Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 4 8E Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The Poisson bracket is . Since , the scalar triple product vanishes, andEquivalently, check the identity on and extend to every polynomial using the Leibniz rule. Thus is a Casimir function of a Poisson manifold of this rotational Lie-Poisson structure on R3.
The Hamilton's equations areLinearization about gives , , . The two nonzero exponents satisfy . ConsequentlyWhen is outside this interval the transverse motion is oscillatory. At equality the linearization is nonhyperbolic; if just one transverse coupling vanishes, the other permits secular linear growth, rather than an exponential instability. This is the familiar intermediate-axis instability described by the Euler equations for a torque-free rigid body.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 ia Paper 1 5C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
The dot product and Euclidean norm are and . For every real ,Its quadratic discriminant is nonpositive, proving the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality . In the inequality asked for, equality holds exactly when is a positive scalar multiple of , and
Using the Levi-Civita symbol and its contraction identity,
Put , the scalar triple product. Cyclic symmetry gives , so each requested angle satisfies . If every pairwise angle is and , the preceding identity givesand therefore . This is when ; for a right-handed orthonormal basis and , has norm .
The three planes have equations , , and . They meet at one point exactly when , meaning their normals are linearly independent vectors. The point is
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ia Paper 1 5C a i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Using the Levi-Civita symbol and the epsilon-delta identity,This proves the vector triple product identityApplying it inside the scalar triple product gives Lagrange's identity
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ia Paper 1 5C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
The scalar triple product isPut . When , the three vectorsform the reciprocal basis to , so . Their scalar triple product is . Thereforesince the cyclic permutation preserves orientation. The identity also holds when , either by continuity or directly because the cross products are then linearly dependent.
For the given basis , the same identities giveIf , dotting with gives , so the are linearly independent and hence form a basis. Moreover, , so the original basis is reciprocal to the primed basis. Uniqueness of a reciprocal basis gives
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ia Paper 1 5B a iii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
LetLinear independence implies that the scalar triple product is nonzero. Applying the vector triple-product formulas to recovers the coefficients of in the basis . Equivalently, the reciprocal basis to isTaking scalar products with therefore yields
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 iii Paper 312 1 iv Solution 2026-09-28
At late time and . Define the elementary symmetric polynomialsThen part ii reduces towhere a prime removes the momentum-conserving Dirac delta distribution andExpanding the product givesRepeated integration by parts reduces every negative power to the supplied logarithmic integral. The power divergences are real and disappear when the imaginary part is taken. Writingone obtainsConsequently the late-time parity-odd primordial trispectrum isIts factor of is required by reality of a momentum-space scalar correlator: reversing all momenta complex-conjugates the correlator, while the scalar triple product changes sign.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ii Paper 3 34D Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
Let the Bravais lattice have primitive vectors , and putThe reciprocal lattice has the basisThe scalar triple product and cross product identities giveConsequently every satisfies for every lattice point , and conversely these three conditions force the coefficients of in the reciprocal basis to be integers. This proves that the displayed vectors generate .
In the Born approximation, suppose that the crystal potential is the sum of translates of one atomic potential over the finite set of lattice sites. Its Fourier transform at the momentum transfer factors asThus the single-atom scattering amplitude is multiplied by the crystal lattice structure factor . Writingseparates the sum into three finite geometric series. For this givesWhen the are large, a factor has a sharp maximum when . All three factors are therefore simultaneously large precisely when . These are the reciprocal-lattice peaks of a finite crystal.
For the stated Body-centered cubic lattice basis,the reciprocal-basis formula givesEquivalently,The shortest nonzero reciprocal vectors have squared Euclidean norm , so
In elastic scattering, . If and is the angle between and , Euclidean geometry givesThe first possible diffraction peak therefore occurs atas , by the small-angle approximation. This is the elastic Bragg scattering condition for the shortest reciprocal-lattice vector.
Pseudoscalar 2026-09-28
A pseudoscalar is invariant under proper rotations but changes sign under a spatial reflection. In three dimensions the scalar triple product is a pseudoscalar.
Reciprocal basis Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
For a basis with scalar triple product , the reciprocal vectors are cyclic cross products divided by and satisfy . This construction is used for the basis of a reciprocal lattice.