NATURAL SCIENCES TRIPOS Part IA

Monday, 13 June, 2022 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

MATHEMATICS (1)

This is a closed book exam.

Before you begin read these instructions carefully:
The paper has two sections, A and B. Section A contains short questions and carries
20 marks in total. Section B contains ten questions, each carrying 20 marks.
You may submit answers to all of section A, and to no more than five questions
from section B.
The approximate number of marks allocated to a part of a question is indicated in
the right hand margin.
Write on one side of the paper only and begin each answer on a separate
sheet. (For this purpose, your section A attempts should be considered as one single
answer.)
Questions marked with an asterisk (*) require a knowledge of B course material.

At the end of the examination:

Tie up all of your section A answer in a single bundle, with a completed gold
cover sheet.
Tie up each section B answer in a separate bundle, marked with the question
number. Do not join the bundles together. For each bundle, a gold cover sheet
must be completed and attached to the bundle.
A separate green master cover sheet listing all the questions attempted must also
be completed. (Your section A answer may be recorded just as A: there is no need
to list each individual short question.)
Every cover sheet must bear your blind grade number and desk number,
and should not include your name.

STATIONERY REQUIREMENTS SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

6 gold cover sheets and treasury tags No calculators may be used.
Green master cover sheet No electronic devices may be used.
Script paper

You may not start to read the questions

printed on the subsequent pages until
instructed to do so by the Invigilator.
 2

SECTION A
1

(a) Factorise the expression (a3 − b3 ) in terms of real-valued factors.

[1]
 
(b) Simplify the expression (a1/3 + b1/3 ) a2/3 − (ab)1/3 + b2/3 . [1]

√
2 Solve for real x: x2 − 2x + 1 = 2.
[2]

3 Solve the inequality: 1

x > −1. [2]

4 Solve the set of simultaneous equations for real x and y:

(
3x + 3y = 2,
3x+y = 1.

[2]

5 Evaluate

(a) −2 + 4 − 6 + 8 − 10 + . . . − 98 + 100 , [1]

(b) sin(π/4) − sin2 (π/4) + sin3 (π/4) − sin4 (π/4) + . . . [1]

6 Find the value of x at which the function y = x3 e−x reaches its maximum in the range
0 ⩽ x < ∞ and evaluate the value of y at this point.
[2]

sin(x)
7 Sketch y = x2 for positive x and label the crossing points, if any, with the horizontal
axis.
[2]

√
1 x
8 Find the indefinite integral of y = √
2 x
e for x > 0. [2]

Natural Sciences IA, Mathematics Paper 1

 3

9 Find the centre and the radius of the circle

x2 − 4x + y 2 + 3 = 0.

[2]

10 In terms of parameter a > 0, what is the value of the dot product for vectors (a, a + 1) and
(a + 1, a)? Hence, what is the angle between these vectors if a2 + a = 1/2? [2]

Natural Sciences IA, Mathematics Paper 1 [TURN OVER]

 4

SECTION B
11Z

(a) Find all possible real and imaginary parts of the following expressions:
i
(i) (ii ) , [2]
(ii )
(ii) i . [2]
(b) Describe, with the aid of a sketch, the curve in the Argand diagram whose equation is
|z + 1 + i| = 8. [2]

(c) Describe, with the aid of sketches, the loci determined, for z on the curve in part (b), by
the complex numbers
(i) u = 32 z + 12 z ∗ , [4]
(ii) v = u + 4 + 3i, [2]
(iii) w = iv. [2]
(d) Express sin 5θ in terms of sin θ and its powers, and find the values of θ such that
16 sin5 θ = sin 5θ for 0 ⩽ θ < 2π. [6]

Natural Sciences IA, Mathematics Paper 1

 5

12X
Z 2 Z 1
(a) Consider x2 y 2 dxdy.
x=2y y=0

(i) Explain why the integration should be done over x first. [2]
(ii) Sketch the region of integration. [3]
(iii) Evaluate the integral. [3]
(iv) Change the order of integration and re-calculate the integral. [3]

(b) The radial (r ⩾ 0) cross section of a cup is shown in the diagram.

ok

BiH
"

¥É⇐
Iai .

You may assume cylindrical symmetry about the z-axis. The outer curved line (z ⩾ 0)
obeys r = R(1 + z 2 /h2 ). The inner curved line obeys r = 0.9R(1 + z 2 /h2 ). The cup is made
from metal of density ρ.
Calculate the mass M of the cup. [9]

Natural Sciences IA, Mathematics Paper 1 [TURN OVER]

 6

13Y

(a) By using an appropriate substitution and integrating factor, or otherwise, find in explicit
form the general solution of the following equation,

dy 2x2 + y 2 + x
=− .
dx xy
[10]

(b) Solve the differential equation

dy
sin x + 2y cos x = 1,
dx
subject to the boundary condition

y(π/2) = 1.
[10]

14W

(a) Consider a differential form P (x, y)dx + Q(x, y)dy with

P (x, y) = y 2 sin(ax) + xy 2 cos(ax) and Q(x, y) = 2xy sin(ax) ,

where a is a real, non-zero parameter.

(i) Find all values of a for which this differential form is exact and thus can be written
as df = P (x, y)dx + Q(x, y)dy. [2]
(ii) Find f (x, y). [4]

(b) Let the real function f (u, v) be twice differentiable in both independent positive variables,
u = u(x, y) and v = v(x, y), which depend on two other independent real variables, x and
y, according to the following relations,

u(x, y) = 1 + x2 + y 2 and v(x, y) = 1 + x2 y 2 .

Find, in terms of x and y and partial derivatives of f with respect to u and v:

∂f ∂f
(i) ∂x , ∂y , [2]
2 2 2
∂ f ∂ f ∂ f
(ii) ∂x2 , ∂y 2 , ∂x∂y . [6]

For
∂2f
f (u, v) = ln (uv) , find ,
∂x∂y
(iii) by using the expressions for the second derivative derived in (b)(ii), [3]
(iv) by first expressing f in terms of x and y and then finding the second derivative. [3]

Natural Sciences IA, Mathematics Paper 1

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15R

(a) Find the√first three non-zero terms in the Taylor series expansion of the real-valued function
f (x) = a2 + x2 around x = 0, where the parameter a is any real number including zero. [7]
(b) Consider the real-valued function f (x) = ln [1 + t(x)] around x = 0, where the real-valued
function t(x) and all its derivatives exist in the sufficient neighbourhood of x = 0, and where
t(x) obeys the following properties: 1 + t(0) > 0 and t′′′ (0)t′ (0) < 0.
Find the first two non-zero terms in the Taylor series expansion of f (x) about x = 0. Present
your answers by considering separately the following cases;

(i) t(0) ̸= 0, [4]

′′ ′2
(ii) t(0) = 0 and t (0) ̸= t (0), [4]
′′ ′2
(iii) t(0) = 0 and t (0) = t (0), [5]

and explain how the assumed properties of t(x) are used in your analysis.

16V
The continuous random variable, X has probability distribution

 0 x < −2,
f (x) = 1+e−|x|
−2 < x < 2,
 N
0 x > 2,

where N is a constant.

(a) Find the normalisation factor, N . [4]

(b) Plot a graph of f (x). [3]

(c) Find the expectation of X, E[X]. [2]

(d) Find the variance of the random variable X. [5]
(e) The continuous random variable, Y , has probability density

 0 y < −2,
g(y) = P (X ⩽ y)/M −2 < y < 2,

0 y > 2,

where P denotes the probability. Find the normalisation factor, M . [6]

Natural Sciences IA, Mathematics Paper 1 [TURN OVER]

 8

17T

(a) (i) Find relationships between

Z Z
ex sin x dx and ex cos x dx,

[2]
(ii) and hence evaluate the integrals
Z Z
ex (sin x − cos x) dx and ex (sin x + cos x) dx.

[2]

(b) By performing the integration, show that

Z
enx
enx (sin x − cos x)dx = − 2 [(1 + n) cos x + (1 − n) sin x] + c,
n +1

where c is a constant. [7]

(c) Evaluate the definite integrals

(i) Z ∞
2
xe−x dx,
0

[2]
(ii) Z ∞
2
I(n) = xn e−x dx,
0

in terms of integral I(n − 2), for integer n ⩾ 2. [5]

(iii) Hence determine I(n) for n = 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. [2]
R∞ 2 √
[Hint: The integral I(0) = 0
e−x dx = π/2. ]

Natural Sciences IA, Mathematics Paper 1

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18S
Let  
4 0 2
A = 0 4 2 .
2 2 2

(a) Calculate Tr(A), det(A), Tr(A2 ), and det(A2 ). [4]

(b) Compute the eigenvalues and normalized eigenvectors of A. [9]

(c) Find all solutions x of the matrix equation Ax = b where
 
3
b = −1 ,
1

by expanding x and b as linear combinations of the eigenvectors found in (b), or by any

other method.
Give a geometric interpretation of the solutions.

[7]

19V*

(a) Determine whether the following series converge or diverge. For those that converge,
evaluate the series limit;
P∞ h sin((2n−1)π) 2 cos((2n−3)π) i
(i) n=1 n − n , [4]
P∞ P∞ 2m
(ii) n=0 m=n 3m , [4]
P∞ nπ


(iii) n=1 sin 3 , [4]
P∞ 2n
(iv) n=1 n! . [4]

(b) Prove that the following series converges, and find the value it converges to;

X∞
(−1)n+1
.
n=1
n

[4]

Natural Sciences IA, Mathematics Paper 1 [TURN OVER]

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20T*

(a) For general functions, f (x), g(x) and h(x, t) write down the formula for
Z f (x)
d
h(x, t)dt,
dx g(x)

and hence evaluate the limit [2]

Z √
x
d 2t4 + 1
lim dt.
x→∞ dx sin(1/x) (t − 2)(t2 + 3)

[4]
(b) Consider the function Z ∞
α ln(α2 + x2 )
f (α) = dx,
0 1 + x2
where α is a real parameter. Demonstrate that
df f πα
− = .
dα α α+1

[8]
Solve this equation for f (α). Hence show that
Z ∞
α ln(α2 + x2 )
dx = πα ln(α + 1).
0 1 + x2

[6]

END OF PAPER

Natural Sciences IA, Mathematics Paper 1