A. Pick a whole number.

Add one.
Square the answer.
Multiply the answer by four.
Subtract three.
Which of the following statements are true regardless of which starting number is chosen?

I The final answer is odd.

II The final answer is one more than a multiple of three.
III The final answer is one more than a multiple of eight.
IV The final answer is not prime.
V The final answer is not one less than a multiple of three.

(a) I, II, and V, (b) I and IV, (c) II and V,

(d) I, III, and V, (e) I and V.

B. Let
f (x) = (x + a)n
where a is a real number and n is a positive whole number, and n > 2. If y = f (x) and
y = f 0 (x) are plotted on the same axes, the number of intersections between f (x) and
f 0 (x) will

(a) always be odd, (b) always be even, (c) depend on a but not n,
(d) depend on n but not a, (e) depend on both a and n.

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3
C. Which of the following are true for all real values of x? All arguments are in radians.
π  π 
I sin + x = cos −x
2 2
II 2 + 2 sin(x) − cos2 (x) > 0
 
3π
III sin x + = cos(π − x)
2
1
IV sin(x) cos(x) 6
4

(a) I and II, (b) I and III, (c) II and III,

(d) III and IV, (e) II and IV.

D. Let Z 1 Z x
2
f (x) = (xt) dt, and g(x) = t2 dt.
0 0
Let A > 0. Which of the following statements is true?
(a) g(f (A)) is always bigger than f (g(A)).
(b) f (g(A)) is always bigger than g(f (A)).
(c) They are always equal.
(d) f (g(A)) is bigger if A < 1, and g(f (A)) is bigger if A > 1.
(e) g(f (A)) is bigger if A < 1 and f (g(A)) is bigger if A > 1.

4
E. In the interval 0 6 x 6 2π, the equation

sin(2 cos(2x) + 2) = 0

has exactly

(a) 2 solutions, (b) 3 solutions, (c) 4 solutions, (d) 6 solutions, (e) 8 solutions.

F. For a real number x we denote by bxc the largest integer less than or equal to x. Let
x jxk
f (x) = − .
2 2
The smallest number of equal width strips for which the trapezium rule produces an
overestimate for the integral Z 5
f (x)dx
0
is

(a) 2, (b) 3, (c) 4, (d) 5, (e) it never produces an overestimate.

Turn over

5
G. The graph of cos2 (x) = cos2 (y) is sketched in
y y y
3π/2 3π/2 3π/2

π π π

π/2 π/2 π/2

x x x
-3π/2 -π -π/2 π/2 π 3π/2 -3π/2 -π -π/2 π/2 π 3π/2 -3π/2 -π -π/2 π/2 π 3π/2

-π/2 -π/2 -π/2

-π -π -π

-3π/2 -3π/2 -3π/2

(a) (b) (c)

y y
3π/2 3π/2

π π

π/2 π/2

x x
-3π/2 -π -π/2 π/2 π 3π/2 -3π/2 -π -π/2 π/2 π 3π/2

-π/2 -π/2

-π -π

-3π/2 -3π/2

(d) (e)

H. How many distinct solutions does the following equation have?

logx2 +2 (4 − 5x2 − 6x3 ) = 2

(a) None, (b) 1, (c) 2, (d) 4, (e) Infinitely many.

6
I. Into how many regions is the plane divided when the following equations are graphed,
not considering the axes?

y = x3
y = x4
y = x5

(a) 6, (b) 7, (c) 8, (d) 9, (e) 10.

J. Which is the largest of the following numbers?

√ √ √
7 5 10! log2 (30) 1+ 6
(a) , (b) , (c) , (d) , (e) .
2 4 3(6!) log3 (85) 3

Turn over

7
2. For ALL APPLICANTS.

(i) Expand and simplify

(a − b)(an + an−1 b + an−2 b2 + · · · + abn−1 + bn ).

(ii) The prime number 3 has the property that it is one less than a square number. Are
there any other prime numbers with this property? Justify your answer.

(iii) Find all the prime numbers that are one more than a cube number. Justify your
answer.

(iv) Is 32015 − 22015 a prime number? Explain your reasoning carefully.

(v) Is there a positive integer k for which k 3 + 2k 2 + 2k + 1 is a cube number? Explain

your reasoning carefully.

8
3.  

 MATHEMATICS 

MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS
 
For APPLICANTS IN ONLY.

 MATHEMATICS & PHILOSOPHY 

MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE
 

Computer Science and Computer Science & Philosophy applicants should turn to
page 16.

In this question we shall investigate when functions are close approximations to each
other. We define |x| to be equal to x if x > 0 and to −x if x < 0. With this notation
we say that a function f is an excellent approximation to a function g if
1 1
|f (x) − g(x)| 6 whenever 06x6 ;
320 2
we say that f is a good approximation to a function g if
1 1
|f (x) − g(x)| 6 whenever 06x6 .
100 2
For example, any function f is an excellent approximation to itself. If f is an excellent
approximation to g then f is certainly a good approximation to g, but the converse need
not hold.

(i) Give an example of two functions f and g such that f is a good approximation to g
but f is not an excellent approximation to g.

(ii) Show that if

sin(4x2 )
f (x) = x and g(x) = x +
400
then f is an excellent approximation to g.

For the remainder of the question we are going to a try to find a good approximation
to the exponential function. This function, which we shall call h, satisfies the following
equation Z x
h(x) = 1 + h(t)dt whenever x > 0.
0
You may not use any other properties of the exponential function during this
question, and any attempt to do so will receive no marks.

Let
x2 x3
f (x) = 1 + x + + .
2 6

10
(iii) Show that if Z x
g(x) = 1 + f (t)dt,
0
then f is an excellent approximation to g.

(iv) Show that for x > 0

Z x
h(x) − f (x) = g(x) − f (x) + (h(t) − f (t))dt.
0

(v) You are given that h(x) − f (x) has a maximum value on the interval 0 6 x 6 1/2
at x = x0 . Explain why
Z x
1 1
(h(t) − f (t))dt 6 (h(x0 ) − f (x0 )) whenever 06x6 .
0 2 2

(vi) You are also given that f (x) 6 h(x) for all 0 6 x 6 12 . Show that f is a good
approximation to h when 0 6 x 6 12 .

Turn over

11
4.  
 MATHEMATICS 
For APPLICANTS IN MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS ONLY.
MATHEMATICS & PHILOSOPHY
 
Mathematics & Computer Science, Computer Science and Computer Science & Philos-
ophy applicants should turn to page 16.

A circle A passes through the points (−1, 0) and (1, 0). Circle A has centre (m, h), and
radius r.

(i) Determine m and write r in terms of h.

(ii) Given a third point (x0 , y0 ) and y0 6= 0 show that there is a unique circle passing
through the three points (−1, 0), (1, 0), (x0 , y0 ).

For the remainder of the question we consider three circles A, B, and C, each passing
through the points (−1, 0), (1, 0). Each circle is cut into regions by the other two circles.
For a group of three such circles, we will say the lopsidedness of a circle is the fraction
of the full area of that circle taken by its largest region.

(iii) Let circle A additionally pass through the point (1, 2), circle B pass through (0, 1),
and let circle C pass through the point (0, −4). What is the lopsidedness of circle A?

(iv) Let p > 0. Now let A pass through (1, 2p), B pass through (0, 1), and C pass
through (−1, −2p). Show that the value of p minimising the lopsidedness of circle B
satisfies the equation  
2 −1 1 π
(p + 1) tan −p= .
p 6
Note that tan−1 (x) is sometimes written as arctan(x) and is the value of θ in the range
−π
2
< θ < π2 such that tan(θ) = x.

14
5. For ALL APPLICANTS.

The following functions are defined for all integers a, b and c:

p(x) = x + 1
m(x) = x − 1

y if x 6 0
s(x, y, z) =
z if x > 0.

(i) Show that the value of

 
s s(p(0), m(0), m(m(0))), s(p(0), m(0), p(p(0))), s(m(0), p(0), m(p(0)))

is 2.

Let f be a function defined, for all integers a and b, as follows:

f (a, b) = s( b, p(a), p(f (a, m(b))) ).

(ii) What is the value of f (5, 2)?

(iii) Give a simple formula for the value of f (a, b) for all integers a and all positive
integers b, and explain why this formula holds.

(iv) Define a function g(a, b) in a similar way to f , using only the functions p, m and
s, so that the value of g(a, b) is equal to the sum of a and b for all integers a and
all integers b 6 0.
Explain briefly why your function gives the correct value for all such values of a
and b.

16