Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 2 30A a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The direct First Lyapunov theorem says that a continuously differentiable positive-definite function near an equilibrium, with , proves stability. LaSalle invariance principle says that in a compact positively invariant set, trajectories approach the largest invariant subset of . Under the terminology in which “first theorem” means the linearization theorem, eigenvalues with negative real part imply asymptotic stability, while zero-real-part eigenvalues leave the test inconclusive. Here the linearization has eigenvalues , so the direct criterion is needed.
Write and chooseNear zero, is positive definite. Along solutions,The component containing the origin of a sufficiently small closed sublevel set is compact, lies in and is positively invariant. The set has ; to remain there also requires , so its largest invariant subset is just the origin. The two theorems establish the origin is asymptotically stable.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 2 32C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Taking along a coordinate axis gives . Taking for gives . Combining this anticommutator relation with the specified commutator givesand contraction with provesThe operators for spin angular momentum, , satisfy and , identifying spin . The usual irreducible spin space is two-dimensional; the assumptions also allow repeated copies of it if no Hilbert-space dimension is specified.
Since is Hermitian and squares to , are Hermitian, , and . They are its spectral projectors. WriteEach nonzero term is a scalar multiple of a normalized eigenstate with eigenvalue . The Born rule gives, for normalized ,If , expectation of gives . Taking yields .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 2 38A iv Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Let be the interior-grid matrix representing , with zero boundary error. It is real symmetric and has the stated sine eigenbasis. Put and ; the negative of its eigenvalue isThis increases in each variable on . With , the smallest absolute eigenvalue is at least . Hence its Euclidean norm operator norm satisfiesThe corrected scheme has an unscaled residual whose individual entries are uniformly . There are entries and , so . Subtracting the exact nodal equations from the numerical equations gives (with sign depending on the residual convention), and thereforeChoose a constant slightly larger than the resulting bound to obtain the requested strict for all sufficiently small . Uniform smoothness is needed for an -independent constant; unspecified smoothness only in the interior would not by itself guarantee it.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 10G c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Use the periodic continued fraction . A direct matrix argument avoids any assumption about the parity of the period. LetPeriodicity says that fixes as a Möbius transformation, while takes to . Thus has integer entries and fixes . Equating rational and irrational parts in gives . ConsequentlyThe eigenvalue of on is its denominator ; this uses and , including the one-term period. The corresponding eigenvalue of is . If the algebraic norm is , square this unit; otherwise keep it. In either case there is a unit of algebraic norm with integer . Its powers have integer coefficients and algebraic norm , and are distinct since strictly increases. Hence Pell's equation has infinitely many integer solutions.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 30A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
The centre manifold theorem gives, near an equilibrium of a sufficiently smooth system, a local invariant manifold tangent to the generalized eigenspaces with zero-real-part eigenvalues, expressible as a graph of a function over them. Its reduced dynamics govern local equilibria and their stability in the presence of strictly stable transverse directions. The manifold need not be unique or analytic; finite Taylor jets can nevertheless be determined from invariance. Treating a parameter as a variable with gives the extended centre manifold for a parameter.
At the linearized block has eigenvalues , and the direction has eigenvalue . Thus the origin is a nonhyperbolic equilibrium, with stable dimension two and non-extended centre dimension one. The extended centre dimension is two. The transformed equations areThe graph of a function satisfies and , with invariance equations and . Symmetry permits odd and even in . Giving weight one and weight two, comparison yieldsHere means terms of weighted order at least under the stated scaling. If , the pitchfork bifurcation is supercritical: stable branches appear for as the origin loses stability. If , it is a subcritical pitchfork bifurcation: unstable branches occur for , while the origin is stable there.
For , assign weight four. The leading cubic terms in cancel. The invariance equations now give and : first contributes at weight six and also first contributes there. Substitution then givesThe derivative along the nonzero branches is , so they are unstable. The origin is stable for , unstable for , and nonlinearly unstable at because the leading term is . This is a degenerate subcritical pitchfork bifurcation.
Bifurcation diagram for the equilibrium branches
. Details. Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 32C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Put and . The canonical commutation relations give , , and the analogous relations for , with all cross-mode operators commuting. Consequently and . Alsoso . This is the Schwinger boson representation of the angular momentum algebra, with in the stated commutators.
The vacuum has , and has occupation numbers , hence eigenvalue . With ,Thus . It is the highest-weight state of the spin-one irreducible representation. There are two other states in this multiplet, and , with eigenvalues . A normalized basis is , , . This count assumes the usual two-mode bosonic Fock space; an extra unmentioned vacuum multiplicity could replicate the multiplet.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 39A iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Two consecutive steps multiply by the polynomial of the symmetric matrixThe Chebyshev polynomial bound on gives , and the actual endpoints attain it. At the dominant eigenvalue, . ThusFor a small prescribed error relative to a fixed initial-component factor , the number of matrix-vector iterations is approximately . The three leading denominators are . Therefore the iteration counts are in the ratio : the single shift halves and the alternating double shift quarters the leading count. A pair of double-shift steps costs two matrix-vector products, already accounted for by using per iteration rather than .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 39A ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
With shift , the unwanted eigenvalues lie in , and both endpoints occur. The dominant shifted eigenvalue is . HenceThe negative endpoint can alternate in sign, but the norm error has this factor, and the even-iteration comparison removes the alternation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 16H ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
If every vertex has degree , then each row of the adjacency matrix of a graph sums to . The nonzero constant vector therefore satisfiesso is an eigenvalue. This uses the usual finite, nonempty graph convention.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 16H i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Let be the adjacency matrix of a graph and with . Choose a vertex maximizing . ThenDividing givesThis argument works even with a complex eigenvector; for a finite undirected graph the matrix is real symmetric and all eigenvalues are real.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 16H Solution 2026-10-05
For the Petersen graph, each vertex has three neighbours, adjacent vertices have no common neighbour, and distinct nonadjacent vertices have exactly one common neighbour. The entries of count length-two walks, so diagonal entries are three, adjacent entries zero, and other off-diagonal entries one. HenceThe connected graph has the simple eigenvalue three with eigenvector . On its orthogonal complement , so the remaining eigenvalues satisfy and are one or minus two. If their multiplicities are , then and . Thus
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 21F iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Apply the spectral theorem for compact Hermitian operators to positive . Its positive eigenvalues have orthonormal eigenvectors spanning , with a finite or countable list. In the infinite case . DefineThen , so the are orthonormal. Also , because . Decompose with and apply bounded to the norm-convergent expansion. This gives the singular value decompositionThe series converges in norm; its squared tail norm is . No separability of the whole Hilbert space is necessary: the nonzero spectral subspace of a compact operator is separable. For use the empty list .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 39A a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Let . The zero Dirichlet boundary values introduce no forcing terms, so the scheme isThe common orthogonal sine eigenvectors have -eigenvalues . Thus is invertible for every , and each amplification eigenvalue isThe matrix is orthogonally diagonalizable, so its powers have Euclidean norm at most one, uniformly in the mesh and time step. Therefore Crank-Nicolson diffusion scheme is stable for every . Negative amplification factors at large can create temporal sign oscillations, which do not contradict this norm stability.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 6B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
At an endemic equilibrium, , so . Substitution into the susceptible equation givesThese values are physically positive exactly when . The Jacobian matrix at this equilibrium isBoth eigenvalues have negative real parts, so the endemic equilibrium is locally asymptotically stable. Its decay exponents areThe regime means recovery is rapid compared with demographic replacement. For fixed away from the threshold, the exponents form a complex conjugate pair with frequency approximately . HenceStrictly, oscillations require ; alone does not ensure this uniformly for every arbitrarily close to one or arbitrarily large.
Vaccinating a fraction of newborns replaces the susceptible input by . The effective basic reproduction number is , and the same calculation replaces by . Provided and the oscillatory approximation remains applicable, vaccination lengthens the oscillation period, because is smaller. Extremely near eradication the exponents become real and there is no oscillation period to extrapolate indefinitely.
