Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 320 4 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
False. Adiabatic invariance of an orbital action preserves actions under sufficiently slow regular evolution, not the ratios of their frequencies. With action-angle variables, can change even when does not. A closed bound orbit requires commensurate radial and angular frequencies; rational commensurability is not an adiabatic invariant.
For an explicit counterexample, slowly change the physical potential from Kepler form towith a small, slowly varying positive . The radial epicyclic frequency and circular angular frequency at a nearly circular orbit areInitially their ratio is one. For generic nonzero , is irrational, producing the Kepler-harmonic epicyclic precession. An initially slightly eccentric ellipse with nonzero radial action therefore becomes a precessing nonclosed orbit, while its radial action remains approximately fixed and its angular momentum remains exactly fixed by spherical symmetry.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 2 6C Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
In electrostatics, Gauss's law is , or locally , where is charge density and is vacuum permittivity. Spherical symmetry makes the electric field radial, and Gauss's law givesChoose the additive constant of the electrostatic potential by . Using and continuity of potential across each charged shell givesThe field jumps at the shell surfaces, so the displayed formulas are for the requested open regions. The potential difference of the spherical capacitor is . Thus its capacitance and electrostatic energy areThe energy follows either by charging work , or directly from .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 314 4 a Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Let the free surface be at and take the Newtonian gravitational potential to vanish at infinity. Mass conservation fixes . The enclosed mass is , and hydrostatic equilibrium requires . With vacuum outside, , givingThe pressure is zero outside. A prescribed constant external pressure would simply add that constant to .
The bulk Eulerian and Lagrangian fluid perturbations obey because the mass density is uniform and the Lagrangian displacement has zero divergence. The linearized Euler momentum equation in the interior isTaking the curl gives . Thus every nonzero-frequency normal mode has an irrotational flow displacement; the simply connected space formed by the interior admits and incompressibility gives the Laplace equation . For a regular center, one spherical harmonic component is , with .
It is essential to retain the surface gravity perturbation of a uniform-density sphere. Although the bulk mass density perturbation is zero, the displaced density discontinuity givesThe Poisson equation implies that is continuous and its outward radial derivative has the jumpUsing regularity at the center and decay at infinity, writeThe derivative jump is , so .
Integrating the bulk Euler momentum equation gives for . At the free surface the Lagrangian pressure perturbation vanishes:Combining these relations yields the Kelvin stellar mode frequencyThe choices of are degenerate because of spherical symmetry. For , is a linear combination of coordinates in a Cartesian coordinate system, so is a constant displacement: the zero frequency is rigid translation of the whole isolated body. Such a translation has no restoring force. The constant potential generates no displacement; a radial breathing motion is excluded by incompressibility and a regular center.
The printed irrotational assertion needs the nonzero-frequency qualification, or restriction to the potential incompressible stellar surface modes. It is false for all neutral displacements: has zero divergence, zero normal displacement at the surface, and , so it is a zero-frequency displacement, but . This does not change the Kelvin stellar mode spectrum just derived.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 315 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Assume a Newtonian, spherically symmetric, nonrotating body in hydrostatic equilibrium, supported by a polytropic equation of state with constant and . The enclosed mass and hydrostatic pressure support equation areEliminate by first writing and then differentiating:Let be central mass density, and introduce the Lane-Emden variables for a stellar polytropewhereThen . Substitution cancels the dimensional factors and yields the Lane-Emden equationThe central conditions enforce the chosen central mass density and regular spherical symmetry. The local regular expansion is . If a finite first zero exists and surface pressure is negligible, the physical radius is , and the Lane-Emden mass formula is . For the standard isolated solution has a finite surface; has infinite extent, so a finite surface must not be assumed for all indices. Irradiation, composition stratification and non-polytropic equations of state require more general structure equations.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 311 3 ii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
By spherical symmetry, rotate a geodesic into the equatorial plane . The geodesic conserved quantities from Killing vectors arewhere the dot denotes a suitable affine parameter. Normalize the tangent by , with for timelike proper time, for spacelike proper length, and for null geodesics. ThenTherefore the geodesic potential of the magnetic dilaton black hole isTogether with the two conserved first integrals, this reduces the radial motion to . To cover turning points as well, the radial geodesic equation itself givesThus a constant-radius geodesic must satisfy both and . The intermediate static-coordinate formulas apply where ; the radial equation extends through a regular horizon in regular coordinates.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 309 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
The rotational Killing vector fields of the spherical symmetry conserve the angular-momentum vector. Its direction is fixed, so every nonradial orbit lies in the plane through the symmetry centre orthogonal to that vector. A spatial rotation can make this the equatorial plane. Equivalently, the initial conditions and solve the equation uniquely. This is the planarity of geodesics in spherical symmetry; a radial geodesic has zero angular momentum and may be assigned any plane.
On , the cyclic coordinates and produce geodesic conserved quantities from Killing vectors,For a timelike geodesic parametrized by proper time, the proper-time normalization is . Substitution of and gives the first-order radial equationThis is the timelike geodesic effective potential for static Anti-de Sitter spacetime with curvature radius one.
A geodesic passing through must have . If it moves away from the origin, , andTaking proper time at departure givesIt turns around at and first returns to the origin atThis energy-independent refocusing is the characteristic radial timelike geodesic in anti-de Sitter spacetime result; for curvature radius , the answer is .
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 iii Paper 349 2 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Use a stationary, non-streaming tracer population with spherical symmetry in its full velocity distribution. In particular, the mean velocities vanish, the mixed covariances vanish, and the two tangential components have equal velocity dispersions. WriteHere is the variance of one tangential component. In the alternative convention using the sum of both tangential variances, the same velocity-anisotropy parameter is . These definitions agree; they must not be mixed by inserting an extra factor of two.
The time derivative and mean-velocity terms in the supplied Jeans equation vanish, as do its angular mixed-moment terms. Its remaining geometric term is . Thus the Spherical Jeans equation becomesThe no-streaming assumption excludes a steady radial flow; stationarity of the density alone would not remove its advective terms.
By the shell theorem, the gravitational potential of a spherical mass distribution satisfies . Expanding the derivative above, dividing by , and using logarithmic derivatives givesThe tracer density need not be the density of the gravitating matter. The circular speed is , whether or not the tracers themselves follow circular orbits.
Now let be constant, , and . With , the Spherical Jeans equation readsFor a power-law ansatz , , so . Therefore the scale-free spherical Jeans solution isThe positivity condition is necessary for this particular solution to be a physical velocity dispersion.
There is a boundary condition implicit in selecting this solution. The integrating factor gives, when ,The homogeneous term represents an additional radial-pressure boundary contribution. It is removed, for example, by requiring at infinity. Under that condition,and convergence requires , giving the boxed result. If , the solution instead has the logarithmic formso the quoted constant proportionality does not apply. A finite outer boundary can retain a homogeneous term even when .
To derive the heliocentric projection of a spherical velocity dispersion, put the Sun at vector of length , and a tracer at . Its heliocentric line of sight isIf is the angle between and the Galactocentric radial direction, thenAfter correction for the Sun's motion, the intrinsic covariance matrix has eigenvalues in the local spherical basis. Projection onto the line of sight therefore givesAt fixed , and are constant across the spherical shell. Averaging its squared line of sight velocity, with zero mean, givesFor a uniformly sampled Galactocentric shell, the solid angle measure makes uniform on , giving the geometric correction for heliocentric velocity dispersionTo evaluate it, set and , and divide the integrand:The odd term integrates to zero, while . For , , and , this givesThe removable limit at is . As , , while as , . If , and the observed velocity dispersion is exactly radial. For isotropic velocities, , the correction vanishes at every radius.
The averaging measure matters. If directions are instead uniform in heliocentric solid angle at a fixed Galactocentric radius , let be the angle between the line of sight and . Geometry gives , so that particular weighting gives exactly. The logarithmic expression above uses uniform tracer weighting on a Galactocentric shell. For an observational sample, use its actual angular selection weights in ; the boxed dispersion relation remains valid.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2020 ii Paper 4 8B Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
Write the position of a mass element relative to the center of mass as , so its inertial-frame velocity is . The center-of-mass identity removes all cross terms. Define the inertia tensor about the center of mass byThe total angular momentum about the origin and kinetic energy are then
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ib Paper 4 16A a Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-03
In spherical symmetry, the velocity is radial and constant over each sphere. HenceApply the divergence theorem to the fluid shell between radii and . Since the flow is incompressible,Thus is independent of and is a function of time alone. This is the flux law for spherically symmetric incompressible radial flow.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2024 iii Paper 314 2 a Solution 2026-09-25
Let denote the inward radial velocity. Steady spherical symmetry and mass conservation giveThe radial Euler momentum equation for the globally isothermal equation of state isThe logarithmic derivative of mass conservation is . Substitution gives the Isothermal Bondi equationAt a smooth sonic point, makes the coefficient of vanish, so the right-hand side must vanish too. ThereforeThe solution that crosses this critical point of the isothermal Bondi equation continuously is the transonic accretion solution.
By the assumed spherical symmetry of the electric potential, the electric field is radial: for . On a sphere of radius , Gauss's law therefore readsPut . For , the enclosed electric charge is . In the spherical shell, the factor in the volume element cancels in the charge density, soIt follows thatAt the origin the first formula gives without needing a radial unit vector. At both shell interfaces the adjacent formulas agree: for every fixed , there is no surface charge concentrated on either sphere, and the electric field is continuous there. No sign restriction on has been assumed, so the shell charge density and the radial electric field can be negative.
The mass density depends only on , so it has spherical symmetry. For this isolated planet, choose the Newtonian gravitational potential to vanish at infinity, or equivalently choose to do so. There is no imposed external gravitational field. Rotating the mass distribution therefore leaves unchanged: .
The gradient in spherical coordinates consequently has no angular components, and the paper's gravitational potential sign conventions giveAt the centre there is no distinguished radial direction, and spherical symmetry makes .
For the prescribed homogeneous one-group model, number balance isUse steady state, , and the diffusion approximation . A spatially constant givesFor a spherically symmetric scalar field,Dividing by reproduces the requested radial equation. The assumptions are a steady source, spherical symmetry, homogeneous effective coefficients, a single energy-group description and a diffusion closure. In particular, replacing the general production term by the supplied is a model assumption, not a general identity for heterogeneous reactor materials.
At electrostatic equilibrium the electric field in the metal is zero. The empty cavity also has zero electric field, by the uniqueness theorem for the electrostatic potential. The electric charge lies on the outer surface. For the isolated conducting sphere, spherical symmetry and Gauss's law giveTaking the electric potential to vanish at infinity and using givesThe electric potential is continuous at the surface, while the normal electric field jumps by , with surface charge density .
In SI units, Maxwell's equations in vacuum, allowing charge density and electric current density , areThe source-free specialization sets and ; it cannot describe the charged objects at their locations. Applying the divergence theorem to the first equation gives Gauss's law:For an isolated point charge , spherical symmetry makes the electric field radial and constant in magnitude on a concentric sphere. Therefore . Multiplying by a second point charge gives Coulomb's law,The force points away from the first charge for like signs and toward it for opposite signs.
For the spherical capacitor, a Gaussian sphere between the shells encloses , so for . Integrating the electric field inward from the outer shell yieldsAn arbitrary constant remains unless a reference is specified. The capacitance is determined by the potential difference:For the subsequent charging operation, take the initial outer shell to be earthed, or interpret the stated as the inner-to-outer voltage with the outer reference zero. Isolating the inner shell fixes its electric charge at . Removing the outer shell leaves an isolated conducting sphere. Its electric field and electric potential, now with zero at infinity, areConsequentlyThese changes of electric potential are compatible with constant electric charge. Without the initial reference convention the absolute stated does not determine : for example, if the outer shell were initially isolated and neutral, the absolute inner electric potential would instead be .
Finally take the connected spheres to be sufficiently far apart that the long wire's capacitance and their mutual influence can be neglected. Their common electric potential requiresso and . The magnitudes of the surface electric fields areThis is the usual widely separated-sphere approximation. A wire enforces an equipotential, but alone does not make this ratio exact for arbitrary arrangements. As a concrete counterexample, if the second shell enclosed the first concentrically and they were connected, all net electric charge would reside on the exterior and the inner sphere's surface electric field would be zero.
Put electric charge on the inner electrical conductor and on the outer one. In the gap, spherical symmetry makes the electric field radial and constant on a spherical Gaussian surface. Gauss's law givesThe inner-to-outer electric potential difference is thereforeThus the capacitance of the spherical capacitor isAs this gives the capacitance of an isolated conducting sphere, ; for it approaches the parallel-plate capacitor result with area .
Gauss's law connects electric flux through a closed surface to its enclosed charge:The differential form follows from the divergence theorem. The law is exact; extracting a field magnitude by simple division additionally needs symmetry. For spherical symmetry, ; a uniformly charged ball therefore has a field linear in inside and an inverse-square field outside. An infinite line of linear charge density gives by a cylindrical surface. A uniformly charged infinite sheet gives on either side by a pillbox.
An electrostatic conductor has zero interior field and constant potential; excess charge occupies its surface. A pillbox gives when the inside is conducting. More generally, . For dielectric matter, separates bound polarization charge from free charge. Gauss's law alone does not establish a uniform field for an arbitrary finite plate or recover a detailed nonsymmetric charge distribution from one flux measurement.
In electrostatics, Gauss's law isThe surface normal points outward. Spherical symmetry makes the field radial and constant in magnitude on a concentric Gaussian surface.
For a uniformly charged sphere, enclosed charge is inside and outside. Thus the radial field isSet potential zero at infinity. Outside, . Inside, integrate from the known boundary value, obtainingThe field rises linearly from zero to its maximum at , then falls as . The potential falls quadratically from to its surface value and then as . Both are continuous at the surface; there is no separate sheet of surface charge.
For the electric field of a hydrogen ground-state electron cloud, its enclosed charge isWriting and using givesThe total electron-cloud charge tends to , as required. Dividing by yieldsThe expression is negative and therefore points inward. Its apparently singular terms cancel at small radius, leaving .
A distant external charge polarizes the neutral atom. Its electric field displaces the positive and negative charge distributions relative to one another, giving an induced dipole with static electric polarizability . The field is stronger on the nearer side, so the opposite-charge attraction exceeds the like-charge repulsion. This is charge-induced dipole attraction, not a net monopole charge on the atom.
Quantitatively, for external charge at separation , the polarization energy is , henceHere negative means decreasing separation. Reversing the external charge reverses the induced dipole but leaves this leading long-range force attractive and of the same magnitude. The factor one half accounts for the energy cost of inducing the dipole.
The supplied charge density describes the unperturbed atom. Adding its electron field to the nucleus field leaves , an exponentially small residual because the cloud has an infinite tail. A completely frozen density would give only that tiny sign-dependent force. Allowing polarization is essential to obtain the dominant attractive power-law force for either sign of external charge when .
Past exam of the quantum condensed matter course of the University of Cambridge 2017 2 a Solution Created 2026-10-18 Updated 2026-10-20
Dielectric screening is the rearrangement of a medium's charges in response to an applied charge. In a metal, mobile electrons accumulate near a positive perturbation and reduce its long-range potential. Thomas-Fermi screening treats the electron gas locally as an equilibrium gas whose density responds to the local electrostatic potential, ignoring gradients of the density on the microscopic wavelength scale.
Take , background permittivity , and electrostatic potential . An electron's potential energy is , so the local kinetic Fermi energy becomes . For a three-dimensional spin-degenerate parabolic band at zero temperature,where is the spin-summed density of states per volume per energy. The induced charge is . Combining it with Poisson equation givesFor a point external charge , spherical symmetry and decay at infinity selectThus the bare potential is cut off exponentially. Fourier transformation makes the same result transparent: , so the static longitudinal dielectric factor is relative to the background. For a free electron band, and .
Local Thomas-Fermi screening and optical/acoustic modes of an illustrative diatomic chain
. Details. The local linear approximation requires a weak perturbation and slowly varying fields on the relevant microscopic scale. It omits nonlocal Friedel oscillations and atom-scale structure; a nonlinear local-density treatment is needed near a sufficiently strong charge. Finite temperature replaces by the appropriate compressibility derivative . The nondegenerate limit gives classical screening rather than the degenerate Thomas-Fermi length. A larger density of states means that a smaller potential can move more carriers, hence stronger screening.
Past exam of the relativity course of the University of Cambridge 2016 Paper 1 4 Solution 2026-10-20
Take as particle proper time, dots as , and with . In the equatorial plane the geodesic Lagrangian isThe cyclic coordinates give and . Set the resulting constants to and respectively. The explicit second-order equations areThe polar equation is satisfied by , , consistently with spherical symmetry. The proper-time normalization supplies the third first integral:The normalization is ; it is distinct from choosing an arbitrary affine tangent's norm.
Stationarity and axial symmetry make the covariant time and azimuthal momenta constant. For physical momentum and coordinate in seconds, and . Thus is the conserved energy normalized at infinity and is the signed axial angular momentum. This is Killing energy with positive time signature; a convention with negative timelike norm uses the opposite contraction sign. The supplied covariant-momentum form of the geodesic equation makes these cyclic constants immediate, but its parametrization must be understood: for it is exactly as written. For physical , proper-time differentiation instead gives ; equivalently, the displayed mass-free form uses . This affine momentum normalization does not change either conservation law.
Multiply the normalization equation by and substitute the two cyclic integrals. Rearrangement gives the radial energy equationFor radial marginal escape and the future-directed constant is , because the speed at infinity vanishes. Choose the outward root:Hence the marginal escape geodesic in Schwarzschild spacetime hasThe constant has units of length to the power divided by time. This radius is an areal coordinate, not accumulated local proper distance.
A Schwarzschild static observer at exterior radius uses local radial rulers and a local clock . Therefore the local radial speed of a Schwarzschild geodesic isFor the marginal trajectory this givesIts equality to is particular to ; the local definition, rather than that accidental equality, is the required observer measurement. The Schwarzschild-coordinate velocity is instead .
For nonzero asymptotic speed , the same energy constant is . Combining the radial equation with the local-ruler relation gives radial Schwarzschild escape with asymptotic speedThe positive root describes the outward particle, at radii on its trajectory with . Independently, a static observer has four-velocity in these coordinates, giving relative Lorentz factor and the same speed. As it tends to ; for it gives the preceding result. Its limiting value approaches as , but that is a limit through exterior observers: no static timelike observer exists on or inside the horizon.



