Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2011 ii Paper 3 30A b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Parameterize the initial line by and use characteristic time . The characteristic equations for a transport equation integrate toHere and . Since , the solution isDirect differentiation gives , , verifying the equation and the initial values. The map has determinant , so every point of this strip is reached exactly once.
At the upper boundary , a finite-time blow-up of an ordinary differential equation. At the lower boundary , but diverges as , so no continuation through that boundary is possible. Thus the displayed strip is the maximal connected domain containing the initial line on which this classical Cauchy solution exists.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ia Paper 2 6C b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
For , differentiate and use the angular derivative . The polar coordinates satisfyHence the rotation is clockwise. The origin is an unstable equilibrium, while is a limit cycle of period . Writing gives the logistic differential equation . For ,All nonzero solutions tend to the unit-circle attracting limit cycle as , spiralling outward for and inward for . For the solution exists for every real time and approaches the origin as ; for it remains periodic in both time directions. For , the denominator first vanishes atThis finite-time blow-up of an ordinary differential equation occurs backward in time. Such exterior solutions have no behavior: their maximal time interval is . The zero solution exists for all time and has no defined polar angle.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ii Paper 1 31E iv Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
For , eliminating time gives the separable differential equationand henceDefine the possible limit at for a trajectory starting off the boundary lines byThe set is empty because , so there is no finite accumulation point. Since on and outside , the complete classification off the boundary lines isFor the solution has forward finite-time blow-up, and for it has backward finite-time blow-up, explaining the other empty entries under the usual infinite-time definitions.
It remains to treat . Here and . If , both limit sets equal . If , thenThis includes all boundary cases in both and the initial point.
The substitution gives . Cancelling on both sides of the differential equation, for , givesThe initial condition is . This selects a positive solution locally, so separation of variables givesUsing gives , and continuity selects the positive square root:The real solution containing has maximal positive domain . Its denominator tends to zero and as , a finite-time blow-up of an ordinary differential equation in the independent variable . Thus the source's wording “for ” needs this domain restriction; the prescribed initial value admits no real solution on the whole positive half-line. The division by loses the separate solution , but that solution does not meet the initial condition.
Unit-circle attracting limit cycle Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-31
The planar system , has polar coordinates , . Every nonzero orbit approaches the clockwise unit-circle limit cycle, of period . For ,Interior orbits approach the origin backward in time, but exterior orbits have backward finite-time blow-up of an ordinary differential equation at . Thus forward convergence to a limit cycle does not imply existence for all negative times.