Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 5 3 a iii Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
There is a normalization error in the PDF. With the printed unnormalized integral, testing a constant function equal to one would give a left side and a right side zero. Thus that formulation fails whenever .
Use instead the average . The Poincare-Wirtinger inequality, also called the Neumann-Poincare inequality, isIf no exists, subtract the average and normalize a violating sequence to obtain with , , and . This sequence is bounded in the Sobolev space . The Rellich-Kondrachov compactness theorem supplies a subsequence converging strongly in to .
For every compactly supported test function , integration by parts and these convergences give . Thus has zero weak gradient. The Sobolev function with zero weak gradient result and connectedness make constant. Strong convergence preserves its zero integral, so . It also preserves its norm one, a contradiction. This proves the correctly normalized Neumann-Poincare inequality.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2014 iii Paper 5 3 a v Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
The constant function is an admissible test for the Neumann Poisson problem. Its weak gradient is zero, so the weak identity immediately givesThis is necessary, and the preceding Hilbert-space construction proves sufficiency for . It is the balance condition corresponding to zero total boundary flux.
Sobolev function with zero weak gradient 2026-10-06
On a connected open set, a Sobolev space function with zero weak gradient is constant almost everywhere. Local mollification gives constant smooth representatives on interior balls; overlaps and connectedness identify their constants. Without connectedness, the constant may differ between components. This explains the constant ambiguity in a Neumann Poisson problem.