Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 ia Paper 3 9A ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2011 ia Paper 2 8A b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ia Paper 4 9B b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
For inferring an inverse-square force from Kepler laws, first use the area swept by an infinitesimal radius sector:Kepler's second law makes the areal velocity constant, so is constant. Then , meaning that the acceleration has no transverse component. Newton's second law therefore gives a central force directed along the Sun–planet line.
For the radial dependence, set . Since ,The radial acceleration is the Binet equation expressionThe focus-based ellipse has , hence . ThusFor a planet of mass , the force is : it is attractive and obeys the inverse-square law. This deduction uses both the shape of the orbit and its constant areal velocity; the orbit shape alone would not determine its time-dependent acceleration.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ib Paper 2 18D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
For a thin wire carrying current , the given magnetic vector potential reduces to . Taking its curl and using gives the Biot-Savart lawThis is exactly the sign convention in the printed form using .
Let . Away from the wire, . The supplied divergence and curl of a cross product therefore gives . But , so the integrand is the total differential of along the source loop. Its closed-loop integral is zero. Thus at every point outside , as demanded by the current-free magnetostatic Ampère's law.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 65 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
In the center of mass frame, the velocities are and . Hence the kinetic energy is , while the Newtonian gravitational potential energy is . The two-body orbital energy is thereforeThe relative equation of Newtonian gravity is . It is a central force, so conservation of angular momentum confines the motion to a plane and preserves the specific angular momentum .
For completeness, derive the polar equation of a Kepler orbit. Let and use primes for derivatives. Then and . The radial equation gives the Binet equationChoose the angular origin at closest approach. Its solution is , soFor the ellipse, the orbital eccentricity satisfies . Its extreme separations are and . The semi-major axis is half their sum, giving and thus . The true anomaly runs through a full ; the endpoints are the same position, and for a circular Kepler orbit the angular origin is arbitrary.
The radial and transverse relative speeds are and . Substituting these into the specific orbital energy givesTherefore the conserved orbital energy isThe negative specific orbital energy and fixed angular momentum characterize the bound Kepler orbit; neither should be assumed unchanged through a mass-ejecting explosion.
Initially the circular Kepler orbit has and . Treat the supernova kick in a binary star as impulsive: the relative position does not change, the companion's velocity is unchanged during the impulse, and the new neutron star receives with . Thus , and with the angle between these vectors before the kick,Write , and . The post-explosion specific orbital energy isUsing givesHere for a bound Kepler orbit. For a hyperbolic Kepler orbit, this formula uses the signed energy parameter , rather than the positive geometric magnitude of the hyperbola's semi-major axis. At the parabolic Kepler orbit boundary, .
The kick-direction binary survival criterion is bound if and unbound with positive asymptotic speed if . To prove the printed sufficient disruption condition, choose a perpendicular kick, : then , so produces positive specific orbital energy. This is sufficient, not the sharp existence threshold. Sincethe complete kick-direction binary survival criterion isThe second inequality follows by taking a kick directly opposite to . All directions remain bound if , while every direction has positive escape energy if . For , the marginal direction obeys when the right-hand side lies in . Equalities give marginal parabolic Kepler orbits for the relevant extreme direction. With zero kick, losing more than half the original total mass unbinds the circular Kepler orbit.
For an escaping pair, the Newtonian gravitational potential energy approaches zero at infinite separation. Conservation of the post-explosion two-body orbital energy then gives , or the asymptotic relative speed of a disrupted binaryThis is the relative recession speed, not the velocity of the new center of mass or either star's individual velocity in the original inertial frame. A marginal parabolic Kepler orbit separates with at infinity.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 321 2 d ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For , the velocity divergence is zero and . Substituting into the steady Euler equations yieldsIntegration givesThe steady enthalpy equation also requires . Its coefficient is , so, since ,For a bounded patch with positive mass density and a vacuum fluid free boundary, choose and require both quadratic coefficients to confine the fluid. With and , this meansThe lower bound is imposed by ; the upper bound by bounded positive . At , is constant and has no nontrivial finite vacuum boundary; violates or degenerates the stipulated elliptical flow.
For a polytropic elliptical patch in a shearing sheet, the physical fluid free boundary is . It is the ellipsewhere and . In the interior . The boundary is a material streamline because . Since , it is elongated in the azimuthal direction.
The polytropic shearing-sheet patch has an elliptical vacuum boundary with tangential anticyclonic flow and positive interior enthalpy
. This is a pressure-supported fluid patch in the supplied tidal model; no additional planetary self-gravity potential was assumed.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 316 2 vi Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Assume negligible fragment release speed relative to a circular parent planetesimal. Its initial speed is , but radiation pressure reduces the grain's gravitational parameter to . Its specific orbital energy and specific angular momentum areFor , the resulting dust orbit released from a circular parent ring hasRelease is at periapsis: the inherited tangential speed exceeds the new circular speed. Low- grains remain near the dust birth ring; higher bound gives increasingly eccentric orbits extending well outside it. Uniform release longitude produces an approximately axisymmetric dust halo, with long residence times near apoapsis. At the conservative release orbit is parabolic; above this radiation-pressure blowout threshold it is initially unbound. For , zero or repulsive effective gravity also prevents a bound ellipse.
Dust release orbits and inspiral time under Poynting–Robertson drag
. Left: representative orbits released at one point on the birth ring, including the parabolic release limit. Right: the formal averaged lifetime of bound grains as a function of the radiation-pressure coefficient.The left panel shows one release longitude; rotating it around the ring fills the halo. At longer times Poynting–Robertson drag also carries bound grains inward, so an initially outward-spanning release distribution does not imply an empty inner region in a continuously supplied, collision-free population.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 316 3 vi Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
If the proper eccentricity is negligible and the semi-major axis ranges over , particles lie on nearly aligned forced Kepler orbits. For a locally constant forced vector, these are geometrically similar ellipses, represented to first order by circles of radius centered at .
The boundaries of the aligned eccentric ring are thereforeIt is narrower at forced periapsis and wider at forced apoapsis, unlike the constant-width proper-eccentricity annulus. Its centers shift slightly between the two edges, as shown in the right panel of the figure. The condition makes the proper radial excursion negligible compared with the variation in forced center location.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 316 3 v Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
To first order in orbital eccentricity, the semi-minor axis is , while the ellipse's center is displaced from the star by . Thus each orbit is a circle of radius about , in complex spatial coordinates.
Write at one secular epoch. The centers of the individual circles lie on a circle of radius about . Their union is the proper-eccentricity annulusIts full radial width is and its center is displaced by toward the forced apoapsis direction. Relative to the star, if the forced longitude of periapsis is zero,The middle panel of the preceding figure shows this construction. For fully sampled orbital phases and proper phases, the annulus is occupied throughout, but its density need not be uniform; turning points in the proper radial excursion give integrable edge enhancements. The construction requires and is an instantaneous secular geometry.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 316 4 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
With the ellipse center as origin and its major axis horizontal, the auxiliary-circle construction gives particle coordinates , , while the stellar focus is at . ThereforeSquaring and adding gives . The Kepler orbit radius and the anomaly conversion are consequentlyEquivalently,The sine and cosine formulas, or a quadrant-aware angle function, fix the correct branch when using the half-angle relation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 316 4 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Measure angles from periapsis in the direction of motion. The true anomaly is the angle at the stellar focus between the pericentre ray and the star-particle radius vector. Draw the auxiliary circle of radius around the ellipse's center; the point on that circle with the same projected major-axis coordinate as the particle defines the eccentric anomaly at the center.
The mean anomaly is a uniformly advancing time phase, with at pericentre passage . It is the angle swept by a fictitious uniformly moving circular phase marker, not generally the actual position angle. The mean motion is the angular frequencyThe second formula is Kepler's equation, which converts the uniform time phase into geometric position.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 338 1 b v Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
A Gregorian telescope has a concave parabolic primary and a concave ellipsoidal secondary. Unlike the Cassegrain reflector, the secondary is beyond the primary focus: the rays cross that focus before reaching it. The two foci of the secondary’s ellipse are the intermediate focus and final rear focus, so the reflected rays return through the primary hole to the detector.
The real intermediate focus permits a field stop to reject unwanted light, and the two image inversions give an erect image. The rear focus is convenient and the effective focal length can be large. The secondary beyond prime focus makes the tube longer than the corresponding Cassegrain reflector, often with a larger secondary obstruction. The classical design retains off-axis coma, astigmatism and field curvature, and needs careful alignment.
Parabolic primary → real intermediate focus → concave ellipsoidal secondary → rear focus.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 345 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Let denote the fluid pressure perturbation divided by the reference mass density, and let be the buoyancy perturbation. The buoyancy frequency satisfies . Linearization requires small boundary slope , small displacements compared with the vertical scales of the disturbance and background, and advection small compared with the oscillatory acceleration. For a propagating internal gravity wave this includes ; boundary slope alone is insufficient when . The Boussinesq approximation also requires small relative mass density differences over the region of interest. These conditions must hold for the resulting disturbance, including any amplification by resonance.
The inviscid Linearized Boussinesq equations and linear kinematic boundary condition areWrite the velocity field as . Incompressibility and horizontal momentum balance giveThe vertical momentum balance therefore yieldsFor a real vertical wavenumber , this gives the dispersion relationWhen , define . The radiation condition selects , because energy must leave the boundary upward. The boundary-forced internal gravity wave isIts wavevector is , its phase velocity is , and its group velocity isThus the phase velocity points down and right, while the group velocity points up and right. They are perpendicular. Internal-wave polarization makes the particle motion an oscillation along the group velocity direction, with zero first-order mean transport. The constant-phase lines of an internal gravity wave are also parallel to the group velocity. Their inclination above the horizontal satisfies .
When , set . Boundedness at infinity selects the evanescent waveThe horizontal and vertical velocity components are in quadrature: fluid particles describe small ellipses, and the response decays over . There is no upward time-averaged energy flux, because and are in quadrature. A real vertical group velocity is not defined for this evanescent wave. The pattern travels horizontally with phase velocity .
For the response is the evanescent wave with ; the ratios should not be used. At the cutoff , the bounded harmonic solution has , : it neither decays nor has nonzero upward group velocity. It is the limiting cutoff response, rather than a localized radiating disturbance. A uniform nonzero buoyancy frequency in an infinitely deep Boussinesq approximation is itself a local idealization of the background mass density.
Propagating and evanescent responses
. The arrows distinguish the phase velocity, group velocity, and oscillatory particle motion of the internal gravity wave. The right panel shows the decay envelope and particle ellipses of the evanescent wave.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 2 25I c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ia Paper 4 10C c ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
A circular orbit of radius has speed . On the transfer ellipse, the velocity is tangential at both apsides and has magnitude . The first prograde burst therefore changes the speed byAt the satellite must again accelerate in the direction of motion to circularize, byThese are the two impulses of a Hohmann transfer.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ia Paper 1 1B a iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
By the focal definition of an ellipse, the solution set is the ellipse with foci and . Its centre is , its major axis lies along the line through the foci, and its semiaxes areThe sketch is consequently a nondegenerate ellipse symmetric about both the focal line and its perpendicular bisector.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 309 1 b iv Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Now , so every mass is again at rest after the pulse and . Put . The final transverse coordinates areThe unit vectors along and are eigenvectors with eigenvalues and , respectively. Consequently an initial circle becomes, to first order, an ellipse compressed along the line and stretched along . This persistent deformation is displacement memory.
Prolate spheroid 2026-10-06
A prolate spheroid is an ellipsoid with two equal shorter semiaxes and a longer symmetry-axis semiaxis. Its meridional section is an ellipse rotated about its major axis. In the coordinates with , a fixed regular has equatorial radius and polar radius ; its focal separation is independent of , giving a confocal family.




