Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 14 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let be an affine variety over an algebraically closed field , with reduced coordinate ring . On an open subset , define to be the functions which, near every point, have an expression with and nowhere zero on that neighbourhood. Restriction is ordinary restriction of functions. Compatible local functions glue uniquely and remain locally quotients, so this defines the structure sheaf. On the principal open subset it gives , and at it gives the local ring . The principal-open identification can also be seen by identifying with the affine algebraic set obtained by adjoining a coordinate and the equation ; its coordinate ring is . This construction permits several irreducible components; no division by a function vanishing identically on a component is assumed.
An abstract algebraic variety is a locally ringed space locally isomorphic to such affine models, with a finite affine cover; we use the usual separated convention. Reducible varieties are allowed here. The separation condition says that the diagonal morphism is a closed immersion. Two varieties are related by a birational map with an inverse when some dense open subset of one is isomorphic as a locally ringed space to a dense open subset of the other.
Define the ring of rational functions on a reduced variety by pairs , where is dense open and , identifying two pairs when their restrictions agree on a common dense open subset. Finite intersections of dense open subsets are dense, so addition and multiplication on these intersections are well defined. For an irreducible variety this gives the usual function field; for a reducible variety it need not be a field. Restriction to any dense open subset induces an isomorphismIndeed, intersecting domains with defines the restriction, and a dense open subset of is also dense open in , which defines its inverse. An isomorphism between dense opens therefore induces an isomorphism of their rational rings. Thus birational varieties have isomorphic rings of rational functions, also in the reducible case.
For the finite-cover assertion, write the closed complement of as , where is an ideal of the Noetherian ring . ThenLet be the minimal prime ideals of , corresponding to its irreducible components. Since is dense, it meets every component, so is contained in none of these primes. Prime avoidance supplies outside their union. Consequently meets a dense open subset of every component and is dense in . Add to the finite cover if necessary. This proves that a finite principal-open cover can be chosen with a dense member. It does not say that every principal-open cover already has such a member: for , the dense open has neither displayed member dense, although adding supplies a dense member.
For clarity, the zero divisors in this reduced Noetherian ring are exactly . If and avoids every , reduction in the domain forces for all , hence . Conversely, if , choose for every an element , possible because distinct minimal primes are incomparable. Their product is not in but belongs to all the other primes. Then and . For a single minimal prime, reducedness makes that prime zero and this argument uses . It follows that
The total quotient ring , where consists of these non-zero-divisors, maps to byThe equivalence relation for localization makes this a well-defined -algebra homomorphism. For surjectivity, a rational class represented on restricts to the dense principal open constructed above. Its section there belongs to , so it is and lies in the image. For injectivity, if such a fraction is zero on a dense open subset, its numerator vanishes on that dense subset. The numerator's zero set is closed, so it vanishes everywhere on and is zero in the reduced coordinate ring. ThusIn particular is canonically injective: implies for some non-zero-divisor , hence .
Finally let be the reduced closed union of exactly those irreducible components of which contain . Removing all the other components gives an open neighbourhood of on which and coincide, including their structure sheaves. Hence . Write and let be its maximal ideal at . Every minimal prime of is contained in , because every component of contains . If , it avoids each such prime and is a non-zero-divisor. Therefore the map of localizationsis defined and injective: if its value is zero, a non-zero-divisor annihilates , so . We obtain the desired local ring embeds in rational functions on incident components:At an intersection point one must retain all incident components. For example, the local ring of at the origin has two nonzero germs with ; it cannot embed into the function field of just one of its axes.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 15 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The exterior derivative is an -linear operator which agrees with the differential of a smooth function on degree zero, satisfies , and obeys the graded Leibniz rule
For the uniqueness of the exterior derivative from its axioms, first note that these axioms force locality. If vanishes near , choose a smooth bump function equal to one near and supported where . Then gives . Thus depends only on the form near .
In a coordinate chart write . Since , the axioms forceThis also proves existence. Define by that formula in each chart. The product rule for partial derivatives gives the graded Leibniz rule, and symmetry of mixed partial derivatives against antisymmetry of the wedge product of differential forms gives . On overlaps it still agrees with the differential of every function, by the chain rule, so the preceding uniqueness argument in the second coordinate system makes the formulas agree. They therefore glue to a global exterior derivative.
For a differential one-form , the exterior derivative of a one-form evaluated on vector fields follows directly:In , the additional terms are , where the bracket is the Lie bracket of vector fields. Hence
The de Rham cohomology iswith zero denominator in degree zero. The Poincaré lemma states that a closed differential form of positive degree on a star-shaped open subset of Euclidean space is an exact differential form; consequently every closed positive-degree form is locally exact on a smooth manifold.
For the suspension isomorphism for top de Rham cohomology of spheres, put and . Both are diffeomorphic to , while deformation retracts onto the equatorial . The Mayer--Vietoris sequence for de Rham cohomology comes from the short exact sequence of cochain complexesThe final map is surjective: a partition of unity lets a form on be lifted by extending to and to by zero. The Poincaré lemma makes vanish when . Exactness givesIf is the equatorial inclusion, homotopy invariance of de Rham cohomology makes an isomorphism. Thereforeis injective, indeed an isomorphism. Concretely, choose local primitives , , and send to . Their difference is closed; changing either primitive changes it by an exact form, so this agrees with the cohomological construction.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 15 5 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Use the standard boundaryless-manifold convention, so is a closed manifold. Its orientation and Riemannian metric determine a unique positive Riemannian volume form taking value one on every positively oriented orthonormal frame. In an oriented atlas it isFor the coordinate invariance of the Riemannian volume form, on an overlap put . Then and . The oriented transition has , so the square root of the metric determinant and the coordinate volume transform together. The local forms therefore agree and define globally.
For real -forms the Hodge star operator is defined byThe pointwise wedge pairing is nondegenerate, so this uniquely defines a smooth map . On an oriented orthonormal coframe, it sends a basis wedge to the signed complementary wedge. Applying it twice gives
For Hodge star eigenvalues on graded differential forms, extend complex-linearly to the direct sum of all form degrees. This interpretation matters: on a fixed degree it is an endomorphism only in middle degree. In positive odd dimension, is even for every , so and only can occur. Both occur, with eigenforms and .
In positive even dimension, is on even-degree forms and on odd-degree forms. Hence and the only possible eigenvalues are . The first two occur as above. For the latter, choose a smooth local orthonormal frame and multiply its first dual differential one-form by a nonzero smooth bump function supported in the chart. This gives a form for which and are independent. For ,Thus all four occur. Consequently, for ,On degree in dimension , the Hodge star has eigenvalues for even and for odd ; signed complementary middle-degree wedges show both occur for . In zero dimensions it is multiplication by the signed unit volume at each point, so only the signs actually present occur.
For Hodge integration by parts in arbitrary degree, let and . The graded Leibniz rule and Stokes theorem on the closed manifold giveUsing the given codifferential and the square of the Hodge star,Thereforewhich proves that is the formal adjoint of . The complex version inserts conjugation in the usual Hermitian inner product.
The Hodge decomposition theorem gives an -orthogonal decompositionwhere is finite dimensional and consists of the harmonic differential forms. Each de Rham cohomology class has a unique harmonic representative. Equivalently, with harmonic projection there is a smooth Green operator of the Hodge Laplacian satisfying .
The solvability condition for the Hodge Poisson equation isNecessity follows from . Conversely the orthogonality condition gives , so solves the Poisson equation for differential forms.
The nonnegativity of the Hodge Laplacian identityidentifies its kernel with closed and coclosed forms. Thus the affine space of solutions of the Hodge Poisson equation isFor completeness, if a closed form is decomposed as , then , and . Hence its cohomology class is represented by . An exact harmonic form must vanish, since . This proves the canonical isomorphism , so the solution set is an affine space whose translation vector space is isomorphic to the requested de Rham cohomology.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 17 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let be the ideal sheaf of . The formal completion of a scheme along has underlying topological space and topological structure sheafThe topology is the adic topology given by the kernels of the projections to the successive infinitesimal neighbourhoods . In the locally Noetherian scheme setting of these examples this is a formal scheme. On a Noetherian affine scheme, with , it is the formal spectrum , where . Thus the completion retains all orders of infinitesimal information normal to .
Here is an open subscheme of . The relevant affine completions arewith the -adic topology. The complement of in the first formal scheme is its formal open . The sections on this open are the completed localization of an adic ring:The same calculation on every smaller principal open subset identifies the structure sheaves, not just their global sections. Equivalently, every infinitesimal neighbourhood of is precisely the restriction to of the corresponding neighbourhood in . By formal completion commutes with restriction to an open subscheme,The isomorphism is canonical and respects the morphisms to .
It would give the wrong answer to replace the formal-open structure sheaf by the ordinary localization of a ring . That ring has a uniform bound on the negative powers of across the coefficients of any one element, whereashas no such bound. This difference between ordinary and completed localization does not obstruct the isomorphism of formal schemes; it explains why the completed localization is essential.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 17 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Write . The formal completion of a scheme restricts on each chart toThus is a formal scheme over . The ordinary torus has disappeared from its underlying space: every point of lies on . In particular, only adjacent completed charts intersect, and their two possible branch overlaps inside any one chart are disjoint.
Construct the action using the integral lattice automorphismIt carries to and to , so induces a toric morphism that is an automorphism. It preserves the lattice projection to the second coordinate, hence preserves and . On the dense algebraic torus it isIn the local coordinates this sends to withThese identities show regularity on every chart without requiring to be invertible there. They also make the action continuous in the -adic topology, so it extends to . Its powers shift to ; no nonzero power is the identity or fixes a point of the formal support. Therefore is a nontrivial infinite cyclic group acting freely.
Construct the quotient explicitly, using three representative chartswith . Glue their branch opens cyclically, taking subscripts modulo three, byThese are genuine isomorphisms of formal schemes. For example, the completed localization of an adic ring on the first open iswhere . On the second it is , and the gluing sends to and to . Thus it preserves and is continuous, with a continuous inverse.
Inside we haveConsequently there are no triple-overlap conditions left to check: the two branch identifications in a chart have disjoint domains. By gluing of schemes along open subschemes in its formal version, the three charts produce a formal scheme over . Equivalently, reduce the same gluing modulo for every ; this constructs compatible schemes , all on the same underlying space, with . Their inverse system has precisely the displayed formal charts.
For every integer , map isomorphically to by identifying its coordinates with the corresponding capital-letter coordinates. The adjacent-chart formulas agree with the cyclic identifications, so these maps glue toThey are invariant under , and is the disjoint union of the translated opens , each mapping isomorphically onto . The group permutes these copies transitively. Thus the fibres of are exactly the -orbits, and invariant sections on this inverse image are exactly the sections on .
To verify the quotient property also for morphisms, take a -invariant morphism . Its restrictions to agree on the adjacent branch opens. On the closing overlap they agree because the translated chart has the same restriction as under . Hence they descend to a unique morphism . This proves that the gluing is the cyclic formal quotient of the infinite toric chain:Its fibre modulo is a triangle of three projective lines over , each meeting its two neighbours at its two boundary sections. More generally, a shift by any gives an -gon. Completion is important here: translates of a formal chart are disjoint, whereas all ordinary toric charts still share the generic torus.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 17 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let . Work with commutative rings and take a quotient to mean a surjection , considered up to an isomorphism of commuting with . Equivalently, retain its kernel as a submodule of . Here a rank- locally free module is finite locally free, or equivalently a finite projective module of constant rank . A ring homomorphism sends the quotient toThe tensor product of modules is right exact and preserves finite projectivity, so this defines the functorial action. We prove scheme representability in the usual functor of points sense:naturally in . The Grassmannian of locally free quotients will be constructed explicitly.
Assume first , and choose a basis of . For every ordered subset , consider those quotients for which are a basis of . This choice gives a unique identification , in which the quotient is represented by an matrix whose columns indexed by are the identity matrix. Its remaining entries are arbitrary elements of . Thus this subfunctor is represented by the affine schemeThere is no further change-of-basis ambiguity: the selected quotient images already specify its basis uniquely.
For another subset , write for the square submatrix consisting of the columns. The same quotient lies in the chart exactly when its determinant is a unit. Consequently the chart overlap is the principal open subsetOn that overlap the matrix normalized in the basis isThe entries are regular on by the adjugate matrix. Conversely, the columns of form , so normalization back to recovers . The transition is therefore an isomorphism .
The cocycle identity follows from the same matrix computation, not just an assertion about bases. On a triple overlap, normalization first to and then to givesThis is direct normalization from to . By gluing of schemes along open subschemes, the standard affine charts of the quotient Grassmannian therefore glue to a scheme over .
The universal matrices also glue a universal quotient. On , use the surjectionOn overlaps, identify its targets by , precisely the transition matrix above. The cocycle identity glues these free sheaves into a rank- locally free sheaf and glues the maps into . Its kernel is locally free of rank : on an explicit basis isHence we have the universal exact sequence
It remains to verify that these charts capture every quotient, including a nonfree projective target. Given , define as the locus where the selected images , , form a basis. This is open: locally trivialize the locally free sheaf associated with , and it is the nonvanishing locus of the corresponding maximal minor. The sets cover . Indeed, at every prime , the images of all vectors span the -dimensional residue-field quotient, so some of them form a basis there. Their determinant is a unit in , hence they form a basis over that local ring and on an open neighbourhood of .
On , trivialize using exactly those selected images. The remaining columns give regular functions and hence a morphism . On , the normalized matrices satisfy the displayed transition formula, so the local morphisms glue to a morphismIts pullback of the universal quotient is the original quotient, because this is true in each of the specified bases. Conversely, any morphism pulls back the universal sequence to a rank- locally free quotient. On each inverse-image chart its matrix is exactly the normalized matrix used to reconstruct , so the two constructions are inverse. They are unchanged by an isomorphism commuting with the quotient map, and they commute with every base change . This proves the natural bijection and thereforeTaking kernels over a field identifies this with the usual Grassmannian of -dimensional subspaces of . The construction itself does not assume the target module is globally free.
For , the only quotient is zero; for , a surjection to a locally free module of the same rank is an isomorphism, as can be checked locally by its determinant. Both endpoint functors are represented by . If , no such quotient exists over a nonempty test scheme, and the representing scheme is empty. Finally, scheme representability does not mean representation by a single ring: already gives , which is not affine. This is the standard algebraic-geometric meaning of representability for the functor on rings here.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 21 1 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Throughout, the braces denote a multiset, so repeated splitting degrees retain their multiplicities. If the multisets agree after a common shift, permuting summands gives . Tensoring all the fibres of a vector bundle by the same line bundle leaves their one-dimensional quotient spaces unchanged. HenceThis proves one implication in the isomorphism classification of abstract rational scrolls.
For the converse first take . Every divisor class on has the form . If its square is zero, restriction to a fibre giveswhere is the hyperplane class and because . Thus . It follows that is intrinsically characterized as the primitive nonzero nef class whose square is zero. An isomorphism therefore carries to ; the sign is positive because both classes are nef and effective. The complete pencil determines the ruling, sofor an automorphism of .
On a fibre, the isomorphism preserves the positive generator of its Picard group. Consequentlyfor some integer . Push forward along the ruling, using and the projection formula for sheaves:Every automorphism of preserves each . The uniqueness of the splitting degrees in the Birkhoff–Grothendieck theorem now implies equality of the two multisets up to a shift. Replacing this by gives the sign convention in the final formula. One can see that uniqueness numerically: for a split bundle,The first difference counts the degrees with , and the second difference counts the multiplicity of . Hence these dimensions determine every splitting degree, with multiplicity.
For , subtract the smaller degree and write the normalized bundle as , . Its surface is the Hirzebruch surface . Let be its negative section and its fibre, so , , . The nef cone is generated by and : a nef divisor must have from intersection with a fibre and from intersection with , and these two inequalities also express it as a nonnegative combination of those generators. If , a class with has squarewhich vanishes only when . Thus the ruling is again intrinsic, and the same bundle argument applies. If , the surface is and has two nef square-zero rays, its two rulings. This distinguishes it from every surface. Isomorphisms may exchange its rulings, but both normalized splitting degrees are zero, so the stated classification is unchanged.
For , every scroll is , and any two single splitting degrees differ by a common shift. Thus all ranks are covered:Reading the braces as ordinary sets would lose information and make the assertion false when degrees repeat. For example, and have the same underlying set but not the same splitting multiset; their minima are both zero, so no nonzero common shift can reconcile them.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 21 4 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
In weight one, the Hodge numbers are , and the Hodge filtration is determined by the -plane . The bilinear orthogonality condition is . An isotropic -plane in a symplectic -space is a Lagrangian subspace, soThe ordinary Grassmannian has dimension . Restriction of the alternating form to an -plane imposes independent conditions. Equivalently, near a fixed Lagrangian plane, transverse Lagrangians are graphs of symmetric matrices, with independent entries. Therefore
Write in the block order of the given matrix. On , positivity is for every nonzero . The plane cannot contain , because that vector has . Projection onto the second coordinate factor is therefore injective on and, by equal dimensions, an isomorphism. There is a unique matrix such thatFor and , direct evaluation givesThus isotropy is exactly . For such ,Hence positivity is precisely positive definiteness of . Conversely, symmetry and this inequality define a positive Lagrangian plane; it is opposed to its conjugate because forces . We have explicitly identifiedthe Siegel upper half-space. The choice of the graph , rather than , is what matches the sign of the given symplectic form.
Let an integral element of the symplectic group have block matrixActing on graph vectors givesThe image remains a positive Lagrangian plane, so its second projection is invertible. Thus is invertible and the induced action isThe symplectic identities give symmetry of this matrix, and preservation of givesThis is a Hermitian congruence by an invertible matrix, so it proves preservation of the positive domain as well as describing the action. These are coordinates on marked Hodge structures; passing to the integral-group quotient forgets the symplectic marking.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 21 5 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
One useful version is the effective global Torelli theorem for K3 surfaces. Let be complex K3 surfaces and letpreserve the integral cup-product pairing and the Hodge decomposition. Suppose that carries some Kähler class of to a Kähler class of . ThenConversely every isomorphism has these properties. In particular, for projective K3 surfaces an integral Hodge isometry carrying an ample polarization to an ample polarization is induced by a unique isomorphism of the polarized surfaces. This is the effective global Torelli statement.
The Kähler-cone condition is necessary if the prescribed isometry itself is to be induced by an isomorphism. If is the class of an effective smooth rational -curve, the reflectionis integral, preserves the pairing, and preserves the Hodge decomposition because has type . It sends to . An automorphism preserves effectivity, whereas is not effective: it has negative intersection with an ample class. Thus this Hodge isometry is not an automorphism pullback. Requiring an isometry to respect the Kähler chamber removes precisely this kind of obstruction.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 26 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
A monad on a category consists of an endofunctor , a unit natural transformation , and a multiplication , satisfyingAn algebra for a monad is with and . A morphism of algebras for a monad satisfies . These objects and arrows form the Eilenberg-Moore category .
For an adjunction with , the monad induced by an adjunction is , with . The Eilenberg-Moore comparison functor is and . The functor is monadic when this comparison is an equivalence of categories; this is a monadic adjunction.
The precise monadicity theorem says that is monadic exactly when it has a left adjoint, reflects isomorphisms, and satisfies the following condition: whenever the image of a parallel pair in admits a split coequalizer in , the pair has a coequalizer in and preserves that coequalizer. Equivalently, these coequalizers are created up to the canonical isomorphism identifying their underlying coequalizer objects. Here a split coequalizer of consists of , , and withThese equations prove its universal property: if , then , and is the unique factor through . Every functor preserves these equations, so every functor preserves split coequalizers.
First consider the forgetful functor . It has the free algebra functor as a left adjoint: the inverse transposition formulas are and . An monad algebra morphism whose underlying arrow is invertible has an algebra-morphism inverse, by rearranging its structure equation. Thus reflects isomorphisms.
Suppose have an underlying split coequalizer . Applying gives a coequalizer of . The equation therefore gives a unique with . The monad algebra laws follow by cancellation: composing with the epimorphism reduces it to , and composing with reduces it to . Both and are epimorphisms because they remain split coequalizers. Thus is an algebra for a monad and is an monad algebra morphism. If an algebra map equalizes , its underlying factor obeys , since this equation becomes after composition with . This proves that creates the required coequalizers. An equivalence of categories transfers these properties to any monadic , proving necessity.
Conversely assume the three conditions and write . Given , take the pairIts image is , with split coequalizer : the splittings are and , becauseLet be its coequalizer in . Preservation gives a canonical isomorphism under which . Transporting the algebra action of along this isomorphism gives . Naturality of the adjunction counit says that is an monad algebra morphism, hence . But too, and is a split epimorphism, with section . Therefore . Every algebra is consequently isomorphic to some .
It remains to establish full faithfulness, rather than merely construct objects. For , put . The adjunction counit coequalizes . The coequalizer supplied by the hypothesis has underlying coequalizer . The induced arrow from that coequalizer object to is therefore sent by to an isomorphism; reflection of isomorphisms makes it invertible. Thus itself is this coequalizer.
Now let be an monad algebra morphism, and put . The arrow coequalizes the two arrows in the preceding presentation. To check this directly, use transposition along : the transposes of and are respectively and , which agree by the algebra-morphism equation. Hence a unique satisfies . Applying gives ; cancellation of the split epimorphism yields . Finally, any arrow satisfies by naturality, so two arrows with equal image under are equal by the coequalizer property. The comparison is full and faithful and essentially surjective, hence an equivalence of categories. This proves the theorem.
For the application, the free compact Hausdorff space on a set is the Stone-Čech compactification of the corresponding discrete space. Its standard extension property says that every set map , for compact Hausdorff , extends uniquely to a continuous map . This constructs the required left adjoint. Also a continuous bijection from a compact space to a Hausdorff space is a homeomorphism, so reflects isomorphisms.
Take continuous maps whose underlying functions have a split coequalizer with splittings . The splittings need not be continuous. LetThe set is compact and hence closed. Since , it is contained in . Conversely . ThusThe set of triples on the right is closed in the compact Hausdorff space , so its projection onto the first two coordinates is compact and closed. This proves that the equivalence relation is closed, without assuming continuity of either splitting.
Give the quotient topology. The allowed closed-relation criterion makes it a compact Hausdorff space. If a continuous map equalizes , the split-coequalizer property makes it constant on the fibres of ; its unique factor is continuous by the quotient topology. Hence this is a coequalizer in compact Hausdorff spaces, preserved by . Its topology is forced uniquely, since any continuous surjection from a compact space to a Hausdorff space is a quotient map. All three conditions hold, and therefore the forgetful functor from compact Hausdorff spaces to sets is monadic.