Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ii Paper 2 11F Solution 2026-10-14
Let be the constant function and define . Positivity gives . Fix any and any continuous . The function vanishes at , so the zero-preserving assumption gives . By linearity this is . Since was arbitrary,This proves the zero-preserving linear operator on continuous functions representation. Zero preservation and linearity determine the multiplication operator; positivity is needed only for the multiplier's sign. The three numbered conditions in the source are hypotheses of this one request, rather than three separate subquestions.