Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 322 1 i Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For this stellar population, let denote initial mass in units of the solar mass, and let denote present stellar age. Constant formation of equal numbers of stars per unit time makes the stellar age a uniform distribution on Gyr, so is uniform on . The normalized initial mass function has probability density function for , since . ConsequentlyThese formulae have the stated age and mass domains; outside them the relevant cumulative fractions saturate at zero or one. The probability integral transform makes uniform on : gives . The time-independent initial mass function and constant number formation rate give independence of and . All fractions here count objects, including white dwarfs, using the stipulated stellar evolution law.
A red giant hasThus the mass boundaries are and for positive . Equivalently, for the red giant region runs from to the age cap , and for it runs from to . There are no red giants with . Boundaries have zero probability and their endpoint convention does not affect the fractions. In the uniform square the red giant region is , with triangle vertices , and . The white dwarf region is the triangle .
At fixed , define the conditional probabilities of a red giant, white dwarf and main sequence star by , and . Their interval widths areIntegration over the uniform distribution of age gives the individual-star fractionsThe systems form a coeval binary population: the two binary star components have the same age. Their masses are independent, so has uniform probability density function on and their states have conditional independence given . Unconditional independence of their states would be incorrect: older systems make both evolved states more likely. The law of total probability now givesThe subtraction removes the double counting of systems containing two red giants.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 322 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For Roche-lobe overflow in the stipulated stellar thermal equilibrium, . Using the mass-radius relation and Kepler's third law,The total mass cancels, givingHere is the solar radius. This is the Roche-lobe-filling period-density relation specialized to .
Neglecting spin, the angular momentum of a circular orbit is . Between classical novae the transfer conserves total mass, so and . Its logarithmic derivative givesIn particular, for conservation of angular momentum,The source PDF has here; the TeX's is a transcription defect. For , the Roche-lobe radius response exponent exceeds the equilibrium stellar radius response exponent . Since , the Roche lobe then shrinks faster than the donor star; the overfill increases and drives more transfer, giving positive feedback. Equality at is marginal in this linear response test.
Two qualifications matter. First, is a formal extrapolation outside the stated range, and the supplied Roche lobe approximation need not remain accurate there. Second, true dynamical stability of binary mass transfer compares with the adiabatic stellar radius response exponent , not . The stellar thermal equilibrium argument supplies the displayed feedback threshold under the imposed radius law, rather than a necessary and sufficient physical dynamical threshold. For example, the polytropic mass-radius relation for a fully convective adiabatic stellar polytrope with index gives ; within this same Roche lobe approximation its dynamical threshold is . Thus by itself does not guarantee dynamical stability.
Gravitational-wave emission from a binary system removes orbital energy and angular momentum. Magnetic braking of a binary star provides another important loss: a magnetized stellar wind carries away donor spin, while tidal locking couples that spin to the orbit. Tides alone redistribute angular momentum and are not an external sink. Matter expelled from the system can also carry orbital angular momentum, although appreciable continuous mass loss would require nonconservative modifications of the preceding equations. Setting gives the binary mass-transfer contact equationFor , a negative external therefore sustains negative along the stipulated stellar thermal equilibrium contact sequence, provided the system is otherwise stable and can remain thermally relaxed.
During the classical nova, the ejecta carry the white dwarf's specific angular momentum, not zero angular momentum. With and the accretor's distance from the centre of mass , isotropic escape givesThe slow ejection relative to the orbital period permits the adiabatic circular orbit approximation; the donor star does not transfer appreciable additional mass during it. Take , and . Differentiating givesSince , this yieldsThese are first-order formulae with errors of order . The orbital widening agrees with Jeans-mode mass loss. The donor star's radius is unchanged to this order by the assumed ejection, so its Roche lobe expands away from it, causing nova-induced binary detachment. This idealization neglects changes in the donor from irradiation or interaction with ejecta; those are not supplied in the model.
Let be the fixed external loss rate. During the detached binary phase both component masses are fixed, and . Closing the fractional gap takesIn the subsequent semidetached binary, the binary mass-transfer contact equation gives . Accumulating a fresh layer of mass therefore takesThroughout these first-order estimates can be evaluated at the start of the cycle: their fractional changes during it are of order . The limit is excluded, since no finite reconnection time follows without an external shrinkage mechanism.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 13C a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
With constant masses, differentiate the moment of inertia twice:For each pair, and . Hence its contribution is . Summing over unordered pairs gives . Time-averaging over yieldsFor a bound system with , or a stationary equilibrium with zero average left-hand derivative, the limit is the virial theoremBounded spatial extent together with bounded velocities suffices for the derivative condition; possible gravitational collisions must be excluded or otherwise regularized.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 8E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Liouville integrability on a -dimensional symplectic manifold means that there are functionally independent first integrals, including , whose pairwise Poisson brackets vanish. Near a compact connected regular common level set, the Arnold-Liouville theorem gives action-angle variables with , periodic modulo , , and .
For a frozen mass, the turning point is . The action variable isAdiabatic invariance of the action holds to leading order when the mass varies slowly compared with an orbital period, away from degenerating orbits. Keeping fixed givesFor this agrees with and .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 9C a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Chemical equilibrium imposes . For blackbody photons, . Define the positive Hydrogen binding energy by , approximately . Multiplying the two Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution number densities and dividing by the neutral-hydrogen density givesUse and to obtain the Saha ionization equationThe assumptions are nonrelativistic, dilute, nondegenerate species at a common temperature, ground-state hydrogen with the stated degeneracy factors, negligible mass correction in the prefactor, and sufficiently rapid reactions to maintain chemical equilibrium.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ia Paper 4 12A b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Apply part (a) first to the position :Applying it again to both terms on the right giveswhere because . Substituting the first formula into the last term produces
In the Earth-fixed rotating reference frame, the sideways apparent force is the Coriolis acceleration multiplied by the ski-doo's mass:At the South Pole, is vertical and antiparallel to the local outward normal, while is horizontal, soThe force points to the left of the direction of travel, which is westward when the ski-doo is moving north after crossing the pole.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 311 1 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
An isolated collapse emits transient matter and gravitational waves. The exterior is expected to settle to an asymptotically flat stationary spacetime. Because the star is uncharged, the black-hole uniqueness theorem identifies the regular final state with a Kerr black hole. Its higher multipole moments are fixed by its conserved charges: the black-hole no-hair theorem leaves only the total mass and angular momentum . Thus the late-time spacetime is characterized by and .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ia Paper 4 3C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Planet-encounter relative velocity 2026-10-07
In units where a circular planet has orbital radius and speed one, the particle's relative speed outside a close encounter satisfies , to leading order in the planet-to-star mass ratio. This follows from the vis-viva equation and at the encounter radius. A short conservative encounter changes the direction of this relative velocity while preserving its magnitude.
Power-law planetary cooling 2026-10-06
If otherwise comparable isolated planets of one mass follow , their intrinsic luminosity ratio is . The normalization depends on composition and initial entropy. Strong stellar irradiation, deep heating, or accretion can invalidate extrapolating the same cooling law.
Razor-thin disk relaxation 2026-10-06
In an unsoftened plane with number surface density and relative speed , an encounter strip has area . Thus the velocity diffusion rate is , dominated by the small-impact cutoff. Setting this cutoff to and requiring a change of order gives . With , and , this is of order , independent of at fixed total mass. The point-particle, zero-thickness limit is singular; fixed softening or nonzero thickness changes it. Numerical coefficients are not controlled by extending weak kicks down to order-one deflections.
Relative Fisher information 2026-10-06
For sufficiently regular positive probability densities, this compares their spatial logarithmic derivatives. It is the dissipation functional for relative entropy under suitable diffusion equations. For standard Gaussian , it becomes , and in one dimension equals at unit mass.
Relativistic bound-state mass from a rapidity pole Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-07
At relative rapidity , the analytically continued sum of the constituent four-momentum vectors is on the bound-state mass shell with the displayed mass. For equal constituents, rapidities sum to . A pole at is at threshold rather than a strictly bound state.
Scattering-amplitude factorization 2026-10-05
Near a one-particle pole, a scattering amplitude factors into amplitudes coupling each side to the intermediate state, summed over its physical polarizations. The pole position gives its squared mass, while its residue encodes its spin and couplings.
Scattering s-channel 2026-10-06
The direct channel combines the two incoming four-momentum vectors. A one-particle pole in this channel has the intermediate particle's squared mass equal to . Imaginary rapidity differences can satisfy this mass relation for a bound state even though there is no pole at real physical scattering rapidity.
