Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 10 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The uniform covers theorem says that if a multiset of coordinate subsets covers every coordinate exactly times, then a Euclidean body satisfieswhere is its coordinate projection of a Euclidean body. Work with bounded Borel bodies, whose projections are Lebesgue measurable sets; an empty-coordinate projection has measure one.
Prove the theorem by induction on dimension, with the one-dimensional case immediate. Slice at the last coordinate, writing . The subsets still cover each remaining coordinate times, so induction givesFor not containing , the projected slice is contained in , giving a constant bound. For containing , its measure is the slice measure of . Exactly members of contain , counted with multiplicity. Integrate and apply Hölder's inequality to those factors:Fubini's theorem identifies , completing the proof. Exact covering is needed for real volumes, which may be smaller than one.
The Bollobas--Thomason box theorem states that there is an axis-parallel box with and for every nonempty coordinate subset . Use the logarithmic linear program for the box theorem: if its side lengths are , maximize subject toThe linear program is feasible by choosing all sufficiently negative and is bounded above by the full-set constraint. Its dual minimizes subject to and for each : precisely a fractional uniform cover.
The dual feasible polytope is nonempty, bounded and defined by integer coefficients, so an optimal extreme point has rational coordinates. Multiply its weights by a common denominator . The resulting integer uniform cover and the uniform covers theorem giveThus the dual optimum is at least ; weight one on attains equality. Strong duality gives a primal optimum . The corresponding box has the required volume and projected-volume bounds, proving the theorem.
For the Loomis–Whitney theorem, take the box supplied by the Bollobas--Thomason box theorem. Each side length occurs in exactly projections omitting one coordinate, soThis is the Loomis--Whitney inequality.
For the three projection areas of a volume-one body, necessity is . Conversely suppose and setThe box has projected areas and volume . Inside it retain the three slabsFor , each projection is the full corresponding rectangle, since the slab in the omitted coordinate supplies every point of that projection. The volume is . Chooseto make the volume one. This is a compact connected union of three positive-thickness boxes. Hence the complete answer is