Average power 2026-10-14
Average power divides the work over a nonzero interval by the elapsed time. For the same point mass driven from rest through by a net force, the displacement is . ThusThis average power is half the final instantaneous power because is a linear function of time, starting at zero. Its graph of a function bounds a triangle of area ; the horizontal line at average power encloses a rectangle with the same area. In general, an endpoint value of instantaneous power does not determine average power. [ref]
Closed graph of a map into a Hausdorff space 2026-10-14
For a continuous map with Hausdorff space , its graph of a function is closed in the product topology. If , choose disjoint neighborhoods of those two points in . Continuity supplies a neighborhood of whose image lies in the neighborhood of ; its product with the other neighborhood misses the graph.
Compact graph of a continuous map 2026-10-14
The map is continuous into the product topology. It maps a compact space onto the graph of a function of a continuous . Hence that graph is compact, whether or not the codomain is a Hausdorff space. Projection to is its continuous inverse.
Convex function Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
A function on a convex set is a convex function if, for every and ,Geometrically, a line segment joining two points of its graph of a function lies on or above that graph of a function. The convex set condition ensures that the intermediate input stays in the domain of a function. An affine function satisfies the defining inequality with equality.
For the quadratic function , the inputs and have equally weighted arithmetic mean . Evaluating at the arithmetic mean gives , whereas averaging the outputs gives . Averaging first saves one unit in this example. More generally, direct expansion givesThis identity proves convexity and also shows exactly when its defining inequality is strict.
The graph of a convex quadratic lies below its endpoint interpolation and above its supporting tangent
. For , the line segment through and has height at , while the graph of a function has height . The tangent line is an affine minorant: everywhere. Details.For a differentiable convex function, the tangent line in one dimension, or the corresponding supporting affine function in several dimensions, lies below the entire graph of a function. This is the subgradient inequality. The equivalent geometric statement is that the epigraph, consisting of points on or above the graph of a function, is a convex set. These characterizations are developed in Boyd and Vandenberghe's convex-function slides, sections 3.1–3.4.
Convexity does not require differentiability: the absolute value function is a convex function with a corner at . When a function is twice continuously differentiable on an open interval, it is a convex function exactly when its second derivative is nonnegative throughout that interval. In several dimensions, the corresponding criterion on an open convex set is that its Hessian matrix is positive semidefinite everywhere. The domain of a function matters: is a convex function on , but not on all of . A strictly positive second derivative is sufficient for strict convexity, but is not necessary: is a strictly convex function although its second derivative vanishes at .
The usefulness of convexity is that local information can certify a global conclusion. Every local minimum of a convex function on a convex set is a global minimum: if a lower value existed elsewhere, the defining inequality would produce lower values arbitrarily close to the proposed local minimum. For a differentiable convex function on an open convex set, a zero gradient therefore certifies a global minimum. Strict convexity gives uniqueness when a global minimum exists; it does not supply existence by itself. These facts explain the role of convex functions in convex optimization.
Curvature of a plane curve Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For a twice continuously differentiable regular curve in the plane, unsigned curvature is the absolute value of its signed curvature:The nonvanishing velocity vector makes the denominator positive. For a graph of a function , this reduces to ; omitting the absolute value gives the signed curvature of a plane graph for increasing .
For the parabola , the derivatives are and . ThereforeThe curvature is greatest at the vertex , where and the radius of curvature is . At the curvature is , so the parabola bends less sharply despite its larger speed .
Its unit tangent vector and left unit normal areSince , is also its principal normal vector. At the osculating circle consequently has center and equationThe lower branch has value , derivative , and second derivative at , matching the parabola through second order. Away from the vertex the two curves separate: an osculating circle describes a local bend, not the whole curve.
Vanishing curvature at one point does not imply a straight segment. The graph of a function has signed curvature , which vanishes at its inflection point and changes sign across it. By contrast, if curvature vanishes throughout a connected regular interval, throughout that interval: the constant unit tangent vector forces the image to lie on a straight line.
For a smooth map of disk pairs whose graph of a function is transverse to the zero slice, orient the graph by its domain. With the tangent space of the zero slice ordered before that of the graph, the local smooth intersection number at a zero is . Summing these signs gives the relative mapping degree and hence the boundary mapping degree. Reversing the order of these two -dimensional tangent spaces changes the sign by .
Implicit function theorem Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
An equation can define a function without giving an explicit formula for it. The implicit function theorem tells us when the constraint determines uniquely from nearby , and makes the resulting function continuously differentiable. It is useful when solving an equation explicitly is cumbersome or impossible: the partial derivatives already reveal whether local recovery is possible.
Let be a continuously differentiable map from an open subset of to . Suppose and the partial derivative is an invertible linear map. There are open neighbourhoods of and of and a unique continuously differentiable function such that, for ,Thus the nearby level set is a graph of a function. The derivative of this graph isThe matrix inverse acts on the left; the order matters in several dimensions.
For example, take the unit circle, written as the level set . At , , so the local upper branch is . Implicit differentiation givesThis tangent line slope is available directly from the constraint. The negative square root branch is elsewhere on the same circle; it does not destroy uniqueness near the selected upper point.
The same circle uses y as a function of x near its upper arc and x as a function of y near its rightmost point
. Details. At , however, and the circle cannot be represented locally as one function : just to the left of there are two nearby values of . The circle is still smooth there. Since , use the other coordinate instead: , with . A failed coordinate choice is different from a geometric singularity.
The derivative condition is sufficient, not necessary for every possible implicit graph. For , the entire zero set is the smooth graph , even though vanishes there. In this case the defining equation itself has a degenerate derivative; the theorem's test gives no conclusion.
The connection to the inverse function theorem is particularly elegant. Augment the constraint to the map , whose Jacobian matrix isIts determinant is . When this is nonzero, locally invert and set its second output to zero. The recovered second input is . In this way an implicit constraint becomes an ordinary inverse function problem. [ref]
https://www.math.utoronto.ca/courses/mat237y1/20199/notes/Chapter3/S3.3.html. University of Toronto MAT237: the implicit theorem as a corollary of the inverse theorem
Inverse function Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
An inverse function reverses a bijection. For , it is a function satisfyingEquivalently, for all and for all . We write . The superscript denotes reversal through function composition; it does not mean the pointwise multiplicative inverse . The preimage notation for a set is also distinct: a preimage exists even when no inverse function exists.
For a computed example, let be . Solving for gives . Thus and ; direct substitution gives and throughout the real line. In contrast, , which does not undo .
Why must be a bijection? If , applying gives , proving injectivity. For any , the equation supplies a source element, proving surjectivity. Conversely, a bijection supplies exactly one predecessor for each , defining a unique inverse function. A left inverse or right inverse requires only one of the two composition identities.
For on the real line, the equation has two solutions, , so its arrows cannot be reversed as one function on all inputs. The restriction to removes that ambiguity. As a bijection from onto , it has inverse function . The identity explains why works on the restricted domain of a function but fails for negative . [ref]
https://openstax.org/books/calculus-volume-1/pages/1-4-inverse-functions. OpenStax, inverse functions and domain restrictions
.An inverse function swaps the input and output coordinates
. Left: the function graphs of and its inverse function are reflections across the line ; the points and correspond. Right: the nonnegative restriction and the square root have the same reflection relation. Their displayed portions lie in the first quadrant or on its boundary. Details.More generally, lies on the graph of a function precisely when lies on the graph of a function of its inverse function. This coordinate swap explains the geometric reflection and the horizontal line test. It also explains why inverse sensitivity is reciprocal locally: the inverse function rule divides by the original derivative at the corresponding input, when that derivative is nonzero.
Laplacian Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-18
The Laplacian takes the divergence of a scalar field's gradient. For a real-valued function on an open region of Euclidean space, with continuous partial derivatives through order two, its expression in a Cartesian coordinate system isThus the Laplacian, also called the Laplace operator, adds the coordinate second derivatives; equivalently it is the matrix trace of the Hessian matrix. Its output is another scalar field.[ref]
The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Volume II by Richard Feynman and others. Volume II, §2–7, equations 2.52–2.54: divergence of a gradient and the Cartesian Laplacian
Three original examples distinguish shape from this sum. The bowl has . The saddle instead has : opposite second derivatives cancel. It is a harmonic function, although its graph of a function is not a plane. For the Gaussian function , with , differentiation givesIts Laplacian is negative inside the circle of radius one, zero on that circle, and positive outside it. The Gaussian function itself is positive throughout: its value and its Laplacian describe different properties.
The sum does not favor a particular orientation. Under a change of Cartesian coordinate system represented by an orthogonal matrix , the Hessian matrix becomes . The cyclic property of the trace and preserve its matrix trace. This makes the Laplacian useful when the behavior depends on spatial differences equally in every direction, rather than on the arbitrary choice of axes.
For a vector field, the Euclidean Laplacian acts separately on components expressed in a fixed Cartesian coordinate system. Components in a position-dependent basis require differentiating that basis too; applying a scalar formula separately to polar components omits those terms.[ref]
The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Volume II by Richard Feynman and others. Volume II, component formula following equation 2.54 and final paragraph of §2–8: fixed rectangular components
The scalar formula in Laplacian in polar coordinates is valid away from ; smoothness at the origin must be handled in coordinates that remain regular there.Let be a symplectic orthogonal complement splitting into two symplectic subspaces of dimension two. In symplectic bases, the graph of a function pulls back the symplectic form to . It is a symplectic subspace exactly when . Its symplectic orientation agrees with the orientation transported from exactly when . When , the transverse oriented pair has negative intersection sign, whereas two distinct complex lines in a compatible complex two-space have positive intersection sign.
Past exam of the differential equations 2 course of the University of Oxford 2021 3 a Solution 2026-10-25
The function is an odd function, passes through , and has the horizontal asymptote at both infinities. Its derivative isIt decreases for and increases for , with its lowest value and highest value . These features determine the graph of a function shown below.
For , the equation is the quadratic equation . The quadratic formula gives exactly two real equation roots:The binomial series gives , hence the two requested asymptotic expansions areTheir product is exactly one. Both are positive, with ; there are no negative equation roots because for . At the two real equation roots coincide at one, and for there are none. In the stated limit , these two branches are therefore exhaustive.
Two positive intersections of the rational function with a small positive level
. Original sketch of with the two real equation roots marked for . The curve also shows its negative lowest point and positive highest point. Details. Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 ib Paper 3 3G a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Take outside the graph of a function, so . Since is a Hausdorff space, choose disjoint open neighborhoods of and of . Continuity makes an open neighborhood of . The product neighborhood contains and cannot meet the graph, because every with belongs to . The complement is therefore open in the product topology, provingThis is the closed graph of a map into a Hausdorff space property; no separation assumption on is required.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 ib Paper 3 3G b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
The map , , is continuous: the inverse image of a basic open set is . Its image is exactly the graph of a function . The continuous image of a compact space is compact, soThe compact graph of a continuous map conclusion does not need to be Hausdorff. In fact projection onto is a continuous inverse of , so the graph is homeomorphic to .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ii Paper 3 14D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
For parameter-dependent centre manifold theorem, append . At the eigenvalues are : the direction is strongly stable and span the extended centre directions. An extended centre manifold for a parameter is an invariant graph of a function tangent to ; nearby trajectories approach its reduced dynamics along stable fibers. The stable eigenvalue remains separated from zero, so local bifurcation and stability are governed by this reduction. This is the parameter-extension content of the requested stable/centre-manifold discussion.
The centre-manifold invariance equation isReflection symmetry permits an invariant graph of a function with and . At quadratic order the left side vanishes and the right side is , giving . More explicitly its first mixed coefficient is , found by equating the terms. The reduced equation isThus the origin is locally asymptotically stable for , becomes a saddle for , and creates two stable equilibria , . This is a supercritical pitchfork bifurcation. The exact nearby nonzero branches provide a check: the equilibrium equations givewhich are real and nonzero for small positive . The omitted branch is not near the origin. At the leading also attracts, although at an algebraic rather than exponential rate.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ii Paper 3 38A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Substitute into the mixed-derivative equation. Its left side is , so for the dispersion relation, phase velocity and group velocity areThe graph of a function for each velocity is symmetric about , singular at zero, and approaches the horizontal axis as grows. Energy packets travel right while their crests travel left.
At a distant fixed observer , stationary components obey , so . As time increases their wavelength decreases and their frequency magnitude decreases; the crests pass toward decreasing .
For the given initial spectrum the solution isThe value of a regular spectrum at the single point is irrelevant to this integral; a nonzero spatially constant mode is incompatible with the PDE. For asymptotic calculation assume the usual smooth localized spectrum, with sufficient integrability for the following stationary-phase steps.
At , , the phase has stationary points , . Their values are and their second derivatives are . Expanding quadratically and using the oscillatory Gaussian integral gives the stationary phase leading termFor real data this is twice the real part of the positive-frequency term. If a stationary coefficient vanishes, the formula instead asserts that its contribution has smaller order. At , the phase derivative is , so there is no real stationary point and no corresponding wave packet. For smooth compactly supported spectra away from zero, repeated integration by parts gives decay faster than any power of . More general spectra require endpoint/tail control; absence of stationary points alone does not justify that stronger rate for arbitrary .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 15 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The degree and its local signs. Orient and let generate its top reduced homology . The mapping degree is the integer characterized byFor this is the usual top homology definition using the fundamental class; using reduced homology also covers .
Suppose is smooth and is a regular value. Each has invertible tangent map , so the inverse function theorem makes discrete. It is also closed in the compact sphere, hence finite. Choose disjoint small neighborhoods of these points on which is a local diffeomorphism. The Excision theorem identifies the source local homology with the direct sum of one copy of for each inverse image. The induced local map is multiplication by or according as preserves or reverses orientation. The map from the global fundamental class to these local orientation classes therefore proves the degree as a sum of local degrees formula:Here the determinant is computed in positively oriented tangent bases. Thus the mapping degree counts inverse images with signs, rather than just their cardinality.
The quotient map. Put and write . Give its standard orientation and its boundary the induced orientation. The connecting homomorphismis an isomorphism: the disk has zero positive reduced homology. It sends the relative fundamental class to . If the map on relative homology induced by multiplies this class by , naturality givesThus . Collapsing the boundary gives a sphere , and the quotient map identifies its top reduced homology with the top relative homology of the disk pair. Give this quotient sphere the orientation determined by that identification. The relation now showsThis is the quotient-sphere degree identity.
The graph intersection. Orient by the product orientation, orient by its first factor, and orient the graph of a function by . An intersection is precisely a zero of , and no such zero lies on the boundary because . At an intersection, transverse intersection means that is surjective, hence invertible. The zeros are consequently isolated and finite.
For the smooth intersection number use the ordered tangent spaces first and second. Relative to the product basis their concatenated basis has matrixIts determinant is , so the intersection sign is . By the same local Excision theorem argument, now in relative homology at the interior point , the sum of these signs equals the multiplier of on . Therefore the graph intersection formula for mapping degree isIf the tangent spaces are ordered first and second, every sign changes by ; the order above specifies the appropriate convention.
Three transverse graph intersections with signs plus, minus, plus and total degree one
. Details. The one-dimensional model on illustrates the graph intersection formula for mapping degree: its three zeros have signs , and its endpoint map has mapping degree on reduced homology.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 2 29D b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
A Lie point symmetry is a one-parameter transformation of which maps the graph of a function solving the differential equation to another such graph of a function, wherever the transformed independent variable is invertible along the graph of a function. Its induced transformation on derivatives is the prolongation. Infinitesimally the criterion is on . The derivative coefficients can be computed recursively from by . This expresses the requirement that the transformed derivatives still satisfy the equation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 2 30A b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
The Poincaré-Bendixson theorem says that a nonempty compact omega-limit set of a smooth planar flow containing no equilibrium is a periodic orbit; use its allowed cylinder version here. For , choose and . At the lower boundary and at the upper boundary , so the compact annulus is positively invariant. It has no equilibrium because . The theorem supplies a periodic orbit, and makes it encircle the cylinder.
Every periodic orbit must lie in : for , , and a crossing of can only be upward. In a periodic orbit is a graph of a function satisfyingTwo distinct function graphs cannot cross by uniqueness of this scalar differential equation. If , their difference obeysIt contracts by a factor strictly less than during one circuit, contradicting periodicity of both function graphs. The scalar return map is order preserving, so a multi-circuit periodic graph of a function also cannot have a period larger than one circuit. Therefore there is exactly one periodic orbit, and it encircles the cylinder. The standard auxiliary results used are existence/uniqueness of smooth differential equations and invariance at inward-pointing boundaries.
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. The answers, in the order completeness, sequential compactness, connectedness, and path connectedness, areDefine and for . The estimate proves continuity at zero by the squeeze theorem; elsewhere it follows from the usual continuous functions. Thus is the graph of a function on the closed set .
To check closedness directly, if in the Euclidean plane, then and continuity gives . Therefore is a closed subset of the complete metric space , hence is a complete metric space. The sequence has no convergent subsequence, since its first Cartesian coordinates tends to infinity, so sequential compactness fails.
For any two points , the mapis a continuous path in joining them. Thus is path-connected, and consequently connected. The factor is crucial: the oscillations shrink to the single point .








