Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ii Paper 2 13E a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The zero initial condition turns the time Laplace transform of the heat equation intoDecay as selectsThe boundary value givesso
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 iii Paper 207 6 Solution 2026-09-28
A proportional frailty model specifiesIts population survival function is the Laplace transform of the frailty density,If , replacing by and by leaves their product, and hence the model, unchanged. The normalization identifies this otherwise arbitrary scale and makes the initial population hazard when .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ii Paper 3 7E Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
Taking the Laplace transform in and using the zero initial condition givesThe solution bounded as isThe transformed boundary condition isso this is the sinusoidally forced heat equation on a half-line. Integrating in gives
Use the principal square root, with a branch cut along the negative real axis. The Bromwich contour is a vertical line to the right of and the branch point . For , close it in the left half-plane, indent around the cut, and let the large semicircle recede. The simple poles at contributeHence
On the upper and lower sides of the cut, put ; the two values of are and . Their jump and the opposite contour orientations combine to giveThis is precisely Bromwich inversion with a square-root branch cut: the residues produce the permanent periodic response, while the cut integral is the transient that decays with time.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ib Paper 4 12B b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Taking the Laplace transform of the differential equation and usinggivesHenceWhenever is not an eigenvalue of , the matrix is invertible, and thusThis is the Laplace-transform solution of a constant-coefficient vector ODE.
Set . The given homogeneous solution is , so the preceding formula saysfor every initial vector . Equality on every vector gives the matrix identityon the common domain of convergence and in particular away from the eigenvalues of . This is the Laplace transform of a matrix exponential.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 201 4 b iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Under the Cameron-Martin theorem for a linear drift, the probability that Brownian motion with drift reaches isUsing the supplied Laplace transform with givesand henceThis is the survival function of the exponential distribution with rate .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 205 1 c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
For , the Laplace transform identityexhibits as an inner product of the feature functions in . More explicitly, for any real and positive ,Therefore is a positive-semidefinite kernel.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 ii Paper 2 7D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The laplace transform is , and inversion iswhere the vertical Bromwich contour lies to the right of all singularities. For it is closed leftwards, and for rightwards, where the exponential decays.
Transforming the PDE and imposing boundedness as giveswith the square root cut conventionally along . ThereforeThere are poles at (with cancellation assessed in the complete expression) and a branch point at ; close left for and wrap the cut while including the relevant residues.
Proportional frailty model Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-10-03
A proportional frailty model has conditional hazard . Its conditional survival function is , so its population survival function is the Laplace transform of the frailty distribution evaluated at .
Reflected-step solution of the wave equation 2026-10-06
For on , initially at rest with zero displacement, apply for and keep . A geometric series in the Laplace transform givesHere is the Heaviside step function, , and only finitely many terms contribute at any finite time. The second step in each pair is a sign-reversed reflection from the fixed endpoint. The formula solves the wave equation classically away from the fronts and distributionally across them; the midpoint is a square wave of period .
For , constant and , on put , with the principal square root, andThese satisfy and the left and right homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions, respectively. The weighted Wronskian givesThe first derivative jumps by , so the resolvent integrates against . Its time Laplace transform interpretation is . The factor records the zero eigenvalue and constant stationary eigenfunction.
Sequential radioactive decay Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
In a chain with distinct decay constants, each population is a linear combination of the exponentials . When two consecutive constants coalesce to , the repeated Laplace-transform pole produces a term proportional to .
For a time Laplace transform parameter with , the spatial characteristic roots satisfy . Exactly one root has negative real part and two have positive real part. Indeed an imaginary root would force to be imaginary. The count is therefore constant on the connected right half-plane; for real , the cubic has one negative real root and a conjugate pair with positive real parts. Repeated roots would satisfy , which again puts on the imaginary axis. Thus is a nonzero holomorphic function in the right half-plane. Only decays at positive spatial infinity.
Subordination of a Lévy process 2026-10-05
If is a Lévy process and an independent subordinator, then is a Lévy process. Conditional on the clock, increments of over disjoint clock intervals are independent; averaging over the independent stationary increments of the clock gives the same properties for . If , its characteristic function is . For standard Brownian motion, , so this is the clock's Laplace transform at .
Subordinator 2026-10-05
A subordinator is a Lévy process with nondecreasing paths. Its nonnegative stationary increments have a Laplace transform of the formwhere is called its Laplace exponent. Its standard path convention is càdlàg. Subordinators provide random clocks for subordination of a Lévy process.