Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 1 5E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Substitution of the separated exponential profile into the age-structured population equation gives . ThereforeFor , the birth boundary condition cancels and becomes the Euler-Lotka equationThe survival probability to age is for constant death rate. Hence the expected lifetime offspring count, or net reproduction rate, isThe Gamma integral evaluates the Euler-Lotka equation as , requiring . Its real solution and profile areThus , and gives positive growth. The profile is a nonzero formal separated solution for all positive ; a finite total population additionally requires , equivalently . A decaying-in-time mode need not have an integrable age profile.