Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 2 8C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
The flat matter-dominated Friedmann equation gives when . With ,For linear density modes with polytropic pressure, substitution gives the Euler-Cauchy equationA power law has exponent satisfying . Thus, for distinct roots,For , the two modes approach and : gravity produces a growing linear cosmological density perturbation and a decaying mode. For , put ; the real solution isThese are pressure-supported oscillations with a decaying envelope. For the repeated-root cosmological density mode , the complete solution is . The specified separates real exponents from logarithmic oscillations; the growing exponent actually crosses zero at , a slightly smaller value.