Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 135 1 1 Solution 2026-10-05
Let denote the finite repetition-free sequences, including the empty sequence. The map is injective, so this set is infinite when is infinite. Suppose, for a contradiction, that it contains a countably infinite subset. Fix its given injective enumeration ; this is part of the supposition, not a choice from a family of sets.
Enumerate all pairs with by their natural-number pairing codes, recording the corresponding entries . If the union of entries were infinite, recursively selecting the first new entry would give an injection , contradicting Dedekind-finiteness. Therefore the union is a finite set , say of size . A repetition-free sequence over has length at most , and there are exactlysuch sequences, with the empty product equal to one. All would belong to this finite set, contradicting their distinctness. Finite counting and the least-code construction use no axiom of choice. This proves finite repetition-free sequences preserve Dedekind-finiteness and the required infinitude:
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 135 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Work in ZF with the law of excluded middle, without the axiom of choice. The paper's terminology is an infinite Dedekind-finite set. The useful common principle is countable union of explicitly ordered finite lists without choice: given an actual sequence of finite lists, enumerate their entries by list number and position using a Cantor pairing function. If the union of entries is infinite, repeatedly take the entry with the least code not already selected. This produces an injection from without choosing any enumerations of unordered sets.
Consequently, if a family of objects has an explicitly ordered finite list of labels for each object, and only finitely many objects can be made from any given finite pool of labels, then a countably infinite list of distinct objects forces a countably infinite subset of the label set. For a Dedekind-finite label set this is impossible. If the label set embeds into the object family as well, infinitude is preserved. ThusThe distinction between ordered lists supplied by the data and arbitrary finite subsets is essential: a blanket countable-union theorem for unordered finite sets would introduce a choice principle.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 135 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
One form of the Ehrenfeucht-Mostowski theorem says that, for every infinite first-order structure and every total order , an elementary extension contains distinct elements forming an order-indiscernible sequence. After a suitable Skolem expansion, their Skolem hull is a first-order model of , and every order automorphism of extends to a structure automorphism of that hull. If has a definable infinite linearly ordered subset , the generators may lie in and their order may agree with that definable order. Uniqueness of the extended structure automorphism is asserted in the chosen Skolem expansion, rather than for every structure automorphism of its reduct.
Here is an ultraproduct proof of the Ehrenfeucht-Mostowski theorem. First expand to with Skolem functions for all existential first-order formulas, iterating through the enlarged languages if necessary. This is done in the ordinary classical metatheory; the choice restriction in question 1 is not a restriction on this question. Fix a nonprincipal ultrafilter on .
We can obtain an infinite sequence of distinct elements in an elementary extension of by one preliminary ultrapower. For each choose a finite list of distinct elements of . Represent by the function taking the th entry when , with an arbitrary default otherwise. Distinctness holds on a cofinite set, so follows from Łoś theorem. In the definably ordered variant, first name any parameters defining , and choose each finite list increasingly inside instead; then and for . Infinitude of an ordered set supplies every finite increasing chain. This preparatory step uses no Ramsey theorem.
For a finite subset of , define the ultrafilter on by nested membership, in this order:where means . This is the ordered Fubini product of ultrafilters. Closure under intersections and the decision between a set and its complement hold at each nested level, proving it is an ultrafilter. For take the principal ultrafilter on the one-point product. PutIf , pull a function back along the projection . A test independent of an omitted coordinate is unchanged by its ultrafilter quantifier, so projection pushes to . The induced map is therefore an elementary embedding by Łoś theorem. These maps are coherent, giving a directed system indexed by finite subsets of .
Take its directed limit of elementary embeddings . One can verify elementarity directly: representatives of a finite tuple occur at a common stage; functions and atomic relations are interpreted there. In the existential step, a witness in the limit occurs with the parameters at some later common stage, and elementarity pulls the existence statement back. Thus every embeds elementarily into , which contains an elementary copy of .
For , let be the class of the coordinate function . Projection coherence makes this independent of . If , then for each fixed the set is cofinite. The nested test therefore gives . In the ordered variant, the same argument with gives and .
For every first-order formula of the expanded language and every increasing tuple , Łoś theorem givesThe right-hand side depends on the first-order formula and tuple length, not on the indices. This proves order indiscernibility in the expanded language. Let be the Skolem hull of the generators in . The Tarski-Vaught test gives , and its reduct is a first-order model of .
An order automorphism of acts byIndiscernibility makes this well defined: combine the finite supports of two term expressions into one increasing tuple, and apply indiscernibility to their logical equality. Applying it to relation first-order formulas proves preservation of all relations; the inverse is induced by . Every element of the hull is such a term, so the extension is unique among structure automorphisms preserving the Skolem expansion. MoreoverThis proves the theorem, including its ordered version and structure automorphism conclusion, using ultrapowers and a directed limit throughout.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 135 6 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Use untyped lambda calculus and normal-order beta reduction. Write for the Church numeral of . We will construct a closed term such thatwhen is defined, and with no head normal form otherwise. The latter condition implies that the result is not in beta equivalence with any Church numeral, so both definedness and the output are represented.
First represent all total primitive recursive functions. The zero function is , the successor function isand the th projection function is . Function composition in recursion theory is represented by . This composition claim is used here for total functions, whose inner terms all reduce to numerals.
For primitive recursion use Church pairs and iteration. PutSuppose represent the total constituents of and . DefineAfter iterations the pair reduces to , by mathematical induction on . Its second projection is the required result. This lambda definition of primitive recursion by pair iteration and structural induction on the primitive recursive construction give terms for all primitive recursive functions.
For an arbitrary partial computable function use the Kleene normal form theorem with its program index fixed. There are total primitive recursive functions and such that is zero exactly when codes a valid halting computation history on , and extracts that history's output. Checking finite coded configurations and each transition is primitive recursive. Determinism ensures that every accepted history on an input has the same output. HenceIf the input computation never halts, no history is accepted. Let be the total numeral-representing terms already obtained. The Church numeral zero test is , returning exactly on zero. A Church Boolean applied to two arguments selects the appropriate branch without evaluating the other.
Take the fixed-point combinator . For the input tuple defineExpanding the displayed abbreviations gives a genuine finite combinator. At a numeral code , the total predicate computation terminates. If it returns a positive numeral, the false Church Boolean selects the next search code. If it returns zero, the true Church Boolean selects , which reduces to the output numeral. If the least accepted code is , a finite sequence of these tests reaches it and then produces .
If there is no accepted code, every test is false and head reduction moves through codes forever. At no finite point can a head variable or an outer numeral abstraction be produced: the applied search term must first unfold the fixed point and evaluate the next total test, and the decoder branch is always discarded. Thus it has no head normal form. The standard head-normalization property, or the Church-Rosser theorem together with normalization of normal-order reduction, rules out beta equivalence to a numeral. In particular, we have avoided a lazy-composition pitfall: an outer function that discards an argument need not force a divergent inner computation. The decoder is reached only after the guarded search succeeds. This proves lambda representation of partial computable functions:
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 214 1 b ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The strips are nested. Every connection permitted inside is also permitted inside , so for every fixed separation. ConsequentlyThe preceding nonnegative bound makes this a decreasing sequence bounded below. By monotone convergence of real sequences,There is no assertion that this limit of a sequence is strictly positive: positivity at each fixed width need not survive an increasing-width limit of a sequence.
One can also identify the limit of a sequence. Let be the percolation two-point connection probability in the whole square lattice. Every finite connecting graph path has a bounded vertical extent, so . Commuting infima gives the strip approximation to the planar connection decay rate:The same positive-association argument identifies the final infimum with the whole-plane normalized logarithmic limit of a sequence. This is an interchange of infima justified by monotonicity at fixed . For example, when , the threshold proved in question 2 and uniqueness give an infinite percolation cluster with root probability . The Harris-FKG inequality makes the probability that both endpoints belong to it at least , so . The whole-plane rate, and hence , is then zero, despite the strict positivity of every finite-strip rate.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 214 4 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
First take . Sample a uniform spanning tree using Wilson's algorithm rooted at , with processed first. The first walk runs from until its first hit of , so its loop erasure is exactly the unique -to- graph path of the resulting tree. Later attachments cannot alter that graph path. This is the uniform-spanning-tree path representation of loop-erased random walk.
Instead root Wilson's algorithm at and process first. The resulting tree still has the same uniform law, while its first attachment has the law of loop-erased random walk from to . A tree's graph path between two fixed graph vertices has the same unoriented edge set in both directions. Pushing the common tree law through this graph path map therefore givesHere means the set of unoriented edges. In fact, reversing the complete graph vertex sequence from the first loop-erased walk has the law of the second, giving reversibility of loop-erased random walk. If and first hitting allows time zero, both graph paths are empty and the equality is immediate.
This is a distributional assertion, not a pathwise identity between chronological loop erasure and reversal. For example, the valid walk trajectory in a graph containing the triangle on and the edges erases forward to . Erasing the reversed trajectory and then reversing the result gives , a different graph path. Wilson's root-independent tree law is what proves the stated equality of probability distributions.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 326 1 2 b Solution 2026-10-06
For the diagonal operator on sequence space,Equality holds at the first coordinate vector, so and is a bounded linear operator. Every diagonal entry is nonzero, giving the null space . A datum has a preimage exactly when its weighted coordinates belong to the l2 sequence space. HenceFinite sequences lie in the range and are dense in , so andThe sequence converges to zero in the data norm, but has norm one. Thus is unbounded and discontinuous. In particular the dense range is not closed; the datum also proves that it is a proper subset of .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 326 3 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
In an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space, every bounded sequence has a weakly convergent subsequence, but it need not have a norm-convergent one. For example an orthonormal sequence has pairwise distance and therefore no strongly convergent subsequence, although by Bessel inequality.
More generally, weak sequential compactness of bounded sequences in a reflexive Banach space ensures a weakly convergent subsequence with its limit in that space. Conversely, this property for all bounded sequences characterizes reflexivity, using the Eberlein-Šmulian theorem and weak compactness of the closed unit ball. Thus reflexivity replaces finite-dimensional norm compactness by weak sequential compactness.
In a nonreflexive Banach space there is no such general weak-subsequence guarantee. The coordinate unit vectors in give an example: by the Schur property, weak convergence would imply norm convergence, impossible for their pairwise distance two. Banach-Alaoglu theorem supplies weak-star compactness of a dual unit ball, which gives convergent subnets, not automatically convergent subsequences. For a separable predual, the weak-star compact dual ball is metrizable and subsequences do suffice. For an arbitrary Banach space one can also regard a bounded sequence in its bidual and extract a weak-star convergent subnet there; the limit need not belong to the original space. These qualifications distinguish weak from weak-star compactness.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 326 4 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use the standard inverse-problem setting of a bounded linear and exact data having a finite-penalty solution. Let denote the unique -minimizing exact solution for , . This is the limiting target of elastic net regularization in Hilbert sequence space; it need not be the Moore–Penrose minimum-norm solution unless additional hypotheses identify them, for example injectivity of .
For each , the reconstruction objective is weakly lower semicontinuous, coercive by , and strictly convex. The direct method on the reflexive l2 sequence space gives existence, and strict convexity gives uniqueness. For two data sets, monotonicity of the one-norm subgradients and the quadratic penalty give, with and ,Completing the square yields , so each reconstruction map is continuous.
Minimality against givesChoose and , for example . This bounds the Hilbert norms, drives the data residual to zero and gives . Every weakly convergent subsequence has an exact solution as its limit, by boundedness of ; weak lower semicontinuity and uniqueness of the penalty minimizer identify that limit with . Separately applying weak lower semicontinuity to the one-norm givesWeak convergence and convergence of Hilbert norms imply strong convergence by the Radon-Riesz theorem. This proves norm convergence of elastic net regularization:The argument applies to every sequence of noise levels and admissible data, hence gives the usual uniform noise-ball convergence for a fixed admissible exact datum.
For nonlinearity of elastic net reconstruction, zero is the minimizer exactly when . This includes a neighborhood of zero. If , choose with and for ; zero then fails its optimality condition. A linear map vanishing on a neighborhood would vanish everywhere, so the elastic-net reconstruction is nonlinear whenever . For the explicit formula is , exhibiting soft thresholding.
A concrete distinction from Moore–Penrose convergence is (embedded in the first output coordinate of ), exact datum one, and . Its minimum-norm solution is , with penalty , while the unique penalty-minimizing exact solution is , with penalty . For the exact-data elastic-net reconstruction is , converging to the latter. Thus it is not a Moore–Penrose-consistent regularization for every noninjective operator under the earlier definition.
The PDF supplies neither a nonzero assumption on nor a target/domain qualification here. Its unconditional nonlinearity claim is false for , whose reconstruction is the zero linear map. The convergence proof above states the finite-penalty exact-solution hypotheses explicitly; it establishes convergence to the penalty-minimizing solution, not an automatically identical minimum-norm least-squares solution.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 326 4 5 Solution 2026-10-06
Use the standard bounded linear operator setting for , so the adjoint operator in the updates is defined on every datum. Put . The generalized singular vector relation is with and . For an absolutely one-homogeneous functional, a subgradient at is characterized by and for all . Consequently is also a subgradient at every positive multiple of , and for every .
Use the initialization and start the first update at ; the PDF lists despite specifying only index-zero initial data. Suppose with . DefineIf it is positive, and satisfy the optimality equation and the dual update. If it is zero, take and . Thus this compatible branch hasInduction proves the finite termination of Bregman iteration on a singular vector formulasOnce the dual coefficient reaches , the next reconstruction is . Therefore a guaranteed stopping index for this branch isThe formulas also cover , where exact reconstruction occurs at the first update. The subgradient conditions are sufficient for global minimization because each objective is convex.
There is a genuine uniqueness issue in the printed claim about arbitrary iterates. Strict convexity of data fidelity in ensures that any two minimizers at a given step have the same image under . Induction therefore makes every minimizer branch have the same dual variables and attain exact data at the stated finite index. It does not make their states equal to the specified if has a null space.
For a counterexample take , , , , , and . Every step leaves completely unconstrained. Choosing the minimizing state's second coordinate to be gives valid updates and subgradients but never reaches and does not converge as a state sequence. Thus finite exact-data recovery holds for all minimizer branches; exact recovery of the stated vector needs uniqueness or the aligned branch. If is injective, equal reconstructed data identify the state, and the literal vector conclusion follows.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 340 5 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Computing is equivalent to minimizing over , since ranges over precisely . Differentiating with the adjoint operator gives , whose Lipschitz constant is . Starting with any , for example zero, the projected-gradient dual total variation algorithm isThe block formula is the Euclidean projection onto a convex set , since it clips each two-dimensional block to a Euclidean ball of radius . Both components must be clipped together for the isotropic block mixed norm.
For the unscaled forward differences, and likewise in the other direction, so . More exactly, for the one-dimensional path difference has eigenvalues , , and the square-grid operator sums two such spectra. Thus . Finite-dimensional projected gradient descent for a convex objective with an -Lipschitz gradient converges from every feasible starting point to a dual minimizer for fixed . The theorem assumes a nonempty closed convex set, a convex differentiable objective with globally Lipschitz gradient, and a nonempty minimizer set. All hold here: is compact and convex, and is a continuous convex quadratic. Finite-dimensional convergence is of the full sequence, rather than only its objective values.
Consequently any fixed step with is safe on this grid; the more conservative is also safe. The dual minimizer need not be unique because has a null space, but and uniquely. For , the gradient penalty vanishes and , so no positive- step restriction is needed.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 1 21F a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
The continuous dual space consists of all bounded real linear functionals on , with operator norm . Let be Cauchy in this norm. For each , , so converges in ; define its limit to be .
Pointwise limits of the linear identities show that is linear. The sequence of norms is bounded, say by , so and . Given , choose so that for all . Holding fixed and taking the pointwise limit in gives for all . Thus , provingCompleteness of is not needed; completeness of the scalar field supplies the pointwise limit.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 1 22F c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ii Paper 3 18I Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Use singular homology with integer coefficients. The Künneth theorem for triangulable spaces gives a split short exact sequence with tensor terms and torsion terms . When one factor's homology groups are free abelian, the torsion terms vanish and the tensor map is an isomorphism.
The circle has and all other groups zero. Inductively, the homology groups of a torus are free, andPascal's identity givesGeometrically the generators correspond to choosing of the circle factors and taking their product, consistent with the cellular model having one -cell for each such subset and cancelling opposite boundary faces.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ib Paper 3 3G a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
A compact space is one for which every open cover has a finite subcover. A metric space is sequentially compact when every sequence in it has a convergent subsequence whose limit belongs to the space.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ib Paper 4 12E b ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Let be any sequence in a complete, totally bounded metric space . Cover by finitely many balls of radius ; one contains infinitely many terms. From those terms choose an infinite subsequence lying in one ball of radius , and continue. The diagonal argument produces a subsequence whose tail from its th term onward lies in a ball of radius . Hencewhenever , so the subsequence is Cauchy. Completeness makes it converge in .
Every sequence in therefore has a convergent subsequence, so is sequentially compact. Sequential compactness is equivalent to compactness for metric spaces, and thus is compact. This proves that a complete totally bounded metric space is compact.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 ia Paper 1 9D a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Suppose . Given , choose such that for . ThenThe first term tends to zero because its numerator is fixed, and the second is at most . Thus the Cesàro mean tends to .
The converse is false. For , the Cesaro means tend to , while the original sequence alternates between and and does not converge.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2022 iii Paper 327 1 a Solution 2026-09-28
Using multi-index notation, the Schwartz space isA sequence converges to in this Fréchet space when for every . The space of tempered distributions is the continuous dual of , and there means weak convergence of distributions, namely for every .
Continuity of a linear functional immediately implies that entails . Conversely, enumerate the Schwartz seminorms as . If were not continuous, then for each one could choose such thatEvery fixed seminorm tends to zero along this sequence, so in , contradicting the assumed sequential property. This is the sequential continuity criterion for a linear map on a metrizable topological vector space.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ia Paper 1 10E Solution Created 2026-09-23 Updated 2026-09-25
The intermediate value theorem says that a continuous takes every value between and . For , the closed sets where and cannot separate the connected interval; equivalently, taking the supremum of and using continuity gives a point with value .
Set and for . Every interval contains a zero ; continuity on makes take every value between and , yet is discontinuous at .
A monotone function can be discontinuous only by a jump. If it had a jump at , any number strictly between the left and right limits would lie between and but would not be attained, contrary to the hypothesis. Thus it is continuous.
For the last assertion, pass to subsequences with both within of and near , near . For , the intermediate value theorem on the interval joining and gives with ; then . The endpoint cases use the original sequences.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2023 ia Paper 1 9E a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
The arithmetic--geometric mean inequality gives from onward. For ,so the tail decreases to a limit . Passing to the recurrence gives , hence .
For the subadditive sequence, , so it is bounded. The Fekete lemma can be proved directly here as follows. Let . Fix and write , . ThenThus , while the definition gives . Hence .