Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 ia Paper 1 3D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 ia Paper 1 6A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 ia Paper 4 5E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2006 ii Paper 2 18H Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ia Paper 4 8D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 1 1H Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 4 8E b ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
The integers are countable: for and for is an injection . Hence is a countable set. The map is a surjection onto the rational numbers, so the image result already proved gives is countable. Unique reduced fractions are not required for this surjection argument.
For the final unheaded geometry request, suppose for contradiction that no two distinct circles in the collection intersect. Restrict to the subcollection of circles tangent to the -axis. Each such nondegenerate circle has a unique tangency point, and the tangency-point map is a surjection by the hypothesis.
The closed disk of a circle tangent at meets the -axis only at . Two distinct members of cannot have nested disks: if one disk were inside the other, its tangency point would belong to the larger disk, so both tangency points would be equal and both circle boundaries would pass through it. That already contradicts nonintersection. Circles with disjoint boundaries and no nesting have disjoint disks. Thus their open disks are pairwise disjoint.
By the density of the rational numbers, every nonempty open disk contains a point of , which is a countable set. Fix an enumeration of and assign to each disk the first enumerated point inside it. Disjointness makes this assignment an injection. This is the countability of pairwise disjoint open disks, and proves that is a countable set. Its surjection onto would make the real numbers countable, contrary to the Cantor diagonal argument. ThereforeThe proof allows circles on either side of the axis and counts tangential contact as intersection; it does not assume that all circles in the original collection are tangent to the axis.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 28 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
A set of prime numbers has Dirichlet density if the following limit exists:Equivalently, the denominator can be , since that sum is . Adding or removing finitely many prime numbers leaves the Dirichlet density unchanged.
Put and . This is the splitting field of , whose four roots of a polynomial are . The polynomial is an Eisenstein polynomial at , so . Since is contained in the real numbers, it does not contain , giving . Thus is a Galois extension of degree . Its Galois group is the dihedral group of order : the field automorphisms , and , satisfy and .
For an odd prime number , the condition means that the finite field contains all fourth roots of unity. Under this condition, is a quartic residue exactly when has a root in ; multiplying that root by gives all four distinct roots. Conversely, complete splitting of over gives both a fourth root of and a primitive fourth root of unity, so it also forces .
The polynomial discriminant of is . Hence every odd prime number is unramified in , and the root-splitting criterion is equivalent to its Frobenius automorphism acting trivially on all the roots. Since the roots generate , this is equivalent to the Frobenius automorphism being the identity, or to being a completely split prime of . The Chebotarev density theorem says that the unramified prime numbers with Frobenius conjugacy class have Dirichlet density . Here , so
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ia Paper 4 2E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
For a nonempty set , an upper bound in a partially ordered set is a real number such that for every . Its supremum, or least upper bound, is an upper bound with for every upper bound . The least-upper-bound property asserts that every nonempty set of real numbers bounded above has a real supremum.
Let be a bounded, increasing sequence; here increasing allows . Apply the least-upper-bound property to its set of terms and put . Given , the number cannot be an upper bound, so some satisfies . The monotone sequence property then givesHence for all . This proves the monotone bounded sequence result, with limit .
For the two series, define their partial sums and . Positivity makes both partial-sum sequences increasing, and termwise comparison gives . Since is a convergent sequence, it is bounded above, and therefore so is . Applying the monotone bounded sequence result already proved shows that converges. By the definition of a convergent series, converges. This is the comparison test for series for positive terms.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 121 2 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The Freiling axiom of symmetry isThe values of are countable subsets of the real numbers, including finite ones. One may require without changing the axiom: apply the displayed version to .
The Generalized continuum hypothesis statesHere is the successor cardinal; equivalently for every ordinal .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 121 2 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The Freiling theorem givesFirst assume the Continuum hypothesis and fix a well-order of the real numbers. Define . Each value is countable. For any pair, one index is at most the other, so at least one of or holds. The same holds for , since . This violates the Freiling axiom of symmetry.
Conversely, assume and let assign a countable set to each real. Choose of cardinality . By infinite cardinal arithmetic,Choose outside this union. Since is countable and is uncountable, choose . Then and , with . This proves the Freiling axiom of symmetry and completes both implications.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ia Paper 3 2E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
A subgroup of a group is a normal subgroup when for every , equivalently . The quotient group has the left cosets as elements, with , identity and inverse . Normality makes this multiplication independent of representatives.
The first isomorphism theorem for groups says that for a group homomorphism , its kernel of a group homomorphism is normal andThe image is taken with the induced group operation; surjectivity onto all of is not required.
For the given upper triangular matrices, take diagonal entries:The target is a direct product of groups, with multiplication of nonzero real numbers in each coordinate. Indeed the product of two such matrices has diagonal , proving the group homomorphism property. Any pair of nonzero diagonal entries is attained by a diagonal matrix, so is surjective. Its kernel of a group homomorphism consists precisely of the matrices with , namely . Hencewith coordinatewise multiplication, not addition on .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ia Paper 4 6D d Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
For each positive integer , consider the threshold set . If it were infinite, one could choose recursively a sequence of distinct elements from it. Every arithmetic average of that sequence would be at least , contradicting the assumed limit zero. Hence every is a finite set.
Every positive real number exceeds for some , by the Archimedean property. ThereforeA countable union of countable sets is countable, so . In fact, under the stipulated infinitude, is a countably infinite set. Positivity matters: it ensures that these thresholds cover . This is countability from vanishing averages of distinct sequences; ordinary Cesaro convergence of a sequence of one chosen enumeration would not suffice to control the whole set.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 115 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Pullback of a differential form commutes with the exterior derivative, so gives a linear map on de Rham cohomology. Functoriality and imply . Over the real numbers, define the complementary projectionsThey obey , and . Every cohomology class therefore decomposes asThe first term is fixed and the second negated by . Their intersection is zero, since a class in both equals its own negative. ConsequentlyThis is the eigenspace decomposition of a linear involution. The factor uses the real coefficient field; a corresponding argument over characteristic two would fail. At the level of differential forms, the same averaging projections give representatives of either parity whenever the class has that parity.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 121 2 iv Solution 2026-10-03
Take a transitive model . In , choose a bijection and encode its graph by a set , using a fixed bijection between and . The relative constructible universe can decode , and therefore contains every real number of ; being an inner model of , it has no additional reals.
Models with the same reals have the same first uncountable ordinal, because their reals code exactly the same countable well-orders. If satisfied the Continuum hypothesis, its bijection between and the reals would also belong to , contradicting . This is the construction in relative constructible universe can violate the continuum hypothesis, and it gives
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ii Paper 3 21H b Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
Apply Arzela-Ascoli theorem on . Pointwise boundedness and equicontinuity give a subsequence converging uniformly there. Successively extract subsequences for , and take the diagonal subsequence. It converges uniformly on every closed bounded interval. Its limits on nested intervals agree, so they define on the real numbers; the locally uniform limit of continuous functions is continuous.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ib Paper 2 8F Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
Let satisfy for every vector . If there is nothing to prove. Otherwise choose with . For every and every real number ,so the hypothesis gives . Taking two values of shows that . Sincewe obtain . Thus one of the two linear functionals is zero.
Sylvester's law of inertia says that, in a suitable basis, every real quadratic form isThe rank is , and the signature is ; both are independent of the chosen basis.
If , its polar form has image contained in , so . If , the two functionals must be independent and, after taking their sum and difference, is a difference of two squares. Hence . If , then . In every case,Conversely, this inequality leaves onlyup to a linear change of coordinates. These factor respectively as , , and . Therefore
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 202 1 c Solution 2026-09-28
The deterministic boundholds for every real number . Thereforefor every , so converges to uniformly on every compact time interval, and hence ucp.