Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 39 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Use the usual probability-kernel convention: , , and , in addition to symmetry and compact support. These conditions are needed for the stated finite bound; symmetry and compact support by themselves do not impose normalization or nonnegativity. Interpret the differentiability assumption in the usual Sobolev space sense , or assume classical regularity sufficient for the integral Taylor remainder. The kernel density estimator isThe bias-variance decomposition of mean squared error, followed by Tonelli theorem, yieldsIndependence and a change of variables give the exact integrated variance of a kernel density estimatorAll changes of integration order are justified either by nonnegativity or by the displayed finite integrals.
For the bias of a kernel density estimator, symmetry gives . Taylor's integral remainder, with translations understood in , givesThe Minkowski inequality and translation invariance of the L2 norm implywhere . Consequently we obtain the slightly stronger conclusionSince , this proves the requested bound. For signed kernels, the same argument has in place of ; the printed bound is not generally justified merely by signed-kernel symmetry. For example, let and . This symmetric compactly supported signed kernel has integral one and , but its fourth moment is nonzero. For a normal density its convolution has nonzero bias at any fixed positive bandwidth. Sending would therefore contradict a bound containing only the integrated variance term.
Writing the requested bound as , differentiation gives when . Thus gives mean integrated squared error of order . With the sharper constant one instead has ; the rate is identical.
A direct heuristic for is to choose a twice differentiable pilot kernel , estimate by the second derivative kernel density estimatorand integrate its square. Its integrated variance contains a diagonal term , which should not be mistaken for the target. A useful corrected U-statistic removes that diagonal:Its expectation is . Thus smoothing bias of an estimator, rather than the diagonal contribution, remains. For a smooth compactly supported probability pilot kernel, the same variance calculation givesThe second term tends to zero because convolution with a shrinking probability kernel approximates every function. Thus and make the raw squared pilot estimate consistent for the quadratic density derivative functional. If , thenso the diagonal-corrected U-statistic is consistent under the same choice. Consistency already uses the assumed ; the additional third-derivative hypothesis is relevant to more ambitious rate heuristics.
Three bounded continuous derivatives do not justify a general root- estimation rate for . For a smooth perturbation with compact support, the directional derivative iswhere the last expression requires a fourth derivative in the appropriate weak sense. A regular root- argument would need an influence function proportional to , with finite variance under . Three derivatives do not supply that condition.
For a more quantitative heuristic, impose the additional assumption , use a smooth Fourier cutoff of width , and estimate the quadratic functional by its off-diagonal U-statistic. The tail bias of an estimator is because the Plancherel theorem weights this functional by frequency to the fourth power. The degenerate part of its standard deviation is : the squared norm of the quadratic kernel scales as . At , these two terms balance at and have size , already slower than ; any additional first-order variance cannot improve that balance. To make both terms requires and , which are compatible only when . This is an illustrative smoothness calculation under extra Sobolev and moment assumptions, not a rate theorem asserted solely from bounded third derivatives. Particular much smoother probability density functions may of course permit root- estimation.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 23 1 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
For a primitive Dirichlet character the previous formula gives . The Plancherel theorem for the unitary finite transform yieldsThus , the normalized Gauss sum of a Dirichlet character magnitude.
For an imprimitive character modulo with , its values on residues are periodic modulo : descent preserves the values on units, and divisibility by is unchanged by that shift. Splitting the sum into these residue classes gives a factor . Hence . If , the only imprimitive character is principal, and its Gauss sum is , giving . All cases satisfy the required bound.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 9 2 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Use the Fourier transform convention throughout this question. The decay assumption implies square integrability, since polar coordinates giveNear zero the integrand is bounded by , and at infinity it is bounded by . The positive is what makes the latter integrable.
By the Plancherel theorem, there is a function whose Fourier transform is . It is the density of with respect to Lebesgue measure. To justify this step rather than assume a density, for every Schwartz function , Fourier inversion givesThe finite measure and the locally integrable function thus define the same tempered distribution, so they agree as measures: . In particular almost everywhere and . This is the L2 density from a square-integrable Fourier transform principle.
For , the density of is . The inequality holds wherever , apart from a Lebesgue measure zero set, soA second application of the Plancherel theorem yields the explicit boundThe implicit constant in the requested estimate may depend on the measure and its Fourier-decay bound, but is independent of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 10 3 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
We use the homogeneous version of the Sobolev embedding theorem in three dimensions:Here homogeneous Sobolev space is the completion of compactly supported smooth functions in the L2 norm of the gradient, identified with its representative. Apply this Sobolev inequality both to and to its spatial derivatives.
LetThe Plancherel theorem identifies the L2 norm of the Hessian matrix with , because . In particular,Differentiating the defocusing semilinear wave equation gives . By the Holder inequality with exponents and , the preceding Sobolev inequality, and conservation of the positive wave energy,Use the inhomogeneous wave energy estimate simultaneously for the three spatial derivatives. It givesThe Gronwall inequality therefore yields . We may take the continuous, locally bounded functionThe constant is universal; the dependence on the initial data is only through and . The H2 bound for the defocusing cubic wave equation holds on every existing smooth interval, without assuming the global conclusion. If or , the zero solution satisfies the same estimate.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 69 2 B Solution 2026-10-06
Use the unnormalized Fourier transform in the question and the Plancherel theorem, with inverse factor . For a general scaling function, the transform is interpreted in the sense; the printed integral need not be absolutely convergent. All frequency identities are almost-everywhere statements.
Changing variables in the Fourier transform givesThus taking the transform of the scaling refinement equation gives , orConversely the same calculation and injectivity of the Fourier transform recover refinement, with convergence understood in .
To justify both the orthogonality assertion and this convergence precisely, put . It belongs to by monotone integration. The Plancherel theorem givesHence orthonormality of all integer translates is equivalent, by uniqueness of Fourier coefficients in L1, to the periodized-energy conditionWhen this holds, the squared norm of is , so square-summable coefficient series converge in . In the converse direction the refinement identity and give, by splitting the periodization of into even and odd translates,Thus is bounded and its Fourier coefficients are square summable. If are its Fourier partial sum, thenThis verifies the transformed refinement series converges to , completing the equivalence of the two pairs of conditions without imposing an unnecessary assumption on .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 71 2 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
We place the definitions and the unheaded preliminary requests here before addressing the first labelled property. The Schwartz space consists of smooth functions with finite seminormsfor every pair of multi-indices. Convergence means convergence in each seminorm. The tempered distribution space is its continuous dual space, with weak convergence tested against every Schwartz function. A continuous functional satisfies a bound by finitely many of these seminorms, equivalently by one sufficiently large weighted derivative seminorm.
Use the Fourier transform conventionDifferentiation under the integral and integration by parts express as a constant of modulus one times the Fourier transform of . Its supremum is bounded by the norm of that function. For , this norm is at most a constant times finitely many Schwartz seminorms, using the integrable weight . Thus is continuous.
For completeness, Fourier inversion follows by inserting in the inverse integral and using Fubini's theorem. The result is convolution with the Gaussian approximate identityIt tends to , while integrability of allows the damping factor to be removed by dominated convergence theorem. Consequently . Reflection preserves every Schwartz seminorm, so the inverse transform is continuous as well. This proves the Fourier transform isomorphism of the Schwartz space.
Define the Fourier transform of a tempered distribution by transposition,The Schwartz-space continuity just proved makes this a tempered distribution. Its inverse is , where . These maps are continuous for weak convergence, since each pairing is a pairing with a fixed transformed test. They are also continuous for the strong dual topology, because the Schwartz-space maps take bounded sets to bounded sets.
The convolution of a tempered distribution with a Schwartz function isSmooth dependence of translated Schwartz functions gives . The finite-seminorm estimate and show that each derivative has at most polynomial growth. In particular, is a smooth function defining a tempered distribution. It need not itself be a Schwartz function; for example .
Writing , its distributional pairing is . The inner convolution is a Schwartz function, and this identity follows by integration in the Schwartz topology, justified by the weighted seminorm estimates. A direct Fubini's theorem calculation gives . HenceMultiplication is well defined because multiplication by acts continuously on .
Now write the Hilbert transform as convolution with , the principal-value reciprocal distribution. The given Heaviside function transform, together with , yieldsThe value of the sign function at zero is irrelevant to its regular distribution. Thus the Hilbert-transform Fourier multiplier isApplying Plancherel theorem, whose normalization here is , proves the isometry:The principal-value integral agrees with this convolution: near its singular point subtract , and use odd cancellation; at infinity the Schwartz decay gives convergence. The Hilbert transform has domain , but generally does not take values in , as the tail in part (c) demonstrates.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 3 38E a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Use , initially for finite-support sequences and then by Plancherel theorem for . A shift by multiplies the transform by . Hence the recurrence givesHere the last equality is understood with time-zero data, and the scheme is assumed well-defined, so the denominator is nonzero or any removable singularity is filled continuously.
If , Plancherel gives for every . Conversely, if the continuous amplification factor has , it exceeds on an interval of positive length. Choose a nonzero initial Fourier transform supported in that interval. Then , contradicting a uniform stability bound. Therefore uniform power stability holds exactly whenWithout continuity the exact condition is an essential-supremum bound, since isolated Fourier frequencies have zero measure. The fixed recurrence here uses a bound uniform over all time steps; mesh-dependent finite-time growth bounds are a different stability convention.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 22F i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Let . The map is linear, and proves the vector-subspace claim. The stated inner product is . By the Plancherel theorem it is positive definite.
More strongly, is onto: for , , since , and satisfies . Thus is an isometric linear bijection, and completeness of givesThis argument includes if zero is allowed in the printed convention.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 340 2 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
At zero, the partial products are . Their assumed convergence and force and . Uniform convergence on compact sets makes continuous. The identity with gives with squared norm . Define by the inverse Fourier transform in . The Plancherel theorem and the other given integral identities giveDefine as the closed span of . These functions form an orthonormal basis of , and dyadic dilation gives the scale axiom. Shifting the infinite product givesso the finite Fourier series of gives a scaling refinement equation and . The coarse-scale projection argument of part 1(b) proves the trivial-intersection axiom.
For density, take a function with bounded Fourier support. The MRA projection Fourier identity gives, for large ,Uniform convergence of to one on that support proves the limit. Since is an orthogonal projection, . Such functions are dense in , givingThus all the multiresolution analysis axioms hold. Under the strong convergence and orthogonality assumptions supplied here, the additional nonvanishing condition is not needed in this last verification; it is useful when establishing those assumptions from a filter.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ii Paper 1 27J c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
For , part (b) gives . The Plancherel theorem in the stated Fourier convention givesSince the left side is two,The integrand is even, so the sinc-squared integral is
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 105 4 a Solution 2026-10-03
Extend by zero to ; its compact support inside the ball makes the extension smooth. The Fourier transform of a derivative givesThe assumption says that is a uniformly elliptic operator, soMoreover,The Plancherel theorem therefore yieldsAll integrands vanish outside the original support where appropriate, so
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ii Paper 3 22H b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Taking the Fourier transform of a derivative givesThus, away from ,This formula determines the solution uniquely; a distribution supported only at cannot belong to unless it is zero.
For , the Fourier transform estimate and local integrability of in three dimensions control the squared norm. For ,The Plancherel theorem therefore yields . Finally the Sobolev embedding theorem in three dimensions gives when , namely when .