Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2003 ia Paper 1 11B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
For a partition and tags , form the Riemann sum . The Riemann integral is the unique real number such that for every there is for which every tagged partition with mesh has its sum within of . Then . The stated continuity ensures existence, which need not be proved here.
The properties required are linearity, the integral of a constant, and monotonicity of the Riemann integral. Monotonicity follows directly because a nonnegative function has nonnegative Riemann sums, and therefore a nonnegative integral. Integrating and givesSince , multiplication preserves the pointwise inequalities: . The continuous products are integrable, so the same monotonicity and linearity giveNeither nor needs to be nonnegative for this argument.
For the first limit, set , , and . By continuity at zero, . On this shrinking interval , andApplying the weighted bounds just proved givesBoth bounding expressions tend to , so the squeeze theorem proves the first limit.
For the full interval, continuity on gives a finite bound by the extreme value theorem. The remaining tail has absolute value at mostAdding this to the already evaluated near-end integral provesThese are instances of a one-sided exponential approximate identity: the positive weight has total mass tending to one, concentrated in a shrinking neighborhood of zero. No interchange of limit and integral has been assumed.