Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 ib Paper 2 18D Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-07
For a thin wire carrying current , the given magnetic vector potential reduces to . Taking its curl and using gives the Biot-Savart lawThis is exactly the sign convention in the printed form using .
Let . Away from the wire, . The supplied divergence and curl of a cross product therefore gives . But , so the integrand is the total differential of along the source loop. Its closed-loop integral is zero. Thus at every point outside , as demanded by the current-free magnetostatic Ampère's law.
Orbital energy. Treat the star as stationary to leading order in , with Newtonian gravitational parameter . For velocity components in plane polar coordinates, . The kinetic energy is . Integrating Newton's law of universal gravitation with zero gravitational potential energy at infinite separation gives . Thuswhere is the satellite's angular momentum. The first term is radial kinetic energy; the second is transverse kinetic energy, also the centrifugal contribution to the radial effective potential; the last is the attractive gravitational potential energy. These are not three independent sources of energy: the centrifugal term is already part of the ordinary kinetic energy.
For an elliptic Kepler orbit of semi-major axis and orbital eccentricity , the polar equation of a Kepler orbit has semilatus rectum . Substituting into the preceding expression reduces it toFor a circular Kepler orbit, , , , and . Negative total energy describes a bound orbit.
Rapid, symmetric mass loss. Assume the mass is removed on a timescale short compared with the satellite's orbital period, without an impulsive kick or appreciable wind drag on the satellite. The post-loss gravitational parameter is with . At the change, , , and are unchanged. Spherical symmetry keeps the force central, so the specific angular momentum is conserved. Orbital energy is not conserved across the changing gravitational field:The new semi-major axis is consequentlyThe original speed now exceeds the new circular speed at , and the outward radial acceleration is . Thus the release point is the new pericentre, not the apocentre. The impulsive orbital expansion under isotropic mass loss givesFor the stated one-percent loss,An independent angular momentum check is . The impulsive orbit stays bound for ; loss of half the central mass is the zero-orbital energy limit.
What the wind timescale changes. The source specifies a spherically symmetric wind but does not give its duration. The preceding nearest and furthest distances require the rapid-loss assumption. In the opposite, slow limit, adiabatic orbital expansion under isotropic mass loss preserves an initially circular orbit to leading adiabatic order. Conserved specific angular momentum then gives , hence . After the same loss,For a finite intermediate timescale, the orbit depends on the mass-loss history; the percentage alone does not select a unique pair of turning distances. Neglecting wind recoil and wind drag is common to both idealizations.
A radial outward kick has no angular impulse about the centre. ThereforeThe initial position is on the outward-moving portion of a bound elliptic Kepler orbit, between pericentre and apocentre, rather than at either turning point. The eccentricity is and the semilatus rectum remains . The orbital energy change is second order: it vanishes to first order in the impulse but is positive for any nonzero kick.
Past exam of the relativity course of the University of Cambridge 2018 Section B B3 ii Solution 2026-10-18
In Newtonian gravity, the radial equation with conserved specific angular momentum is . The substitution therefore gives the linear differential equationChoosing along perihelion, its elliptic orbit solution isHere is the semilatus rectum. One can check the last equality directly from , , and .
To find Schwarzschild perihelion precession, write in the relativistic equation and retain first order in . The linear ordinary differential equation for the correction isThe constant and double-frequency forcing change the orbit's shape without accumulating an angular shift. The resonant term producessince . The oscillating part of the perturbed orbit is consequently the first-order expansion ofSuccessive perihelia are separated by , slightly more than a full revolution. Their forward angular advance is thusin radians per orbit. This leading expression applies when . For a perfectly circular orbit there is no uniquely located perihelion; the same expression describes the limiting mismatch of radial and azimuthal frequencies for a small nonzero orbital eccentricity.
Polar equation of a conic 2026-10-25
A conic section with a focus of a conic at the origin has the polar coordinates equation , where is the semilatus rectum and the eccentricity. The directrix of a conic definition gives the formula with when ; is the circle limit. The cases , , and give an ellipse, parabola, and hyperbola. The physical radius requires a positive denominator. For an attractive inverse-square central force, the Laplace-Runge-Lenz vector gives and .
Radial kick from a circular Kepler orbit 2026-10-25
A radial impulse that multiplies the initial circular kinetic energy by adds radial velocity and leaves specific angular momentum . The new specific orbital energy is , yielding orbital eccentricity and semilatus rectum . For , the apsidal radii are ; for there is no finite apocentre. A nonzero radial kick occurs away from an apsis, so the old circular radius is not automatically the new periapsis.