Parametrize a positively oriented closed plane curve at constant arc length speed on , and let be its complex-position Fourier coefficients. Green's theorem and Parseval's identity give and . Since for integers, the planar isoperimetric inequality follows. Equality leaves only the constant and positive first harmonic, a translated circle.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 ii Paper 2 24H Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 2 24H b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 ii Paper 2 25H c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ii Paper 2 25H iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ii Paper 2 25H i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 1 22G Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
The planar planar isoperimetric inequality iswith equality precisely for a disc. Let the positively oriented boundary be parametrized by arclength as , . Translate its mean to zero. Then , and Green's theorem gives .
The periodic Wirtinger inequality says that for a real absolutely continuous -periodic function of mean zero and square-integrable derivative,with equality exactly for . Apply it to both coordinates and use Cauchy-Schwarz inequality:If equality holds, the Wirtinger equalities give . The arclength condition forces and , so the boundary is a circle. A circle attains equality, making the constant optimal.
The inequality and equality characterization persist for finitely many corners. A rectifiable piecewise smooth simple closed curve has a Lipschitz arclength parametrization, with almost everywhere. Green's theorem and the absolutely continuous version of Wirtinger's inequality used above still apply. More generally one may approximate a rectifiable Jordan curve by smooth curves while preserving the limiting length and area. If the allowed isolated singularities give infinite length, the inequality is trivially satisfied in the extended sense.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ii Paper 4 25I a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The periodic Wirtinger inequality says that if is continuously differentiable, -periodic, and has mean zero, thenEquality holds exactly for a linear combination of and .
First suppose is one positively oriented simple closed curve, parametrized by arc length as for . Translating the origin, which changes neither length nor area, makes both and have mean zero. Green theorem and the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality giveApplying Wirtinger's inequality to both coordinate functions and using the unit-speed identity yieldsand therefore the planar isoperimetric inequalityFor several boundary components, apply the simple-curve result to the relevant enclosed regions and use ; holes only decrease the area.