Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2024 / iii / Paper 205 / 1 / d / Solution

PutThe numerator is the linear kernel, while the reciprocal of the denominator is the kernel from part c applied to $\Vert x{\Vert }^2$ and $\Vert y{\Vert }^2$. The product of positive-semidefinite kernels therefore shows that $a$ is a positive-semidefinite kernel. The Cauchy-Schwarz inequality and the arithmetic-geometric mean inequality give $|a(x,y)|\le 1/2$, soEach power is positive semidefinite by the Schur product theorem, and the convergent sum is positive semidefinite.

Moreover $k_2(x,x)=1$. If $\Phi$ is its canonical feature map, thenThe feature-space norm gives symmetry and the triangle inequality. Finally, $d(x,y)=0$ implies $k_2(x,y)=1$, hence $a(x,y)=1/2$ andwhich is equivalent to $\Vert x-y{\Vert }^2=0$. Thus $d$ is a metric rather than merely a pseudometric.