The Kostant partition function counts nonnegative integer combinations of the positive roots of a root system, without ordering the summands. Multiply the formal geometric series for every positive root. The coefficient of counts precisely these combinations. Every coefficient is finite because a linear functional strictly positive on the positive roots bounds every participating integer coefficient. The sign of each exponent in the cancelling product must agree with that of this series.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2006 iii Paper 19 6 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The printed identity has a sign error. With the defined Kostant partition function and the exponent , the cancelling factors must be . This is already visible for with positive root : the formal series multiplied by is , not .
For the corrected formula, a partition of is a tuple of nonnegative integers satisfying . The order of summands is not counted. Multiplying the formal geometric series yieldsThis product is coefficientwise meaningful. Choose a linear functional strictly positive on every positive root. For a fixed it bounds each , so only finitely many tuples contribute. We are working in the completion supported on the negative positive-root cone, not claiming convergence of an ordinary Fourier series on the torus.
Each geometric series cancels its factor , provingEquivalently, reversing all the exponential signs gives in the opposite completion. More generally, if is the number of positive roots, the expression literally printed in the paper equalssince . Thus the correction is substantive, not merely a choice of Fourier convention.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 102 4 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The Poincaré-Birkhoff-Witt theorem shows that the weights of the Verma module arewith multiplicities given by the corresponding Kostant partition function.
The Dynkin labels of are . Hence the two simple-root singular vectors are , of weight , and , of weight . They generate the Maximal proper submodule of a dominant integral Verma module. Its set of weights is consequently