Past exam of the short options course of the University of Oxford / 2021 / 4 / b / Solution

Fix $x\in U$. Since $U$ is open, choose an open ball $B(x,\epsilon )\subset U$. For any $y$ in this ball the segment $x+t(y-x)$ remains in it. For each coordinate $G_j$, the chain rule givesThe ordinary mean value theorem therefore gives $G_j(y)=G_j(x)$ for every coordinate, hence $G(y)=G(x)$. Thus $G$ is a locally constant function.

For each $z\in {\mathbb{R}}^m$, its preimage is a union of such open balls, so $G^{-1}(\{z\})$ is open in ${\mathbb{R}}^n$. Its complement in $U$ is the union of the other fibers and is also open. If $U$ is nonempty and connected, the nonempty fiber through any chosen point is both open and closed in $U$, and must be all of $U$. ThereforeThe empty-domain case is vacuous. Notice that continuity of $DG$ was never needed.