Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 1 8B a ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
The quadratic expression is . Normalize the preceding eigenvectors to obtain an orthonormal basisWith the orthogonal matrix and coordinates , the surface equation becomes . All coefficients are positive, so it is an ellipsoid, with principal semiaxes along the respective eigenvectors. This is principal-axis reduction of a quadric.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 1 8B a i Solution 2026-10-07
The symmetry between the last two coordinates gives the eigenvector with eigenvalue . On vectors , the remaining eigenvalue equation iswhose characteristic polynomial is . Corresponding eigenvectors are and . Thus all eigenvalues and eigenspaces areNonzero scalar multiples give all eigenvectors in each eigenspace. The three displayed vectors are mutually orthogonal and have squared norms , respectively.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 1 8B b ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
An eigenvalue can be complex even though is real, so use the complex Hermitian inner product. For a nonzero complex eigenvector , the real orthogonal matrix also satisfies . Henceand . Taking complex conjugates in gives because is real. The conjugate vector is nonzero, so .
For the unheaded geometrical conclusion, the third eigenvalue of must be real: nonreal eigenvalues of a real matrix occur in conjugate pairs. Its modulus is one, so it is or . Exact algebraic multiplicity two for excludes a third , leaving . By the supplied diagonalisability fact, the -eigenspace is a two-dimensional plane and the -eigenspace is a line. They are orthogonal: preservation of the inner product between a fixed vector and a negated vector gives . Therefore is the orthogonal reflection in its fixed plane. It fixes the two tangential directions and reverses the normal direction; with unit normal , .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 ia Paper 2 7A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
Write the linear system of differential equations asA homogeneous power solves this Cauchy-Euler differential system precisely when . The eigenvalues are and , with eigenvectors and . The homogeneous solution is therefore .
For a particular solution, put . Then , which gives . At , the two initial conditions become and , so . ThusThe two powers correspond to the two eigenvalues; the lower-degree particular term accounts for the constant forcing. Substitution gives both original right sides and the zero initial data.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 1 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Use the derived series of a Lie algebraA solvable Lie algebra has for some . For a two-dimensional algebra with basis , alternating bilinearity shows that is contained in the line spanned by . A one-dimensional Lie algebra is abelian, so . Every two-dimensional complex Lie algebra is solvable, with derived length at most two. This dimension argument actually works over any field with the alternating definition of a Lie bracket.
There is a genuine qualification in the last request: the assertion about all Irreducible Lie algebra representations is true for finite-dimensional representations. Without that restriction, the infinite-dimensional simple module for the two-dimensional affine Lie algebra is a counterexample. Take , with , and let it act on byThen , so this is a Lie algebra representation. Any nonzero submodule is stable under multiplication by , hence is an ideal . Stability under implies . The two polynomials have the same degree; their leading coefficients also agree, so . In characteristic zero this forces to be constant. Thus is infinite-dimensional and irreducible, while is solvable. The literal unrestricted assertion is false.
Here is a proof of the intended finite-dimensional assertion, including the essential Lie theorem argument. We prove that a nonzero finite-dimensional representation of a complex solvable algebra has a common eigenvector, by induction on . If , any nonzero vector works. Otherwise ; choose a hyperplane containing . It is a solvable ideal, and . Induction gives and with for all . Write and suppress on elements of .
Let and let be the first index for which lies in the span of . The space is -invariant. Repeatedly using and proves inductively thatThus is -invariant, and every has constant diagonal in this basis. The trace of a commutator is zero, soSince we work over , for all . Therefore the nonzero simultaneous eigenspaceis -invariant: . A complex linear operator on a nonzero finite-dimensional space has an eigenvector. An eigenvector of is consequently a common eigenvector for .
Its span is a one-dimensional submodule. If is irreducible, that span must be all of . Hence every finite-dimensional irreducible representation of a finite-dimensional complex solvable Lie algebra has dimension one. Conversely a one-dimensional representation is given by a linear functional on , because every commutator acts by zero. Passing repeatedly to quotients also gives the simultaneous triangularization of a Lie algebra representation. Neither the eigenvector step nor the trace argument extends to the infinite-dimensional counterexample above.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 1 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
A finite-dimensional complex Lie algebra is a semisimple Lie algebra when its solvable radical is zero, equivalently when it has no nonzero solvable ideals. Its Killing form is the symmetric bilinear formThe cyclic trace identity and giveThus the Killing form is an invariant bilinear form on a Lie algebra. In particular its radical is an ideal.
We supply the trace argument needed for nondegeneracy rather than assuming the Cartan criterion for semisimplicity. The matrix form of the Cartan solvability criterion says: if and for every , , then is solvable. To prove this direction, fix . Let be its generalized eigenspace decomposition, and define to act on by the scalar . On , the semisimple part of has eigenvalue , whereas acts by . Polynomial interpolation on the finitely many eigenvalues, with all derivatives through the sizes of the nilpotent blocks set to zero, therefore givesHere the same difference always has the same conjugate, so the interpolation is consistent; the prescribed zero derivatives remove every nilpotent block. Since , it follows that .
Write . By cyclicity and the trace hypothesis,On the other hand, . Thus all eigenvalues of vanish, and every element of is nilpotent. The Engel theorem makes nilpotent as a Lie algebra, hence solvable; is abelian, so is solvable. This is the Conjugate-spectrum proof of Cartan solvability.
Apply this to the Killing radical . For , the adjoint actions preserve and act as zero on , because is an ideal. Computing traces in a basis adapted to givesThe matrix Lie algebra consequently satisfies the trace criterion and is solvable. Its kernel is , an abelian ideal; a central extension of a solvable algebra is solvable. Thus is solvable. This proves the reusable assertion that the Killing radical is a solvable ideal. Semisimplicity forces , and hence is nondegenerate.
A Cartan subalgebra is a nilpotent subalgebra which is self-normalizing:For a complex semisimple algebra this is equivalently a maximal toral subalgebra. The nilpotent, self-normalizing definition permits a proof of the restricted nondegeneracy without first assuming the toral characterization.
Use the generalized-weight decomposition for a nilpotent Lie algebra for the adjoint action of :For completeness, the stability underlying this decomposition follows directly from nilpotence of . For fixed , every on is nilpotent. If and in a finite-dimensional representation, then for sufficiently large . The identityshows that preserves each generalized eigenspace of . Starting with a basis of , refine these primary decompositions successively; all summands remain -invariant. Each resulting summand has only one eigenvalue for each basis element. The Lie theorem triangularizes the action on that summand, so those eigenvalues extend to a single linear character on all of . This proves the displayed decomposition and nilpotence of all shifted operators there.
Since is nilpotent, . The space is a subalgebra: repeated use of the derivation rule for shows that the bracket of two generalized zero-eigenvectors is another such vector. If , the adjoint action of on this quotient consists entirely of nilpotent maps. The Engel theorem supplies a nonzero coset with , contradicting self-normalization. Therefore the zero generalized weight space of a Cartan subalgebra is exactly .
Finally, when . Choose with and put . On , a power vanishes. On , is invertible. For and , write ; invariance givesIf is orthogonal to , it is now orthogonal to every summand of , so nondegeneracy of implies . The restriction is nondegenerate. This establishes the nondegeneracy of the Killing form on a Cartan subalgebra for every Cartan subalgebra, without requiring a chosen root basis.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 62 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Write and . In this geometry the Lorentz force density is purely longitudinal and equals . The ideal magnetohydrodynamic induction equation becomes . Together with the continuity equation and adiabatic pressure evolution, the four primitive-variable equations areThey have the required quasilinear form withHere the notation in derivatives means , whereas denotes the longitudinal velocity. Spatial dependence is one-dimensional; time dependence is allowed in the wave problem.
Put , and assume and . Expansion of the characteristic polynomial givesTwo independent eigenvectors for can be chosen as and . For the two propagating branches, useful eigenvectors areThe repeated branch advects an entropy disturbance and a disturbance with unchanged total gas-plus-magnetic pressure. The branches are perpendicular fast magnetosonic waves, with speed relative to the fluid.
On a uniform background, a Fourier amplitude obeys . Thus the eigenvalues are the phase velocities for , and the four dispersion branches are twice and . The reduced geometry retains neither an independent transverse velocity nor an additional propagating Alfvén wave.
To construct each finite-amplitude simple wave in magnetohydrodynamics, trace a state-space curve with tangent , using as its parameter. Integrating the pressure and magnetic components givesThe constants and are the entropy and transverse magnetic flux freezing invariants along this state curve. HenceSince , substituting this curve into the original system reduces it to . By the chain rule,Thus the characteristic speed itself satisfies the Inviscid Burgers equation. For initial speed , its smooth solution is along , until the characteristic curves intersect. This derivation supplies genuine state curves for simple waves, not merely a linear dispersion relation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 67 4 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Let . In terms of the Pauli X gate, the given unitary operator is , with and . Since and ,Thus the normalized eigenvectors are , with eigenvalues and respectively. At they coincide as eigenvalues, and the whole two-dimensional Hilbert space is the eigenspace; the same chosen eigenbasis remains valid.
Prepare independently of and use the exact quantum phase estimation circuit of the preceding parts on the controlled- black box. It returns exactly usingThe chosen eigenstate contains all the unknown phase information, unlike , whose eigenvalue is independent of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 73 1 iv Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The high-Reynolds-number balance gives positive mean vortex stretching. The Betchov relation therefore gives . To connect this to a fixed longitudinal velocity derivative, additionally assume isotropic turbulence, or average over the direction of that derivative. For a unit vector , the derivative is . Uniform directional averaging, with , givesFor example these identities follow by averaging products of direction cosines on a sphere. Hence in isotropic turbulenceand division by the positive derivative variance to the power gives negative longitudinal velocity-gradient skewness. Homogeneity alone does not fix the orientation statistics and does not establish this sign for every chosen coordinate direction.
Order the principal strain rates as . Except at degeneracies, and , so corresponds to : two extensional directions and one compressive direction, or bi-axial strain. The negative average of says that such configurations dominate this cubic amplitude-weighted statistic over axial-extension configurations with . In the usual physical interpretation, comparably intense strain events are therefore biased toward bi-axial extension.
An unweighted frequency claim needs more information. As a counterexample to deducing it solely from the cubic average, assign strain eigenvalues to 10% of samples and to 90%, with randomly oriented eigenvectors. Then , despite bi-axial extension occurring in only 10% of the samples. This example addresses what the moment inequality can infer, not a construction of a complete turbulent velocity field. A measured frequency preference is a further statistical observation.
The geometric significance is that a fluid element stretches in two directions and contracts in the third, becoming sheet-like while preserving volume. Distributed vorticity is swept into thin layers and its component along an extensional direction is amplified. The associated shear layers can subsequently roll up and produce vortex tubes. Thus the weighted strain bias helps explain sheet formation in the energy cascade even though the most intense dissipative structures can be tubes.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ia Paper 1 7B a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
We prove independence of eigenvectors for distinct eigenvalues by induction on the number of vectors. A single eigenvector is nonzero and hence independent. Suppose the first are independent, and let . Applying givesBy the induction hypothesis every coefficient in this shorter relation vanishes. The eigenvalues are distinct, so for . The original relation becomes , and gives . Thus the entire family of eigenvectors is linearly independent. The argument works over either the real or complex field.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ia Paper 1 7B b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
Represent the quadratic form by the symmetric matrixThe block has characteristic polynomial . Corresponding orthonormal eigenvectors, together with the direction, areThe eigenvalues are . To eliminate the linear term, solve , obtainingIndeed the first equation gives , and the second then gives . Define the new coordinates by . The original polynomial takes the value at the center, so its translated and orthogonally diagonalized form isThusThe surface is an elliptic one-sheet hyperboloid, centered at , with axis parallel to . Its waist at is an ellipse with semiaxes and . Every constant- section is a nonempty ellipse, so the two signs of belong to the same connected sheet. This is an application of principal-axis reduction of a quadric.