , and then Cauchy-Schwarz inequality gives .
The map is injective. Indeed, implies for all . Density of these observations in then implies . Define the Reproducing-kernel Hilbert space byThe injectivity makes the inner product unambiguous, and the completeness of makes a Hilbert space. The embedding into is continuous sinceFor put . The reproducing property isThis defines the Banach-space Gaussian RKHS even for a degenerate Gaussian measure.
For , write . There is a measurable coordinate on , obtained as a limit in L2 space of continuous linear observations, and has normal distribution . The Cameron-Martin theorem for a Gaussian measure, in its real separable Banach space form, states that if is the probability law of , then the probability law of is an equivalent probability measure to precisely when . For such a shift,For the two laws are mutually singular measures. The coordinate need not be a continuous functional on , and the sample need not belong to .
Apply this theorem to the shift . With , it givesChoose the measurable coordinate so that on a symmetric set of full -measure. This is possible by taking an almost-surely convergent subsequence of the approximating linear observations and intersecting its convergence set with its negative. Alternatively the joint law of is invariant under simultaneous negation, directly from those observations and their mean-square convergence. Since and the centered Gaussian measure is symmetric, the two exponential integrals with signs and agree. Consequentlybecause . The symmetric Gaussian translation lower bound is thereforeOnly symmetry and Borel measurability of are required; convexity is not needed.
There is one degenerate flaw in the last printed claim. The separable Banach space with has dense in , and all positive-radius balls have probability one. Nevertheless for every . Thus the statement needs the additional hypothesis . If the course convention excludes the zero space, this hypothesis is already implicit.
Under this necessary hypothesis, density of implies that contains a nonzero vector. Given , scale that vector to obtain with , and choose . The triangle inequality givesThe centered closed ball is a symmetric Borel set. Apply the symmetric Gaussian translation lower bound to getHence the Gaussian norm distribution is strictly increasing when is nonzero. This proves the strict increase of a Gaussian norm distribution without assuming that its distribution has a density or that spheres have zero probability.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 1 21F a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The continuous dual space consists of all bounded real linear functionals on , with operator norm . Let be Cauchy in this norm. For each , , so converges in ; define its limit to be .
Pointwise limits of the linear identities show that is linear. The sequence of norms is bounded, say by , so and . Given , choose so that for all . Holding fixed and taking the pointwise limit in gives for all . Thus , provingCompleteness of is not needed; completeness of the scalar field supplies the pointwise limit.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 326 3 2 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
For a functional on a real Banach space, its convex conjugate is defined on the dual space byHere is the dual pairing. For complex spaces, use its real part, equivalently regard the space as real for convex analysis. The convex conjugate is a convex function, being the supremum of affine functions of , even when itself is not convex.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 326 3 2 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Write for the indicator functional of a constraint set and . ThenBoth terms are convex, hence their infimal convolution is the convex squared distance to a convex set. The closest point theorem in a Hilbert space supplies the unique metric projection onto a closed convex set and gives .
Identify the Hilbert space with its dual space using the Riesz representation theorem. Completing the square yields , while is the support function. The conjugate of the squared distance to a convex set is thereforeFor the closed unit ball, the metric projection onto a closed convex set is if , and otherwise. ThereforeThe last equality uses the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality to compute the unit ball's support function, attained in the direction of when .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 4 22F a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Choose a countable dense subset of the normed vector space . For each fixed , the scalar sequence is bounded becauseRepeated use of the Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem followed by a diagonal subsequence argument produces a subsequence for which converges for every .
Let be the linear span of the . On every , defineFinite linear combinations show that is linear, and passage to the limit in gives . Thus is a bounded linear functional on the dense linear subspace and extends uniquely to an element of the dual space with .
For arbitrary and ,First choose close to , then let tend to infinity. This provesThis is the Sequential Banach-Alaoglu theorem for a separable predual.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ib Paper 4 10F Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
For , define by . If , then in particularso . Thus is injective. Since a finite-dimensional vector space and its dual space have the same dimension, is also surjective and hence an isomorphism. This is the finite-dimensional real case of the Riesz representation theorem.
The adjoint operator of is the unique linear map satisfyingfor every and . In the stated orthonormal bases, if and denote coordinate columns, thenTherefore the matrix of is the matrix transpose .
For ,Hence . Taking orthogonal complements in the finite-dimensional space proves the image-kernel orthogonality for an adjoint
Put . For any ,This is minimized at exactly when , equivalently when . Thus the normal equation for a linear inverse problem is