Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 1 21F a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The continuous dual space consists of all bounded real linear functionals on , with operator norm . Let be Cauchy in this norm. For each , , so converges in ; define its limit to be .
Pointwise limits of the linear identities show that is linear. The sequence of norms is bounded, say by , so and . Given , choose so that for all . Holding fixed and taking the pointwise limit in gives for all . Thus , provingCompleteness of is not needed; completeness of the scalar field supplies the pointwise limit.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 1 21F b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
On the one-dimensional linear subspace , define . It is linear and obeys even for negative . The norm on is a sublinear functional, so the real Hahn-Banach theorem extends to a linear functional with for every .
Apply this also to to get . Hence , proving continuity and . At the extension satisfies , forcing the reverse norm inequality. ThereforeThe exclusion of is what ensures that this particular construction attains norm one.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 1 21F c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Take , which is a Banach space by the completeness of the dual just proved. The canonical embedding into the bidual isFor fixed this is a bounded linear functional on , since , and is linear in . This gives . For , the norming functional from the Hahn-Banach theorem has and , giving the reverse inequality. At zero equality is immediate. ThusIn particular is injective and isometric. If a dense isometric embedding is wanted, rather than merely the stated embedding, take the norm closure of in ; a closed subspace of a Banach space is complete and supplies a completion of a normed space.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 1 22F d Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Let be conjugate to , so , including for . Hölder's inequality implies, for every measurable finite-measure set ,This proves integrability on and gives uniform integrability there. Choose a set with on which convergence is uniform, using Egorov theorem. ThenFirst take and then . Thus even the local difference tends to zero, and in particularFor , simple functions supported on finite-measure Borel sets are dense in . The displayed convergence proves pairing convergence for such functions. Approximate any by a simple and useBy the duality of Lp spaces, these are all continuous linear functionals on , so converges weakly to . It need not converge strongly: converges pointwise to zero but has norm one. For the pairing argument gives weak-star convergence against , rather than asserting weak convergence against every functional in the much larger full dual.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 1 32C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Invert the operator definitions to obtain and the adjoint formula for . The canonical commutation relation yields , with . Substitution givesWrite . Since and , these are lowering and raising operators. Applying to a ground state would lower its energy unless it vanishes, so . From the normalized unique ground state constructThe commutator gives the factorial normalization and . For any energy eigenstate, repeated lowering cannot pass below ; positivity of each lowered norm forces its eigenvalue to be a nonnegative integer and lowering eventually reaches the ground state. Its uniqueness then yields the entire eigenstate ladder. The usual oscillator on the real line has discrete complete spectrum because its potential is confining, so these states span its Hilbert space.
For the perturbation with , nondegenerate time-independent perturbation theory gives . The first-order term vanishes. Only contribute, with squared matrix elements and respectively. ThusThe absent downward transition for is automatically represented by . Direct substitution also givesFor this is another oscillator with mass and frequency . ThereforeIts expansion is , agreeing with the perturbative result and sharpening its remainder. At the excluded endpoints confinement is lost; beyond them the quadratic Hamiltonian is not bounded below.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 1 36D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Put . For the equatorial geodesic, the geodesic Lagrangian is , where dots denote derivatives with respect to the affine parameter. The cyclic coordinates give constants and . A third constant is the tangent norm , preserved by the geodesic equation and metric compatibility. For a timelike geodesic rescale the affine parameter to proper time so ; for a null geodesic .
Substitute , into the norm identity and multiply by . It gives the effective potential equationOutside the horizon , its derivative is . A nontrivial circular null geodesic requires , givingFor a circular timelike geodesic,At it , and its radius exceeds . If no finite circular timelike radius exists. Thus all finite circular null and timelike orbits in this five-dimensional exterior are radially unstable. The energy of a circular orbit is fixed by , not independently arbitrary.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 24J b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
For conjugate exponents , , Hölder's inequality is . If either finite norm is zero, the corresponding variable is zero almost surely. Otherwise normalize , . Young inequality follows by minimizing the right side minus in , whose derivative is . Integration gives , proving the result. Infinite norms give the usual extended-value inequality whenever the right side is unambiguous. At the endpoints, follows from the almost-sure bound for , with the symmetric version for .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 24J c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
boundedness means , with the essential-supremum norm for . For finite , let . On , , soThis proves uniform integrability. For an bounded family the tails are identically zero beyond the common essential bound.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 39A ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
With shift , the unwanted eigenvalues lie in , and both endpoints occur. The dominant shifted eigenvalue is . HenceThe negative endpoint can alternate in sign, but the norm error has this factor, and the even-iteration comparison removes the alternation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 20I d Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Suppose such an exists. Orthogonality and unit lengths makea continuous map into the unit sphere, since its squared norm is one. This is a homotopy from the identity to the antipodal map. Their degrees would coincide, but for even they are respectively and , a contradiction. Thus no such continuous map exists for even . At there is not even a unit vector orthogonal to either point of , so nonexistence holds there as well. This is a sphere form of the Hairy ball theorem.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 21F iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Apply the spectral theorem for compact Hermitian operators to positive . Its positive eigenvalues have orthonormal eigenvectors spanning , with a finite or countable list. In the infinite case . DefineThen , so the are orthonormal. Also , because . Decompose with and apply bounded to the norm-convergent expansion. This gives the singular value decompositionThe series converges in norm; its squared tail norm is . No separability of the whole Hilbert space is necessary: the nonzero spectral subspace of a compact operator is separable. For use the empty list .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 35D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Ignoring magnetization, electric polarization charge transport gives bound current . The assumed weak dielectric contrast therefore gives inside the sphere. This is the first Born approximation: the incident field supplies the electric polarization to leading order in .
For , the far-distance expansions are and . Substitute the retarded time into the phase in the Lorenz gauge vector potential. The phase becomes , so, using ,The assumptions and control amplitude and phase errors respectively. In the radiation zone the supplied electric and magnetic fields satisfy . Complex phasors therefore give the time-averaged radial Poynting flux . The incident flux is , soOrient spherical coordinates along to evaluate the form factor:ConsequentlyAt the bracket is interpreted by its limit , not a singularity. The transverse factor accounts for polarization of an electromagnetic wave; for complex polarization of an electromagnetic wave its squared norm means the Hermitian norm.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 39A a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Let . The zero Dirichlet boundary values introduce no forcing terms, so the scheme isThe common orthogonal sine eigenvectors have -eigenvalues . Thus is invertible for every , and each amplification eigenvalue isThe matrix is orthogonally diagonalizable, so its powers have Euclidean norm at most one, uniformly in the mesh and time step. Therefore Crank-Nicolson diffusion scheme is stable for every . Negative amplification factors at large can create temporal sign oscillations, which do not contradict this norm stability.