MAT0

MATHEMATICAL TRIPOS Part IA

Thursday, 30 May, 2024 9:00am to 12:00pm

PAPER 1
Before you begin read these instructions carefully
The examination paper is divided into two sections. Each question in Section II
carries twice the number of marks of each question in Section I. Section II questions
also carry an alpha or beta quality mark and Section I questions carry a beta quality
mark.
Candidates may obtain credit from attempts on all four questions from Section I
and at most five questions from Section II. Of the Section II questions, no more
than three may be on the same course.

Write on one side of the paper only and begin each answer on a separate sheet.
Write legibly; otherwise you place yourself at a grave disadvantage.

At the end of the examination:

Separate your answers to each question.
Complete a gold cover sheet for each question that you have attempted, and place
it at the front of your answer to that question.
Complete a green main cover sheet listing all the questions that you have
attempted.
Every cover sheet must also show your Blind Grade Number and desk
number.
Tie up your answers and cover sheets into a single bundle, with the main cover
sheet on the top, and then the cover sheet and answer for each question, in the
numerical order of the questions.

STATIONERY REQUIREMENTS
Gold cover sheets
Green main cover sheet
Treasury tag

You may not start to read the questions

printed on the subsequent pages until
instructed to do so by the Invigilator.
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SECTION I
1A Vectors and Matrices
Consider a function of the complex variable z with z ̸= −1
az + b
f (z) = ,
z+1
where the coefficients a and b are complex numbers such that a ̸= b.
(a) Find a and b such that the equation f (z) = z

(i) has a unique solution z = i;

(ii) has exactly two solutions 3i and 1 + i.

(b) Sketch the locus of all z ̸= 0 satisfying

 
z−2 π
arg =
z 4

and find its Cartesian equation.

2C Vectors and Matrices

(a) Consider a 3 × 3 matrix A with elements Aij = i + aj + b, with a and b two
non-zero real constants and i, j = 1, 2, 3.

(i) Compute the determinant of A.

(ii) Compute the kernel of A and hence its nullity.

(iii) Compute the image of A and hence its rank.

(iv) State the rank-nullity theorem and verify it for A.

(b) Now consider an n × m matrix B with n, m > 1 and elements Bij = i2 + aj + b

for i = 1, . . . , n and j = 1, . . . , m, where a and b are two non-zero real constants. Show
that the nullity of B is m − 2.

Part IA, Paper 1

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3F Analysis I P∞
P∞ Let (an ) and (bn ) be two sequences of positive real numbers such that n=1 an and
n=1 bn converge.

P∞ 2
(a) Show that the series n=1 an converges.
P∞ √
(b) Show that the series n=1 an bn converges.
P √
(c) Show that the series ∞ n=1 an n
−p converges if p > 1/2. Give an example to show

that this series need not converge for p = 1/2.

[You may use any results from the course provided you state them clearly.]

4D AnalysisPI
(a) Let ∞ n
n=0 an z be a power series with complex coefficients. Show that there
exists R ∈ [0, ∞], the ‘radius of convergence’ of the series, such that the series is convergent
when |z| < R and divergent when |z| > R.
(b) Now suppose that
P the annare real
P∞and 2positive, with an → ∞. Can it happen
that the two power series ∞ a
n=0 n z and a z
n=0 n P
n have the same finite non-zero radius
P∞ an n
of convergence? What about the two power series ∞ n
n=0 an z and n=0 an z ?

Part IA, Paper 1 [TURN OVER]

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SECTION II
5A Vectors and Matrices
(a) Use the summation convention and basic properties of the Levi-Civita symbol
and the Kronecker delta to prove that

(i) ϵijk ϵipq = δjp δkq − δjq δkp .

(ii) |x|2 |y|2 ⩾ |x · y|2 , for any vectors x and y in Rn .

(iii) a × (b × c) = b(a · c) − c(a · b), for any vectors a, b, c in R3 .

(b) Let y, z be two fixed linearly independent unit vectors in R3 . Define a scalar
function S of a unit vector x as

S = |x × y|2 + |x × z|2 + x · y + z · x.

Find F(y, z) such that every x that maximises S satisfies x × (y × z) = F(y, z).
Another scalar function S ′ of a unit vector x is defined by

S ′ = |R(θ1 )x × R(θ1 )y|2 + |x × z′ |2 + R(θ2 )x · R(θ2 )y + z′ · x,

where z′ = 2z, R(θ) is the matrix of rotation around the z−axis

 
cos θ − sin θ 0
R(θ) =  sin θ cos θ 0 ,
0 0 1

and θ1 , θ2 are two angles. Find G(y, z) such that every x that maximises S ′ satisfies
x × (y × z) = G(y, z).

Part IA, Paper 1

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6C Vectors and Matrices

(a) Find an orthogonal linear transformation that maps the triangle formed by
√
P = (0, 0, 0) , Q = (0, 1, 0) , R = ( 3/2, 1/2, 0) ,

to the triangle formed by

√ √
P ′ = (0, 0, 0) , Q′ = (−1/2, 0, 3/2) , R′ = (1/2, 0, 3/2) .

(b) Consider
P4 the linear transformation M of R4 representing a reflection in the
hyperplane m=1 am xm = 0, where am are four real constants (not all zero). Write down
the matrix of M . Hence, or otherwise, compute its determinant.
(c) Consider the linear transformation A : R3 → R3 defined by A : b 7→ a × b
for some non-zero vector a. Write A as a 3 × 3 matrix and compute its trace and its
determinant.
(d) A tridiagonal matrix is a square matrix A such that Aij = 0 for |i − j| ⩾ 2.
For (ai ), (bi ) and (ci ) three infinite real sequences and n any positive integer, the n × n
(n) (n)
tridiagonal matrix A(n) is defined by Aii = ai for i = 1, . . . , n and Ai(i+1) = bi and
(n)
A(i+1)i = ci for i = 1, . . . , n − 1.

(i) Prove that the determinants dn = det(A(n) ) satisfy the recurrence relation

dn = Xn dn−1 + Yn dn−2 ,

for each n ⩾ 3, where Xn and Yn are parameters you should determine in

terms of (ai ), (bi ), (ci ) and n.

(ii) In the case ai = −2, bi = ci = 1 for all i, compute dn .

Part IA, Paper 1 [TURN OVER]

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7B Vectors and Matrices

(a) Define the trace, Tr(A), of a complex n × n matrix A. If B is another complex

n × n matrix, show that Tr(AB) = Tr(BA). Is it always the case that Tr(ABC) =
Tr(ACB) for 2 × 2 matrices?

(b) Define the characteristic polynomial of a complex n × n matrix A, and define the
eigenvalues and eigenvectors of A.

(c) Let A, B be real n × n matrices such that det(A + iB) ̸= 0. Show that there exists
λ ∈ R such that A + λB is invertible. [Hint: Consider a suitable polynomial.]

(d) Prove that if C, D are real n × n matrices related by a complex similarity transform-
ation S (i.e., an invertible complex n × n matrix S with C = SDS −1 ), then they
are related by a real similarity transformation (i.e., an invertible real n × n matrix
T with C = T DT −1 ).

(e) Show that if a complex n × n matrix A has n distinct eigenvalues then it is

diagonalisable over C. Deduce that if a real n × n matrix A has n distinct real
eigenvalues then it is diagonalisable over R.

Part IA, Paper 1

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8B Vectors and Matrices

(a) Prove that any complex n × n matrix A has at least one eigenvalue and
eigenvector.
(b) (i) Define the adjoint of a square matrix.

(ii) Define what it means for a complex n×n matrix U to be unitary and prove
that the eigenvalues of any such matrix have modulus 1.

A complex n × n matrix A is normal if it commutes with its adjoint.

(iii) Prove that if A is diagonalisable with a unitary change of basis matrix then
it is normal.

(c) Let A be an n × n normal matrix and let λ be an eigenvalue of A. Show that

there exists a unitary change of basis matrix U such that
 
∗ λ 0
U AU = , where B is an (n − 1) × (n − 1) normal matrix.
0 B

Hence prove by induction that any normal matrix A is diagonalisable with a unitary change
of basis matrix.
(d) A complex n × n matrix B is upper triangular if Bij = 0 for i > j.

(i) Prove that given any complex n×n matrix A, there exists a unitary matrix
U and an upper triangular matrix B such that U ∗ AU = B.

(ii) Find such a unitary matrix U for the matrix

 
4 5 0
A = 0 6 0 .
2 3 1

9F Analysis I

(i) State and prove the ratio test about the convergence of series.

(ii) Let (an ) be a sequence of positive real numbers. If an+1 /an → L for some L ∈ R,
1/n
show that an → L.
P
(iii) Show that ∞ n
n=1 n!/n converges.

(iv) Compute limn→∞ n/(n!)1/n .

Part IA, Paper 1 [TURN OVER]

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10E Analysis
Suppose that f : R → R and g : R → R and a is a real number.
(a) What does it mean to say that f is differentiable at a? If f is differentiable at
a what is the value of f ′ (a), the derivative of f at a?
(b) Let f · g : R → R be the pointwise product of f and g:

(f · g)(x) = f (x)g(x) for all x ∈ R.

(i) Suppose that f and g are both differentiable at a. Show that f · g

is differentiable at a. What is the value of (f · g)′ (a) in terms of
f (a), f ′ (a), g(a) and g ′ (a)?

(ii) Suppose that f and f · g are both differentiable at a with (f · g)′ (a) ̸= 0.
Must g be differentiable at a? Justify your answer.

(c) (i) Suppose now that f is differentiable at a and g is differentiable at f (a).

Show that the composite g◦f is differentiable at a. What is the relationship
between (g ◦ f )′ (a), g ′ (f (a)) and f ′ (a)?

(ii) Suppose that g is differentiable at f (a) and g ◦ f is differentiable at a with

(g ◦ f )′ (a) ̸= 0. Must f be differentiable at a? Justify your answer.

(iii) What does it mean to say that f is twice differentiable at a? Suppose now
that f is twice differentiable at a and g is twice differentiable at f (a). Show
that g ◦ f is twice differentiable at a.

11E Analysis
State and prove the intermediate value theorem.
(a) Suppose that f : C → R is a continuous function that takes both positive and
negative values. Show that there exists z ∈ C such that f (z) = 0.
(b) Let n be a positive integer and let a be a positive real number. Suppose that
g : [0, na] → R is a continuous function such that

g(na) = g(0) + na.

Show that there exists x ∈ [0, (n − 1)a] such that g(x + a) = g(x) + a.

Part IA, Paper 1

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12D Analysis I
(a) (i) Let f : [0, 1] → R be a bounded function. Define the upper and lower
integrals of f , and explain what it means for f to be Riemann integrable.

(ii) Show that every continuous function is Riemann integrable.

(b) Let f : [0, 1] → R be a non-negative function that is unbounded. We say that

f is improperly integrable with integral I (where I is a real number) if,R for each positive
real r, the function fr (x) = min(f (x), r) is Riemann integrable, with fr (x)dx → I as
r → ∞.

(i) If f is continuous at all points of (0, 1), must f be improperly integrable?

(ii) If there exists a countable set A ⊂ [0, 1] such that f is bounded on the set
[0, 1] \ A, must f be improperly integrable?

(iii) Given x ∈ [0, 1], we write x in decimal as 0.a1 a2 a3 . . . (choosing say the
terminating-in-9s form in case of ambiguity), and we set f (x) = k if ak
is the first digit that is 5 and f (x) = 0 if no digit is 5. Prove that f is
improperly integrable. What is the integral of f ?

END OF PAPER

Part IA, Paper 1