Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 ii Paper 2 14E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ib Paper 2 13D ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
On the top side put , with running from to . Since and , the reversed orientation cancels the minus sign. The two horizontal integrals therefore sum toIf the vertical contributions vanish, the previous residue theorem evaluation yields the Fresnel integralThis also is an ordinary oscillatory improper integral, not merely a symmetric principal value: integration by parts, using , bounds either tail beginning at by a constant times .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ib Paper 2 13D i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
The denominator vanishes when . For , only lies inside the rectangle. This is a simple pole, since the denominator derivative there is . Its residue isThe positive orientation and the residue theorem consequently give
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 60 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
The Malgrange–Ehrenpreis theorem states that every nonzero constant-coefficient linear differential operator on Euclidean space has a distributional fundamental solution. With and , the conclusion is an such that . If , simply take ; hence assume .
We construct a Hörmander staircase in frequency space. The highest-degree homogeneous part is not identically zero on real vectors, since a polynomial vanishing on all real vectors has all coefficients zero. After an orthogonal transformation of coordinates, we can arrange that . Thus, for each real , the polynomialhas degree in and the same nonzero leading coefficient , independent of . This constant leading coefficient of a polynomial is what makes a uniform staircase possible.
For a fixed , factor , counting repeated roots of a polynomial. Consider the heights , . A given root has imaginary part within distance less than one of at most one of these heights. By the pigeonhole principle, some height avoids every root, and thenThis is finite-height polynomial root avoidance. Root labels need not be chosen continuously or even measurably. Instead define the closed setsContinuity in extends the inequality from rational to every real . These Borel sets partition . The Hörmander staircase assigns the horizontal contour over ; its height is bounded by , and the denominator has the uniform lower bound . For , the transverse space is a single point and only one horizontal contour is needed.
Use the Fourier transform convention , with inverse factor . Define the candidate fundamental solution of a linear differential operator byFor a test function supported in a fixed compact set , Fourier decay in a bounded complex strip gives, for any integer ,Indeed, this is the real Fourier transform of with reversed frequency, and repeated integration by parts with proves the estimate. Taking and using the denominator bound proves absolute convergence and a continuity estimate on . Thus is a distribution; no unsupported interpretation of a divergent inverse Fourier transform is being used.
For its distributional derivatives, the formal transpose of a differential operator is . Sinceapplying cancels the denominator. For each fixed , the numerator is an entire function of . The Cauchy integral theorem, applied to a rectangle between the lines and , givesThe two vertical edges tend to zero by the same bounded-strip decay. The resulting contour deformation is performed separately for each transverse frequency, so discontinuities of the staircase height introduce no additional boundary terms. Absolute convergence permits integration over the partition . The Fourier inversion theorem then yieldsThis proves the Malgrange–Ehrenpreis theorem. Undoing the orthogonal change of coordinates gives the fundamental solution of a linear differential operator for the original operator; the Dirac delta distribution is unchanged by that change of coordinates.
For a one-dimensional operator of degree , with leading coefficient , we may choose the single staircase contour below every pole. Take and integrate on . The corresponding formula is the Bromwich contour version of the construction above, after putting . Its poles all lie above the frequency contour. For , close that contour downwards; the exponential function decays and there are no enclosed poles. For , close upwards, where the exponential function again decays, and apply the residue theorem. The bound justifies the large arcs, including by the Jordan lemma away from their endpoints. Thus away from the retarded fundamental solution is , whereThe sum is over distinct roots of a polynomial, with the residue including the whole multiplicity. For simple characteristic roots of a constant-coefficient differential equation, it reduces to . Repeated roots give exponential polynomial solutions of a constant-coefficient differential equation through differentiation of .
To establish the equality also at the origin, rather than leave a possible point-supported term undecided, verify the distributional jump formula for a Heaviside product. The residue expression is an entire function of , andIts initial derivatives areThese identities follow by integrating over a large circle: for the integrand is , whereas for its coefficient of is . The distributional jump formula for a Heaviside product therefore gives . Moreover, since is a tempered distribution, its Fourier transform satisfiesThere are no real zeros of this polynomial, so its reciprocal is the transform. This is exactly the shifted-contour construction, proving equality there as a distribution as well. HenceThe sign of matters: for the operator in the preceding solution, and the last initial derivative is .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 8 4 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
The printed differential in the transform integral is ; it must be , since is the transform parameter. We prove the Newman Tauberian theorem in this corrected interpretation. Setalmost everywhere. The finite-interval transform is entire.
Fix . Because the analytic domain contains the whole imaginary axis, compactness supplies a such that the thin rectangle , lies in the domain. Let be the right semicircle of radius , oriented from to . Join its endpoints by a leftward path along the other three sides of that rectangle. This is a closed positively oriented contour.
Use contour damping for bounded Laplace transforms withThe residue theorem givesOn , with ,Thus the integrand has modulus at most , and this half-circle contributes at most after division by .
On , the term tends to zero as : every interior point of the path has negative real part, is bounded on this fixed compact path, and the remaining kernel factor is bounded because the path avoids zero. Dominated convergence applies, with the two endpoints irrelevant to the path integral.
For the term, deform to the left semicircle of radius . This deformation uses only the entire function ; it does not demand that extend across a large left half-disk. Both paths lie to the left of zero and their enclosed deformation region avoids the kernel pole. On , for ,The same circle factor gives another bound . ConsequentlyThe radius is arbitrary, soThis proves convergence of the ordinary improper integral, not merely a damped limit.
For the weakened domain hypothesis, take . Its Laplace transform is , analytic on the open right half-plane, but diverges. Analyticity only in the open right half-plane is insufficient.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ib Paper 1 13B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the positively oriented unit circle and . Writing , the contour integral for a sine-squared trigonometric quotient becomesThere is a double pole at zero and simple poles at . Since , and . The coefficient of at zero is . At , the residue isbecause . The residue theorem consequently givesFor the second integral, use with . The square root is , and reversing the integration limits givesThe last factor uses the symmetry of the integrand about over a full period. Therefore
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 ib Paper 2 13B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the rectangular contour for an exponential beta integral. For , integrate counterclockwise around the rectangle with vertices . Its only pole is at , withThe right vertical side is bounded in modulus by , and the left by . Both tend to zero because . On the top edge , and that edge is traversed right to left. The residue theorem therefore givesSince ,The same inequalities establish convergence at both real infinities. With , this integral becomes . Taking gives
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 77 2 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Linearity permits subtraction of the incident acoustic membrane wave. The scattered pressure solves the homogeneous Helmholtz equation, and the kinematic relation defines its line displacement on both halves. On , subtracting the incident elastic membrane equation gives the scattered dynamic equation. On , there is no elastic membrane, so the total pressure jump must vanish, giving . The pinned endpoint has , hence , rather than zero.
Use full and Half-range Fourier transforms with the same convention as part (a), and putWrite for the left transform of the upper scattered pressure, for its right transform, and for the corresponding transforms of . Outgoing antisymmetry in impliesThe second relation comes from the prescribed pressure cancellation on .
The endpoint terms in the left Fourier transform of are crucial:Thus . Eliminating gives the Wiener-Hopf equationThere is a defect in the printed right side: with the stated incident exponential, pressure jump, and pinned total displacement, it omits the incident endpoint term and has the opposite sign on the incident-pressure term. The displayed corrected equation follows directly from both boundary traces. The given right side cannot be derived with these definitions. Using , an especially useful equivalent form isThe correction is necessary for the reconstructed pressure to satisfy the original physical boundary conditions.
For Wiener-Hopf factorization, take with the plus factor analytic and nonzero in the upper half-plane and the minus factor analytic and nonzero in the lower half-plane. Singularities listed next refer to continuation out of each factor's own analytic half-plane. Let , so and lies below the real axis. Generically inherits the pole at and the square-root branch point at , while inherits the pole at and the branch point at . The kernel is finite but nonanalytic at the acoustic branch points: its local behavior is a constant plus a square-root term, not an inverse-square-root divergence. Coincident branch points and poles require a limiting treatment.
Zeros of are the fluid-loaded dispersion relation roots. Lower-half-plane roots, including the incoming guided root , belong to the continued ; upper-half-plane roots, including the reflected root for the even kernel, belong to the continued . The roots represent membrane-guided modes; the branch cuts represent radiated acoustic waves. Only roots on the selected outgoing sheet are included, not spurious roots created by squaring the dispersion relation. No explicit factorization is required.
Here is an explicit solution in terms of those factors. DefineThe pole of at has residue ; the pole at is canceled by the pole of . Thus have the required respective analyticity. Divide the corrected Wiener-Hopf equation by and split its right side as , whereThe difference quotient in is removable at and is analytic below. Moving the plus and minus terms to opposite sides yields the common entire function. With the assumed , the solution isCombining with the known gives the full scattered pressure transformThe requested pressure integral, for , is consequentlyThe real contour uses the causal continuation ; its undamped limit retains the induced pole and branch-cut prescriptions. The residue theorem shows that upper-half-plane zeros of yield left-going scattered elastic membrane modes. On the right, the lower incident-pole residue of the scattered integral cancels at the open line, as required.
Finally reconstruct the left scattered displacement:For a generic unspecified , this has a lower-half-plane pole at the bare elastic membrane wavenumber . Such a pole is incompatible with analyticity of an outgoing left-supported scattered displacement: it would represent an additional right-going incoming elastic membrane contribution. It must be removed. Its residue is , so the incoming-pole cancellation at a pinned membrane edge condition isSince is linear in , this fixes the endpoint slope generically. Explicitly it isThe physical lower incident pole of the total displacement is already prescribed by ; it must not be confused with this removable spurious pole of the scattered field.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 1 6B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Introduce the Mellin transform integral , valid for . A keyhole contour for with has residues and , with the latter argument . The two sides of the positive-axis cut give . The small and large arcs vanish in this strip; simplifying the residue theorem identity yieldsDifferentiation under the integral is valid on compact substrips because the extra is dominated at both endpoints. ThereforeAt , the requested values are
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ii Paper 3 6B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Use equal small excisions on the two sides of each real pole. The Cauchy principal value isFor , close the complex contour in the upper half-plane and indent above , leaving the poles outside the contour. The residue theorem and the vanishing of the large semicircle integral give the principal-value integral as times the sum of the two real-pole residues. Each clockwise indentation contributes times its residue. Sincethe sum is . Taking the real part yields the answerThe decay on the large arc follows directly from and the quadratic denominator.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ib Paper 2 13A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Let . The useful identity on the square contour isOn the vertical edges the first term equals one; on the horizontal edges and . Thus on every edge. Also and the contour has length , so the estimation lemma givesAt every nonzero integer , the residue is . At zero the Laurent series isso the residue there is . The positive orientation and the residue theorem therefore giveLetting yields the alternating reciprocal-square sum
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ib Paper 3 4A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Use Fourier inversion with the stated Fourier transform convention:For , close the contour integral in the lower half-plane, where decays. Jordan lemma eliminates the large semicircle. The contour is clockwise, so the residue theorem supplies times the residue at . That simple pole hasConsequentlyThe minus sign uses both the clockwise orientation and the residue ; it is consistent with the full odd function away from zero.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 126 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Write the period lattice as , with real-linearly independent and . A meromorphic function is an elliptic function for this lattice if for every . If it has no poles, it is an entire function bounded on the closure of a fundamental parallelogram. Periodicity makes it bounded on all of , so the Liouville theorem proves that an elliptic function without poles is constant.
Here are the two contour identities needed for counting its zeros and their sum. Choose a positively oriented fundamental parallelogram whose boundary avoids all zeros and poles, and put . The argument principle givesbecause is periodic and opposite edges cancel. Here count zeros and poles with multiplicity. For the weighted integral, let be the integral of along the edge from a vertex to . Translating the opposite edges givesThe endpoint values of agree along either edge. A continuous logarithm along the edge therefore changes by , with , and . On the other hand, the residue theorem evaluates the left side as the sum of the zero positions minus the sum of the pole positions, both with multiplicity. Thus the elliptic divisor-sum identity isUnder the stated pole hypothesis there is just one pole class, represented by zero, of order . ConsequentlyChanging representatives of the zero classes changes their weighted sum by an element of , so the congruence is well defined.
The Weierstrass elliptic function isOn a bounded set of , the summand is for large . The lattice sum of converges in real dimension two, proving Normal convergence of the Weierstrass elliptic-function series on compact sets away from . Hence is a holomorphic function there, and at zero its principal part is , so it has a double pole. Replacing by shows that is even. Differentiating the normally convergent series giveswhose absolute convergence permits reindexing by any . Thus is periodic and is constant. Substituting for and using evenness changes that constant to its negative, so it is zero. This proves that is an elliptic function, with double poles precisely at the lattice points.
The preceding zero count applied to says that it has exactly two zeros modulo , counted with multiplicity. Evenness pairs any zero with . If these are distinct classes they must both be simple. If they coincide, , and locally : the zero has even order, which the total count forces to be two. In particular such a zero cannot be a lattice point, where has a pole. Every finite fibre of the Weierstrass function consists of two opposite simple points or one double nonzero half-period point.
To obtain the rational representation, first consider an even elliptic function . The preceding description proves that has exactly the fibres , so defines a function of . Away from the branch values a local inverse of makes meromorphic. At a half-period , the local expansion is , with because the zero has order exactly two. The Laurent series of contains only even powers, and is a holomorphic local coordinate as a function of . Thus is meromorphic at that value too. At zero the same argument uses , proving meromorphy at infinity. A meromorphic function on the Riemann sphere is a rational function: subtract its finitely many principal parts and use compactness to make the remainder constant. This proves that even elliptic functions are rational in the Weierstrass function.
For an arbitrary elliptic function, split , where . The even part is . Since is odd and not identically zero, is an even meromorphic elliptic function, including at the zeros of where the quotient may have poles. It is therefore for a rational function . The elliptic function-field decomposition isThe representation is unique: its even and odd parts determine and , and takes every value on the Riemann sphere.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 301 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use and . The free real scalar field has actionThe canonical momentum is , and the Hamiltonian operator is obtained by the Legendre transform of the density:Canonical quantization promotes and to Hermitian operator-valued fields and imposes the equal-time canonical commutation relationsTheir Heisenberg equation of motion gives , , hence the Klein-Gordon equation .
Let and . The Hermitian field mode expansion isThe scalar field oscillator inversion extractsand its adjoint obtained by Hermitian conjugation extracts . Substitute these expressions into the equal-time canonical commutation relation. The two mixed field-momentum terms giveFor , the corresponding coefficient is a difference of those square roots and multiplies ; it vanishes because . Taking the adjoint gives . Thus these are bosonic annihilation operators and creation operators. The vacuum satisfies , and normal ordering gives , after removing the constant zero-point energy. A one-particle excitation has energy and spin zero.
The Feynman propagator is the vacuum expectation value of the time-ordered product of two field insertions. For , the field at creates a one-particle excitation from the vacuum and the field at annihilates it; the opposite time ordering reverses the roles. It is a propagation amplitude and correlation function of vacuum fluctuations, rather than a transition probability. From the oscillator expansion, only the - contraction survives, so with and ,Here is the Heaviside step function, and changing to in the second term gives the last line.
For the Fourier transform convention , insert a positive damping factor and integrate the positive and negative half-lines separately:The last equality is a distribution identity; the infinitesimals in the partial fractions need not have the same finite magnitude as the infinitesimal in the combined denominator. The Feynman i-epsilon prescription means that the positive-frequency pole is just below the real energy axis and the negative-frequency pole is just above it. Closing the contour integral below for , and above for , reproduces the oscillator result by the residue theorem. This prescription fixes which homogeneous solutions are added to the Green function. As an independent normalization check, has derivative jump at , soIt is the expectation-value convention for , including the numerator , that determines this source normalization.
The vacuum is a centered free Gaussian state. The Wick theorem expresses the four-field time-ordered product as the sum of all pair Wick contractions plus terms containing a normal-ordered product. The latter terms have zero vacuum expectation value. There are exactly three complete pairings, with no fermionic signs for this bosonic field. Thus the free scalar four-point function isThese formulas describe canonical quantization of a real scalar field; in particular, a real scalar field uses a single oscillator family rather than independent charged-particle and antiparticle families.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 1 13A b ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
For , close upwards. The pole at is outside this contour, while is inside; the pole is also outside. The residue theorem and the minus sign in the definition of giveThis rational function is holomorphic throughout , since its only pole lies above . In particular the formula includes : the original line-integrand has no singularity on there, and no evaluation of is needed. Closing downwards would require a decay hypothesis in the lower half-plane that has not been given; closing upwards avoids that unjustified step.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 1 13A b i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Write . For and , close upwards as before. The residue theorem includes the poles at and , and the assumed decay in the upper region makes the arc contribution vanish. ThusIt is essential to include the apparently exceptional point . The Laurent series there is with holomorphic. At that point the integrand is , whose residue is . HenceThe displayed difference is interpreted by its removable singularity. It therefore defines a holomorphic function at every point of the required half-plane, including .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 2 13A Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The residue theorem states that a meromorphic function with finitely many poles inside a positively oriented simple closed contour and none on it satisfies . The function must be holomorphic on a neighbourhood of the contour and its interior away from those poles.
Write and . Both integrals converge absolutely. Use the principal complex logarithm in the upper half-plane, with , and an upper semicircle of radius indented above zero by a clockwise semicircle of radius . The branch values on the negative real side are upper limits; equivalently use contours arbitrarily slightly above that side before taking a limit.
For , the large arc is and the small arc is , so both vanish. On approached from above, and . The oriented negative segment therefore contributes , and the positive segment contributes . The only enclosed pole is , with residueConsequentlyComparing imaginary and real parts yields the upper-half-plane contour for square-root logarithmic integrals evaluation:
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 137 3 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The displayed definition uses iterated Eisenstein summation in weight two: the sum in is evaluated before the sum in , with the single term omitted. This order is essential. The two-dimensional lattice series does not have absolute convergence, so arbitrary rearrangement would not be justified.
For noninteger , the cosecant partial-fraction identity isFor completeness, apply the residue theorem to on squares with large half-integer sides. The cotangent is bounded on the contours and the integral is . Its residues at the integers are and its residue at is , proving the formula. If , the geometric-series expression , differentiated termwise, gives the cotangent partial-fraction Fourier kernel
Put with in the complex upper half-plane. For positive , this gives . Negative gives the same value, by replacing with in its inner sum. The row is , by the Basel problem. The resulting series in does have absolute convergence, locally uniformly in , so collecting the coefficient at is legitimate:The coefficient is the sum-of-divisors function, since runs over the positive divisors of . ThusThere is no conflict with vanishing of weight-two level-one modular forms: the Eisenstein series of weight two has an anomalous transformation term, so it is not a weight-two modular form.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 301 4 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
With the mode normalization given, the oscillator canonical commutation relations are , with the other two commutators zero. Let and . The convention compatible with the requested numerator iswithout an additional factor of outside the vacuum expectation value. Put and . The Fock vacuum is annihilated by , so only contributes to the two Wightman functions. Consequently,In the second term we changed to give the same spatial exponential.
Now perform the energy contour integralHere the residue step uses ; the massless zero-momentum point is interpreted through the smeared distribution limit, not as an isolated normalized oscillator. The Feynman i-epsilon prescription puts the positive-energy pole below the real axis and the negative-energy pole above it: and . For , close in the lower half-plane, clockwise; the residue theorem gives times the residue , hence . For , close in the upper half-plane, counterclockwise; the negative-energy residue is , again giving a positive . These are exactly the two time-ordered terms. Restoring the spatial integral proves the scalar Feynman propagator pole prescription:The prescription in this formula supplies the pole convention left unspecified in the printed display; an unprescribed ordinary real-axis integral would not be well-defined. It is a distribution limit after smearing, not an absolutely convergent four-dimensional integral. With this normalization the derivative jump of a free scalar time-ordered two-point function gives , an independent check of both the numerator and the sign.
Feynman propagator integration contours and displaced poles
. Clockwise and counterclockwise contour integrals for the Feynman i-epsilon prescription.The pole displacement is exaggerated in this original schematic. The contour orientation and selected pole reproduce the time ordering of the Feynman propagator.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 1 13E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
For , expand . Absolute integrability, bounded near zero by a constant times , permits termwise integration. The Gamma function integral then givesSpecify the Hankel contour to run from the negative real axis below the cut towards zero, circle zero counterclockwise with fixed radius , and return above the cut. Take . The circle excludes every nonzero pole of the denominator. For its radius can shrink to zero, and the lower and upper rays give respectively and . By the Gamma reflection formula,away from integer in that half-plane, with limiting equality at the removable points.
With the circle radius kept fixed, the contour integral is an entire function of : the rays decay exponentially and converge locally uniformly, and the circular part stays away from zero. Multiplication by is analytic for and meromorphic globally. The apparent singularities at positive integers are removable because the integral vanishes there and it already agrees with the original analytic zeta function nearby. Only remains a simple pole. Thus this constructs the meromorphic continuation to the whole plane and an analytic continuation on . Keeping the circular segment is essential when the integral is not locally integrable at zero.
At the two rays cancel, since is single-valued. The Laurent expansionshows that the residue of is . Since , the residue theorem gives
