INTRODUCTION 1

THE MATHEMATICAL TRIPOS 2015–2016

CONTENTS Aims and objectives

This booklet contains the schedule, or syllabus specification, for each course of the undergraduate The aims of the Faculty for Parts IA, IB and II of the Mathematical Tripos are:
Tripos together with information about the examinations. It is updated every year. Suggestions and • to provide a challenging course in mathematics and its applications for a range of students that
corrections should be e-mailed to undergrad-office@maths.cam.ac.uk. includes some of the best in the country;
• to provide a course that is suitable both for students aiming to pursue research and for students
going into other careers;
SCHEDULES
• to provide an integrated system of teaching which can be tailored to the needs of individual students;
• to develop in students the capacity for learning and for clear logical thinking, and the ability to
Syllabus
solve unseen problems;
The schedule for each lecture course is a list of topics that define the course. The schedule is agreed by • to continue to attract and select students of outstanding quality;
the Faculty Board. Some schedules contain topics that are ‘starred’ (listed between asterisks); all the • to produce the high calibre graduates in mathematics sought by employers in universities, the
topics must be covered by the lecturer but examiners can only set questions on unstarred topics. professions and the public services.
The numbers which appear in brackets at the end of subsections or paragraphs in these schedules indicate • to provide an intellectually stimulating environment in which students have the opportunity to
the approximate number of lectures likely to be devoted to that subsection or paragraph. Lecturers develop their skills and enthusiasms to their full potential;
decide upon the amount of time they think appropriate to spend on each topic, and also on the order • to maintain the position of Cambridge as a leading centre, nationally and internationally, for
in which they present topics. Some topics in Part IA and Part IB courses have to be introduced in a teaching and research in mathematics.
certain order so as to tie in with other courses.
The objectives of Parts IA, IB and II of the Mathematical Tripos are as follows:

Recommended books After completing Part IA, students should have:

A list of books is given after each schedule. Books marked with † are particularly well suited to the • made the transition in learning style and pace from school mathematics to university mathematics;
course. Some of the books are out of print; these are retained on the list because they should be available • been introduced to basic concepts in higher mathematics and their applications, including (i) the
in college libraries (as should all the books on the list) and may be found in second-hand bookshops. notions of proof, rigour and axiomatic development, (ii) the generalisation of familiar mathematics
There may well be many other suitable books not listed; it is usually worth browsing college libraries. to unfamiliar contexts, (iii) the application of mathematics to problems outside mathematics;
• laid the foundations, in terms of knowledge and understanding, of tools, facts and techniques, to
In most cases, the contents of the book will not be exactly the same as the content of the schedule, and
proceed to Part IB.
different styles suit different people. Hence you are advised to consult library copies in the first instance
to decide which, if any, would be of benefit to you. Up-to-date prices, and the availability of hard- and After completing Part IB, students should have:
soft-back versions, can most conveniently be checked online.
• covered material from a range of pure mathematics, statistics and operations research, applied
mathematics, theoretical physics and computational mathematics, and studied some of this material
STUDY SKILLS in depth;
• acquired a sufficiently broad and deep mathematical knowledge and understanding to enable them
The Faculty produces a booklet Study Skills in Mathematics which is distributed to all first year students both to make an informed choice of courses in Part II and also to study these courses.
and can be obtained in pdf format from www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/studyskills. After completing Part II, students should have:
There is also a booklet, Supervision in Mathematics, that gives guidance to supervisors obtainable from • developed the capacity for (i) solving both abstract and concrete unseen problems, (ii) present-
www.maths.cam.ac.uk/facultyoffice/supervisorsguide/ which may also be of interest to students. ing a concise and logical argument, and (iii) (in most cases) using standard software to tackle
mathematical problems;
• studied advanced material in the mathematical sciences, some of it in depth.
INTRODUCTION 2

EXAMINATIONS Marking conventions

Overview On the written papers of the Mathematical Tripos, Section I questions are marked out of 10 and Section
II questions are marked out of 20. In addition to a numerical mark, extra credit in the form of a quality
There are three examinations for the undergraduate Mathematical Tripos: Parts IA, IB and II. They mark may be awarded for each question depending on the completeness and quality of each answer. For
are normally taken in consecutive years. This page contains information that is common to all three a Section I question, a beta quality mark is awarded for a mark of 7 or more. For a Section II question,
examinations. Information that is specific to individual examinations is given later in this booklet in an alpha quality mark is awarded for a mark of 15 or more, and a beta quality mark is awarded for a
the General Arrangements sections for the appropriate part of the Tripos. mark between 10 and 14, inclusive.
The form of each examination (number of papers, numbers of questions on each lecture course, distri- The marks available on the Computational Projects courses are described later in this booklet in the
bution of questions in the papers and in the sections of each paper, number of questions which may be introductions to Parts IB and II, and in more detail in the Computational Projects Manuals, which are
attempted) is determined by the Faculty Board. The main structure has to be agreed by University available at http://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/catam/
committees and is published as a Regulation in the Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cam- On the written papers, there are restrictions on the number of questions that may be attempted,
bridge (http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/so). (Any significant change to the format is announced indicated by a rubric of the form ‘You may attempt at most N questions in Section I/II’. The Faculty
in the Reporter as a Form and Conduct notice.) The actual questions and marking schemes, and precise policy is that examiners mark all attempts, even if the number of these exceeds that specified in the
borderlines (following general classing criteria agreed by the Faculty Board — see below) are determined rubric, and the candidate is assessed on the best attempts consistent with the rubric. This policy is
by the examiners. intended to deal with candidates who accidently violate the rubric: it is clearly not in candidates’ best
The examiners for each part of the Tripos are appointed by the General Board of the University. The interests to spend time tackling more questions than is permitted by the rubric.
internal examiners are normally teaching staff of the two mathematics departments and they are joined Examinations are ‘single-marked’, but safety checks are made on all scripts to ensure that all work is
by one or more external examiners from other universities (one for Part IA, two for Part IB and three marked and that all marks are correctly added and transcribed. Scripts are identified only by candidate
for Part II). number until the final class list has been drawn up. In drawing up the class list, examiners make
For all three parts of the Tripos, the examiners are collectively responsible for the examination questions, decisions based only on the work they see: no account is taken of the candidates’ personal situation or
though for Part II the questions are proposed by the individual lecturers. All questions have to be of supervision reports. Circumstances which seriously hindered your preparation for the examination,
signed off by the relevant lecturer; no question can be used unless the lecturer agrees that it is fair and such as illness, may be considered at a later stage by the University’s Application Committee. But it
appropriate to the course he or she lectured. is very important that you inform your college tutor of the full circumstances at the earliest possible
moment so that supporting evidence can be provided.
Form of the examination All appeals must be made through official channels, usually via your college tutor (either via your
college tutor or directly to the Registrary if you wish to appeal against the mark you were given). For
The examination for each part of the Tripos consists of four written papers and candidates take all four. further information, consult your tutor or the exams section of the CUSU student advice service website
For Parts IB and II, candidates may in addition submit Computational Projects. Each written paper http://www.studentadvice.cam.ac.uk. Examiners must not be approached either by candidates or
has two sections: Section I contains questions that are intended to be accessible to any student who their directors of studies as this might jeopardise any formal appeal.
has studied the material conscientiously. They should not contain any significant ‘problem’ element.
Section II questions are intended to be more challenging
Data Protection Act
Calculators are not allowed in any paper of the Mathematical Tripos; questions will be set in such a
way as not to require the use of calculators. The rules for the use of calculators in the Physics paper of To meet the University’s obligations under the Data Protection Act (1998), the Faculty deals with data
the Mathematics-with-Physics option of Part IA are set out in the regulations for the Natural Sciences relating to individuals and their examination marks as follows:
Tripos.
Formula booklets are not permitted, but candidates will not be required to quote elaborate formulae • Marks for individual questions and Computational Projects are released routinely after the exam-
from memory. inations.
• Scripts and Computational Projects submissions are kept, in line with the University policy, for six
months following the examinations (in case of appeals). Scripts are then destroyed; and Computa-
Past papers tional Projects are anonymised and stored in a form that allows comparison (using anti-plagiarism
software) with current projects.
Past Tripos papers for the last 10 or more years can be found on the Faculty web site
• Neither the Data Protection Act nor the Freedom of Information Act entitle candidates to have
http://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/pastpapers/. Solutions and mark schemes are not avail-
access to their scripts. However, data appearing on individual examination scripts are available on
able except in rough draft form for supervisors.
application to the University Data Protection Officer and on payment of a fee. Such data would
consist of little more than ticks, crosses, underlines, and mark subtotals and totals.
INTRODUCTION 3

Classification Criteria
As a result of each examination, each candidate is placed in one of the following categories: first class, Lower Second Class
upper second class (2.1), lower second class (2.2), third class, fail or ‘other’. ‘Other’ here includes, for Candidates placed in the lower second class will have demonstrated knowledge but sometimes imperfect
example, candidates who were ill for all or part of the examination. understanding of examinable material. They will have been aware of relevant mathematical issues, but
In the exceptionally unlikely event of your being placed in the fail category, you should contact your their presentation of standard arguments will sometimes have been fragmentary or imperfect. They
tutor or director of studies at once: if you wish to continue to study at Cambridge an appeal (based, for will have produced substantially correct solutions to some straightforward questions, but will have had
example, on medical evidence) must be made to the Council of the University. There are no ‘re-sits’ in limited success at tackling more challenging problems.
the usual sense; in exceptional circumstances the regulations permit you to re-take a Tripos examination
Third Class
the following year.
Candidates placed in the third class will have demonstrated some knowledge but little understanding
The examiners place the candidates into the different classes; they do not rank the candidates within
of the examinable material. They will have made reasonable attempts at a small number of questions,
the classes. The primary classification criteria for each borderline, which are determined by the Faculty
but will have lacked the skills to complete many of them.
Board, are as follows:
First / upper second 30α + 5β + m
Upper second / lower second 15α + 5β + m Examiners’ reports
Lower second / third 15α + 5β + m
15α + 5β + m in Part IB and Part II; For each part of the Tripos, the examiners (internal and external) write a joint report. In addition, the
Third/ fail external examiners each submit a report addressed to the Vice-Chancellor. The reports of the external
2α + β together with m in Part IA.
examiners are scrutinised by the General Board of the University’s Education Committee.
Here, m denotes the number of marks and α and β denote the numbers of quality marks. Other factors
All the reports, the examination statistics (number of attempts per question, etc), student feedback on
besides marks and quality marks may be taken into account.
the examinations and lecture courses (via the end of year questionnaire and paper questionnaires), and
At the third/fail borderline, examiners may consider if most of the marks have been obtained on only other relevant material are considered by the Faculty Teaching Committee at the start of the Michaelmas
one or two courses. term. The Teaching Committee includes two student representatives, and may include other students
The Faculty Board recommends that no distinction should be made between marks obtained on the (for example, previous members of the Teaching Committee and student representatives of the Faculty
Computational Projects courses in Parts IB and II and marks obtained on the written papers. Board). The Teaching Committee compiles a lengthy report including various recommendations for the
The Faculty Board recommends approximate percentages of candidates for each class: 30% firsts; 70– Faculty Board to consider at its second meeting in the Michaelmas term. This report also forms the
75% upper seconds and above; 90–95% lower seconds and above; and 5–10% thirds and below. These basis of the Faculty Board’s response to the reports of the external examiners.
percentages should exclude candidates who did not sit the examination.
The Faculty Board expects that the classification criteria described above should result in classes that
can be characterized as follows (after allowing for the possibility that in Parts IB and II stronger
performance on the Computational Projects may compensate for weaker performance on the written
papers or vice versa):
First Class
Candidates placed in the first class will have demonstrated a good command and secure understanding of
examinable material. They will have presented standard arguments accurately, showed skill in applying
their knowledge, and generally will have produced substantially correct solutions to a significant number
of more challenging questions.
Upper Second Class
Candidates placed in the upper second class will have demonstrated good knowledge and understanding
of examinable material. They will have presented standard arguments accurately and will have shown
some ability to apply their knowledge to solve problems. A fair number of their answers to both
straightforward and more challenging questions will have been substantially correct.
INTRODUCTION 4

MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS
Numbers of supervisions Student representatives
Directors of Studies will arrange supervisions for each course as they think appropriate. Lecturers There are three student representatives, two undergraduate and one graduate, on the Faculty Board,
will hand out examples sheets which supervisors may use if they wish. According to Faculty Board and two on each of the Teaching Committee and the Curriculum Committee. They are normally elected
guidelines, the number of examples sheets for 24-lecture, 16-lecture and 12-lecture courses should be 4, (in the case of the Faculty Board representatives) or appointed in November of each year. Their role
3 and 2, respectively. is to advise the committees on the student point of view, to collect opinion from and liaise with the
student body. They operate a website: http://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/studentreps and their email
Transcripts address is student.reps@maths.cam.ac.uk.

In order to conform to government guidelines on examinations, the Faculty is obliged to produce, for Feedback
use in transcripts, data that will allow you to determine roughly your position within each class. The
examiners officially do no more than place each candidate in a class, but the Faculty authorises a Constructive feedback of all sorts and from all sources is welcomed by everyone concerned in providing
percentage mark to be given, via CamSIS, to each candidate for each examination. The percentage courses for the Mathematical Tripos.
mark is obtained by piecewise linear scaling of merit marks within each class. The 1/2.1, 2.1/2.2, 2.2/3 There are many different feedback routes.
and 3/fail boundaries are mapped to 69.5%, 59.5%, 49.5% and 39.5% respectively and the mark of the
5th ranked candidate is mapped to 95%. If, after linear mapping of the first class, the percentage mark • Each lecturer hands out a paper questionnaire towards the end of the course.
of any candidate is greater than 100, it is reduced to 100%. The percentage of each candidate is then
rounded appropriately to integer values. • There are brief web-based questionnaires after roughly six lectures of each course.
The merit mark mentioned above, denoted by M , is defined in terms of raw mark m, number of alphas, • Students are sent a combined online questionnaire at the end of each year.
α, and number of betas, β, by
 • Students (or supervisors) can e-mail feedback@maths.cam.ac.uk at any time. Such e-mails are
30α + 5β + m − 120 for candidates in the first class, or in the upper second class with α ≥ 8, read by the Chairman of the Teaching Committee and forwarded in anonymised form to the ap-
M=
15α + 5β + m otherwise propriate person (a lecturer, for example). Students will receive a rapid response.

• If a student wishes to be entirely anonymous and does not need a reply, the web-based comment
Faculty Committees form at www.maths.cam.ac.uk/feedback.html can be used (clickable from the Faculty web site).

The Faculty has two committees which deal with matters relating to the undergraduate Tripos: the • Feedback on college-provided teaching (supervisions, classes) can be given to Directors of Studies
Teaching Committee and the Curriculum Committee. Both have student representatives. or Tutors at any time.
The role of the Teaching Committee is mainly to monitor feedback (questionnaires, examiners’ reports,
etc) and make recommendations to the Faculty Board on the basis of this feedback. It also formulates The questionnaires are particularly important in shaping the future of the Tripos and the Faculty Board
policy recommendations at the request of the Faculty Board. urges all students to respond.
The Curriculum Committee is responsible for recommending (to the Faculty Board) changes to the
undergraduate Tripos and to the schedules for individual lecture courses.
PART IA 5

Part IA

GENERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Structure of Part IA Examination Papers
There are two options: Papers 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Part IA of the Mathematical Tripos are each divided into two Sections. There are
(a) Pure and Applied Mathematics; four questions in Section I and eight questions in Section II. Candidates may attempt all the questions
(b) Mathematics with Physics. in Section I and at most five questions from Section II, of which no more than three may be on the
same lecture course.
Option (a) is intended primarily for students who expect to continue to Part IB of the Mathematical
Tripos, while Option (b) is intended primarily for those who are undecided about whether they will Each section of each of Papers 1–4 is divided equally between two courses as follows:
continue to Part IB of the Mathematical Tripos or change to Part IB of the Natural Sciences Tripos
(Physics option). Paper 1: Vectors and Matrices, Analysis I
Paper 2: Differential Equations, Probability
For Option (b), two of the lecture courses (Numbers and Sets, and Dynamics and Relativity) are replaced
Paper 3: Groups, Vector Calculus
by the complete Physics course from Part IA of the Natural Sciences Tripos; Numbers and Sets because
Paper 4: Numbers and Sets, Dynamics and Relativity.
it is the least relevant to students taking this option, and Dynamics and Relativity because much
of this material is covered in the Natural Sciences Tripos anyway. Students wishing to examine the
schedules for the physics courses should consult the documentation supplied by the Physics department, Approximate class boundaries
for example on http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching/.
The following tables, based on information supplied by the examiners, show approximate borderlines.
For convenience, we define M1 and M2 by
Examinations
M1 = 30α + 5β + m − 120, M2 = 15α + 5β + m.
Arrangements common to all examinations of the undergraduate Mathematical Tripos are given on
pages 1 and 2 of this booklet. M1 is related to the primary classification criterion for the first class and M2 is related to the primary
All candidates for Part IA of the Mathematical Tripos take four papers, as follows: classification criterion for the upper and lower second classes.
Candidates taking Option (a) (Pure and Applied Mathematics) will take Papers 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the The second column of each table shows a sufficient criterion for each class. The third and fourth columns
Mathematical Tripos (Part IA). shows M1 (for the first class) or M2 (for the other classes), raw mark, number of alphas and number of
Candidates taking Option (b) (Mathematics with Physics) take Papers 1, 2 and 3 of the Mathematical betas of two representative candidates placed just above the borderline. The sufficient condition for each
Tripos (Part IA) and the Physics paper of the Natural Sciences Tripos (Part IA); they must also submit class is not prescriptive: it is just intended to be helpful for interpreting the data. Each candidate near
practical notebooks. a borderline is scrutinised individually. The data given below are relevant to one year only; borderlines
For Mathematics-with-Physics candidates, the marks for the Physics paper are scaled to bring them may go up or down in future years.
in line with Paper 4. This is done as follows. The Physics scripts of the Mathematics-with-Physics
candidates are marked by the Natural Sciences examiners for Part IA Physics, and a mark for each Part IA 2014
candidate is given to the Mathematics examiners. Class boundaries for the Physics paper are determined Class Sufficient condition Borderline candidates
such that the percentages in each class (1, 2.1, 2.2, 3) of all candidates on the Physics paper (including 1 M1 > 625 605/335,12, 6 608/358,11, 8
those from NST and CST) are 25, 35, 30, 10 (which are the guidelines across Natural Sciences). All 2.1 M2 > 438 420/260, 7,11 422/287, 6, 9
candidates for Paper 4 (ranked by merit mark on that paper) are assigned nominally to classes so that 2.2 M2 > 328 328/213, 5, 8 334/209, 5,10
the percentages in each class are 30, 40, 20, 10 (which is the Faculty Board rough guideline for the 3 2α + β > 11 247/167, 3, 7 273/183, 5, 3
initial proportion in each class prior to the final overall classification). Piecewise linear mapping of the
Physics marks in each Physics class to the Mathematics merit marks in each nominal Mathematics class
Part IA 2015
is used to provide a merit mark for each Mathematics-with-Physics candidate. The merit mark is then
Class Sufficient condition Borderline candidates
broken down into marks, alphas and betas by comparison (for each candidate) with the break down for
1 M1 > 610 603/323,12, 8 603/343,11,10
Papers 1, 2 and 3.
2.1 M2 > 396 387/252, 7, 6 397/262, 6, 9
2.2 M2 > 311 310/195, 5, 8 308/223, 1,14
3 2α + β > 10 256/176, 3, 7 254/199, 1, 8
 PART IA 6

GROUPS 24 lectures, Michaelmas term VECTORS AND MATRICES 24 lectures, Michaelmas term

Examples of groups Complex numbers

Axioms for groups. Examples from geometry: symmetry groups of regular polygons, cube, tetrahedron. Review of complex numbers, including complex conjugate, inverse, modulus, argument and Argand
Permutations on a set; the symmetric group. Subgroups and homomorphisms. Symmetry groups as diagram. Informal treatment of complex logarithm, n-th roots and complex powers. de Moivre’s
subgroups of general permutation groups. The Möbius group; cross-ratios, preservation of circles, the theorem. [2]
point at infinity. Conjugation. Fixed points of Möbius maps and iteration. [4]
Vectors
Lagrange’s theorem Review of elementary algebra of vectors in R3 , including scalar product. Brief discussion of vectors
Cosets. Lagrange’s theorem. Groups of small order (up to order 8). Quaternions. Fermat-Euler theorem in Rn and Cn ; scalar product and the Cauchy–Schwarz inequality. Concepts of linear span, linear
from the group-theoretic point of view. [5] independence, subspaces, basis and dimension.
Suffix notation: including summation convention, δij and ijk . Vector product and triple product:
Group actions
definition and geometrical interpretation. Solution of linear vector equations. Applications of vectors
Group actions; orbits and stabilizers. Orbit-stabilizer theorem. Cayley’s theorem (every group is
to geometry, including equations of lines, planes and spheres. [5]
isomorphic to a subgroup of a permutation group). Conjugacy classes. Cauchy’s theorem. [4]
Matrices
Quotient groups
Elementary algebra of 3 × 3 matrices, including determinants. Extension to n × n complex matrices.
Normal subgroups, quotient groups and the isomorphism theorem. [4]
Trace, determinant, non-singular matrices and inverses. Matrices as linear transformations; examples
Matrix groups of geometrical actions including rotations, reflections, dilations, shears; kernel and image. [4]
The general and special linear groups; relation with the Möbius group. The orthogonal and special Simultaneous linear equations: matrix formulation; existence and uniqueness of solutions, geometric
orthogonal groups. Proof (in R3 ) that every element of the orthogonal group is the product of reflections interpretation; Gaussian elimination. [3]
and every rotation in R3 has an axis. Basis change as an example of conjugation. [3] Symmetric, anti-symmetric, orthogonal, hermitian and unitary matrices. Decomposition of a general
Permutations matrix into isotropic, symmetric trace-free and antisymmetric parts. [1]
Permutations, cycles and transpositions. The sign of a permutation. Conjugacy in Sn and in An . Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors
Simple groups; simplicity of A5 . [4] Eigenvalues and eigenvectors; geometric significance. [2]
Appropriate books Proof that eigenvalues of hermitian matrix are real, and that distinct eigenvalues give an orthogonal basis
of eigenvectors. The effect of a general change of basis (similarity transformations). Diagonalization
M.A. Armstrong Groups and Symmetry. Springer–Verlag 1988 of general matrices: sufficient conditions; examples of matrices that cannot be diagonalized. Canonical
† Alan F Beardon Algebra and Geometry. CUP 2005 forms for 2 × 2 matrices. [5]
R.P. Burn Groups, a Path to Geometry. Cambridge University Press 1987
Discussion of quadratic forms, including change of basis. Classification of conics, cartesian and polar
J.A. Green Sets and Groups: a first course in Algebra. Chapman and Hall/CRC 1988
forms. [1]
W. Lederman Introduction to Group Theory. Longman 1976
Nathan Carter Visual Group Theory. Mathematical Association of America Textbooks Rotation matrices and Lorentz transformations as transformation groups. [1]

Appropriate books
Alan F Beardon Algebra and Geometry. CUP 2005
Gilbert Strang Linear Algebra and Its Applications. Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2006
Richard Kaye and Robert Wilson Linear Algebra. Oxford science publications, 1998
D.E. Bourne and P.C. Kendall Vector Analysis and Cartesian Tensors. Nelson Thornes 1992
E. Sernesi Linear Algebra: A Geometric Approach. CRC Press 1993
James J. Callahan The Geometry of Spacetime: An Introduction to Special and General Relativity.
Springer 2000
PART IA 7

NUMBERS AND SETS 24 lectures, Michaelmas term DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS 24 lectures, Michaelmas term
[Note that this course is omitted from Option (b) of Part IA.]
Basic calculus
Introduction to number systems and logic Informal treatment of differentiation as a limit, the chain rule, Leibnitz’s rule, Taylor series, informal
Overview of the natural numbers, integers, real numbers, rational and irrational numbers, algebraic and treatment of O and o notation and l’Hôpital’s rule; integration as an area, fundamental theorem of
transcendental numbers. Brief discussion of complex numbers; statement of the Fundamental Theorem calculus, integration by substitution and parts. [3]
of Algebra. Informal treatment of partial derivatives, geometrical interpretation, statement (only) of symmetry
Ideas of axiomatic systems and proof within mathematics; the need for proof; the role of counter- of mixed partial derivatives, chain rule, implicit differentiation. Informal treatment of differentials,
examples in mathematics. Elementary logic; implication and negation; examples of negation of com- including exact differentials. Differentiation of an integral with respect to a parameter. [2]
pound statements. Proof by contradiction. [2]
First-order linear differential equations
Sets, relations and functions Equations with constant coefficients: exponential growth, comparison with discrete equations, series
Union, intersection and equality of sets. Indicator (characteristic) functions; their use in establishing solution; modelling examples including radioactive decay.
set identities. Functions; injections, surjections and bijections. Relations, and equivalence relations. Equations with non-constant coefficients: solution by integrating factor. [2]
Counting the combinations or permutations of a set. The Inclusion-Exclusion Principle. [4]
Nonlinear first-order equations
The integers Separable equations. Exact equations. Sketching solution trajectories. Equilibrium solutions, stability
The natural numbers: mathematical induction and the well-ordering principle. Examples, including by perturbation; examples, including logistic equation and chemical kinetics. Discrete equations: equi-
the Binomial Theorem. [2] librium solutions, stability; examples including the logistic map. [4]
Elementary number theory Higher-order linear differential equations
Prime numbers: existence and uniqueness of prime factorisation into primes; highest common factors Complementary function and particular integral, linear independence, Wronskian (for second-order
and least common multiples. Euclid’s proof of the infinity of primes. Euclid’s algorithm. Solution in equations), Abel’s theorem. Equations with constant coefficients and examples including radioactive
integers of ax+by = c. sequences, comparison in simple cases with difference equations, reduction of order, resonance, tran-
Modular arithmetic (congruences). Units modulo n. Chinese Remainder Theorem. Wilson’s Theorem; sients, damping. Homogeneous equations. Response to step and impulse function inputs; introduction
the Fermat-Euler Theorem. Public key cryptography and the RSA algorithm. [8] to the notions of the Heaviside step-function and the Dirac delta-function. Series solutions including
statement only of the need for the logarithmic solution. [8]
The real numbers
Least upper bounds; simple examples. Least upper bound axiom. Sequences and series; convergence Multivariate functions: applications
√
of bounded monotonic sequences. Irrationality of 2 and e. Decimal expansions. Construction of a Directional derivatives and the gradient vector. Statement of Taylor series for functions on Rn . Local
transcendental number. [4] extrema of real functions, classification using the Hessian matrix. Coupled first order systems: equiv-
alence to single higher order equations; solution by matrix methods. Non-degenerate phase portraits
Countability and uncountability local to equilibrium points; stability.
Definitions of finite, infinite, countable and uncountable sets. A countable union of countable sets is
Simple examples of first- and second-order partial differential equations, solution of the wave equation
countable. Uncountability of R. Non-existence of a bijection from a set to its power set. Indirect proof
in the form f (x + ct) + g(x − ct). [5]
of existence of transcendental numbers. [4]
Appropriate books
Appropriate books
J. Robinson An introduction to Differential Equations. Cambridge University Press, 2004
R.B.J.T. Allenby Numbers and Proofs. Butterworth-Heinemann 1997
W.E. Boyce and R.C. DiPrima Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary-Value Problems (and
R.P. Burn Numbers and Functions: steps into analysis. Cambridge University Press 2000
associated web site: google Boyce DiPrima). Wiley, 2004
H. Davenport The Higher Arithmetic. Cambridge University Press 1999
G.F.Simmons Differential Equations (with applications and historical notes). McGraw-Hill 1991
A.G. Hamilton Numbers, sets and axioms: the apparatus of mathematics. Cambridge University Press
D.G. Zill and M.R. Cullen Differential Equations with Boundary Value Problems. Brooks/Cole 2001
1983
C. Schumacher Chapter Zero: Fundamental Notions of Abstract Mathematics. Addison-Wesley 2001
I. Stewart and D. Tall The Foundations of Mathematics. Oxford University Press 1977
 PART IA 8

ANALYSIS I 24 lectures, Lent term PROBABILITY 24 lectures, Lent term

Limits and convergence Basic concepts

Sequences and series in R and C. Sums, products and quotients. Absolute convergence; absolute conver- Classical probability, equally likely outcomes. Combinatorial analysis, permutations and combinations.
gence implies convergence. The Bolzano-Weierstrass theorem and applications (the General Principle Stirling’s formula (asymptotics for log n! proved). [3]
of Convergence). Comparison and ratio tests, alternating series test. [6]
Axiomatic approach
Continuity Axioms (countable case). Probability spaces. Inclusion-exclusion formula. Continuity and subadditiv-
Continuity of real- and complex-valued functions defined on subsets of R and C. The intermediate ity of probability measures. Independence. Binomial, Poisson and geometric distributions. Relation
value theorem. A continuous function on a closed bounded interval is bounded and attains its bounds. between Poisson and binomial distributions. Conditional probability, Bayes’s formula. Examples, in-
[3] cluding Simpson’s paradox. [5]

Differentiability Discrete random variables

Differentiability of functions from R to R. Derivative of sums and products. The chain rule. Derivative Expectation. Functions of a random variable, indicator function, variance, standard deviation. Covari-
of the inverse function. Rolle’s theorem; the mean value theorem. One-dimensional version of the ance, independence of random variables. Generating functions: sums of independent random variables,
inverse function theorem. Taylor’s theorem from R to R; Lagrange’s form of the remainder. Complex random sum formula, moments.
differentiation. [5] Conditional expectation. Random walks: gambler’s ruin, recurrence relations. Difference equations
and their solution. Mean time to absorption. Branching processes: generating functions and extinction
Power series
probability. Combinatorial applications of generating functions. [7]
Complex power series and radius of convergence. Exponential, trigonometric and hyperbolic functions,
and relations between them. *Direct proof of the differentiability of a power series within its circle of Continuous random variables
convergence*. [4] Distributions and density functions. Expectations; expectation of a function of a random variable.
Uniform, normal and exponential random variables. Memoryless property of exponential distribution.
Integration
Definition and basic properties of the Riemann integral. A non-integrable function. Integrability of Joint distributions: transformation of random variables (including Jacobians), examples. Simulation:
monotonic functions. Integrability of piecewise-continuous functions. The fundamental theorem of generating continuous random variables, independent normal random variables. Geometrical probabil-
calculus. Differentiation of indefinite integrals. Integration by parts. The integral form of the remainder ity: Bertrand’s paradox, Buffon’s needle. Correlation coefficient, bivariate normal random variables.
in Taylor’s theorem. Improper integrals. [6] [6]

Inequalities and limits

Appropriate books
Markov’s inequality, Chebyshev’s inequality. Weak law of large numbers. Convexity: Jensen’s inequality
T.M. Apostol Calculus, vol 1. Wiley 1967-69 for general random variables, AM/GM inequality.
† J.C. Burkill A First Course in Mathematical Analysis. Cambridge University Press 1978 Moment generating functions and statement (no proof) of continuity theorem. Statement of central
D.J.H.Garling A Course in Mathematical Analysis (Vol 1). Cambridge University Press 2013 limit theorem and sketch of proof. Examples, including sampling. [3]
J.B. Reade Introduction to Mathematical Analysis. Oxford University Press
M. Spivak Calculus. Addison–Wesley/Benjamin–Cummings 2006 Appropriate books
David M. Bressoud A Radical Approach to Real Analysis. Mathematical Association of America Text-
books W. Feller An Introduction to Probability Theory and its Applications, Vol. I. Wiley 1968
† G. Grimmett and D. Welsh Probability: An Introduction. Oxford University Press 2nd Edition 2014
† S. Ross A First Course in Probability. Prentice Hall 2009

D.R. Stirzaker Elementary Probability. Cambridge University Press 1994/2003

 PART IA 9

VECTOR CALCULUS 24 lectures, Lent term DYNAMICS AND RELATIVITY 24 lectures, Lent term
[Note that this course is omitted from Option (b) of Part IA.]
Curves in R3 Familarity with the topics covered in the non-examinable Mechanics course is assumed.
Parameterised curves and arc length, tangents and normals to curves in R3 , the radius of curvature.
[1] Basic concepts
2 3
Space and time, frames of reference, Galilean transformations. Newton’s laws. Dimensional analysis.
Integration in R and R Examples of forces, including gravity, friction and Lorentz. [4]
Line integrals. Surface and volume integrals: definitions, examples using Cartesian, cylindrical and
spherical coordinates; change of variables. [4] Newtonian dynamics of a single particle
Equation of motion in Cartesian and plane polar coordinates. Work, conservative forces and potential
Vector operators energy, motion and the shape of the potential energy function; stable equilibria and small oscillations;
Directional derivatives. The gradient of a real-valued function: definition; interpretation as normal to effect of damping.
level surfaces; examples including the use of cylindrical, spherical ∗ and general orthogonal curvilinear∗
coordinates. Angular velocity, angular momentum, torque.
2
Divergence, curl and ∇ in Cartesian coordinates, examples; formulae for these operators (statement Orbits: the u(θ) equation; escape velocity; Kepler’s laws; stability of orbits; motion in a repulsive
only) in cylindrical, spherical ∗ and general orthogonal curvilinear∗ coordinates. Solenoidal fields, irro- potential (Rutherford scattering).
tational fields and conservative fields; scalar potentials. Vector derivative identities. [5] Rotating frames: centrifugal and Coriolis forces. *Brief discussion of Foucault pendulum.* [8]

Integration theorems Newtonian dynamics of systems of particles

Divergence theorem, Green’s theorem, Stokes’s theorem, Green’s second theorem: statements; infor- Momentum, angular momentum, energy. Motion relative to the centre of mass; the two body problem.
mal proofs; examples; application to fluid dynamics, and to electromagnetism including statement of Variable mass problems; the rocket equation. [2]
Maxwell’s equations. [5]
Rigid bodies
Laplace’s equation Moments of inertia, angular momentum and energy of a rigid body. Parallel axis theorem. Simple
Laplace’s equation in R2 and R3 : uniqueness theorem and maximum principle. Solution of Poisson’s examples of motion involving both rotation and translation (e.g. rolling). [3]
equation by Gauss’s method (for spherical and cylindrical symmetry) and as an integral. [4]
Special relativity
Cartesian tensors in R3 The principle of relativity. Relativity and simultaneity. The invariant interval. Lorentz transformations
Tensor transformation laws, addition, multiplication, contraction, with emphasis on tensors of second in (1 + 1)-dimensional spacetime. Time dilation and length contraction. The Minkowski metric for
rank. Isotropic second and third rank tensors. Symmetric and antisymmetric tensors. Revision of (1 + 1)-dimensional spacetime.
principal axes and diagonalization. Quotient theorem. Examples including inertia and conductivity. Lorentz transformations in (3 + 1) dimensions. 4–vectors and Lorentz invariants. Proper time. 4–
[5] velocity and 4–momentum. Conservation of 4–momentum in particle decay. Collisions. The Newtonian
limit. [7]
Appropriate books
H. Anton Calculus. Wiley Student Edition 2000 Appropriate books
T.M. Apostol Calculus. Wiley Student Edition 1975 †
D. Gregory Classical Mechanics. Cambridge University Press 2006
M.L. Boas Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences. Wiley 1983 G.F.R. Ellis and R.M. Williams Flat and Curved Space-times. Oxford University Press 2000
†
D.E. Bourne and P.C. Kendall Vector Analysis and Cartesian Tensors. 3rd edition, Nelson Thornes A.P. French and M.G. Ebison Introduction to Classical Mechanics. Kluwer 1986
1999 T.W.B. Kibble and F.H. Berkshire Introduction to Classical Mechanics. Kluwer 1986
E. Kreyszig Advanced Engineering Mathematics. Wiley International Edition 1999 M.A. Lunn A First Course in Mechanics. Oxford University Press 1991
J.E. Marsden and A.J.Tromba Vector Calculus. Freeman 1996 P.J. O’Donnell Essential Dynamics and Relativity. CRC Press 2015
P.C. Matthews Vector Calculus. SUMS (Springer Undergraduate Mathematics Series) 1998 †
W. Rindler Introduction to Special Relativity. Oxford University Press 1991
†
K. F. Riley, M.P. Hobson, and S.J. Bence Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering. Cam- E.F. Taylor and J.A. Wheeler Spacetime Physics: introduction to special relativity. Freeman 1992
bridge University Press 2002
H.M. Schey Div, grad, curl and all that: an informal text on vector calculus. Norton 1996
M.R. Spiegel Schaum’s outline of Vector Analysis. McGraw Hill 1974
PART IA 10

COMPUTATIONAL PROJECTS 8 lectures, Easter term of Part IA MECHANICS (non-examinable) 10 lectures, Michaelmas term
This course is intended for students who have taken fewer than three A-level Mechanics modules (or the equivalent). The
The Computational Projects course is examined in Part IB. However introductory practical sessions material is prerequisite for Dynamics and Relativity in the Lent term.
are offered at the end of Lent Full Term and the beginning of Easter Full Term of the Part IA year
(students are advised by email how to register for a session), and lectures are given in the Easter Full Lecture 1
Term of the Part IA year. The lectures cover an introduction to algorithms and aspects of the MATLAB Brief introduction
programming language. The projects that need to be completed for credit are published by the Faculty
in a manual usually by the end of July at the end of the Part IA year. The manual contains details of the Lecture 2: Kinematics of a single particle
projects and information about course administration. The manual is available on the Faculty website Position, velocity, speed, acceleration. Constant acceleration in one-dimension. Projectile motion in
at http://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/catam/. Full credit may obtained from the submission two-dimensions.
of the two core projects and a further two additional projects. Once the manual is available, these
projects may be undertaken at any time up to the submission deadlines, which are near the start of the Lecture 3: Equilibrium of a single particle
Full Lent Term in the IB year for the two core projects, and near the start of the Full Easter Term in The vector nature of forces, addition of forces, examples including gravity, tension in a string, normal
the IB year for the two additional projects. reaction (Newton’s third law), friction. Conditions for equilibrium.

A list of suitable books can be found in the manual. Lecture 4: Equilibrium of a rigid body
Resultant of several forces, couple, moment of a force. Conditions for equilibrium.

Lecture 5: Dynamics of particles

Newton’s second law. Examples of pulleys, motion on an inclined plane.

Lecture 6: Dynamics of particles

Further examples, including motion of a projectile with air-resistance.

Lecture 7: Energy
Definition of energy and work. Kinetic energy, potential energy of a particle in a uniform gravitational
field. Conservation of energy.

Lecture 8: Momentum
Definition of momentum (as a vector), conservation of momentum, collisions, coefficient of restitution,
impulse.

Lecture 9: Springs, strings and SHM

Force exerted by elastic springs and strings (Hooke’s law). Oscillations of a particle attached to a spring,
and of a particle hanging on a string. Simple harmonic motion of a particle for small displacement from
equilibrium.

Lecture 10: Motion in a circle

Derivation of the central acceleration of a particle constrained to move on a circle. Simple pendulum;
motion of a particle sliding on a cylinder.

Appropriate books
J. Hebborn and J. Littlewood Mechanics 1, Mechanics 2 and Mechanics 3 (Edexel). Heinemann, 2000
Peter J O’Donnell Essential Dynamics and Relativity. CRC Press, 2014
Anything similar to the above, for the other A-level examination boards
PART IB 11

CONCEPTS IN THEORETICAL PHYSICS (non-examinable) 8 lectures, Easter term

This course is intended to give a flavour of the some of the major topics in Theoretical Physics. It will be of interest to all
students.
The list of topics below is intended only to give an idea of what might be lectured; the actual content will be announced in
the first lecture.

Principle of Least Action

A better way to do Newtonian dynamics. Feynman’s approach to quantum mechanics.

Quantum Mechanics
Principles of quantum mechanics. Probabilities and uncertainty. Entanglement.

Statistical Mechanics
More is different: 1 = 1024 . Entropy and the Second Law. Information theory. Black hole entropy.

Electrodynamics and Relativity

Maxwell’s equations. The speed of light and relativity. Spacetime. A hidden symmetry.

Particle Physics
A new periodic table. From fields to particles. From symmetries to forces. The origin of mass and the
Higgs boson.

Symmetry
Symmetry of physical laws. Noether’s theorem. From symmetries to forces.

General Relativity
Equivalence principle. Gravitational time dilation. Curved spacetime. Black holes. Gravity waves.

Cosmology
From quantum mechanics to galaxies.
PART IB 12

Part IB

GENERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Structure of Part IB Examination Papers
Seventeen courses, including Computational Projects, are examined in Part IB. The schedules for Com- Questions on the different courses are distributed among the papers as specified in the following table.
plex Analysis and Complex Methods cover much of the same material, but from different points of The letters S and L appearing in the table denote a question in Section I and a question in Section II,
view: students may attend either (or both) sets of lectures. One course, Optimisation, can be taken in respectively.
the Easter term of either the first year or the second year. Two other courses, Metric and Topological
Spaces and Variational Principles, can also be taken in either Easter term, but it should be noted that Paper 1 Paper 2 Paper 3 Paper 4
some of the material in Metric and Topological Spaces will prove useful for Complex Analysis, and the
Linear Algebra L+S L+S L L+S
material in Variational Principles forms a good background for many of the theoretical physics courses
Groups, Rings and Modules L L+S L+S L+S
in Part IB.
Analysis II L L+S L+S L+S
The Faculty Board guidance regarding choice of courses in Part IB is as follows: Metric and Topological Spaces L S S L
Part IB of the Mathematical Tripos provides a wide range of courses from which students Complex Analysis L S
should, in consultation with their Directors of Studies, make a selection based on their in- L+S* L*
Complex Methods S L
dividual interests and preferred workload, bearing in mind that it is better to do a smaller Geometry S L L+S L
number of courses thoroughly than to do many courses scrappily. The table of dependencies Variational Principles S L S L
on the next page may also help you with your choice. Methods L L+S L+S L+S
Quantum Mechanics L L L+S S
Computational Projects Electromagnetism L L+S L S
Fluid Dynamics L+S S L L
The lectures for Computational Projects will normally be attended in the Easter term of the first year, Numerical Analysis L+S L L S
the Computational Projects themselves being done in the Michaelmas and Lent terms of the second Statistics L+S S L L
year (or in the summer, Christmas and Easter vacations). Optimization S S L L
No questions on the Computational Projects are set on the written examination papers, credit for Markov Chains L L S S
examination purposes being gained by the submission of reports. The maximum credit obtainable is
160 marks and there are no alpha or beta quality marks. Credit obtained is added directly to the credit *On Paper 1 and Paper 2, Complex Analysis and Complex Methods are examined by means of common
gained on the written papers. The maximum contribution to the final merit mark is thus 160, which is questions (each of which may contain two sub-questions, one on each course, of which candidates may
roughly the same (averaging over the alpha weightings) as for a 16-lecture course. The Computational attempt only one (‘either/or’)).
Projects are considered to be a single piece of work within the Mathematical Tripos.

Examination
Arrangements common to all examinations of the undergraduate Mathematical Tripos are given on
pages 1 and 2 of this booklet.
Each of the four papers is divided into two sections. Candidates may attempt at most four questions
from Section I and at most six questions from Section II.
The number of questions set on each course varies according to the number of lectures given, as shown:

Number of lectures Section I Section II

24 3 4
16 2 3
12 2 2
PART IB 13

es
ac
es

Sp
ul
od

Va et e sis al
Approximate class boundaries

les
M

l y ic

m yn t c s
g

sis
cip
Co ric II and

Nu d D gne ani
G ple na olo

ds

St eri am ism

aly
in
ri ry tho

O isti l A s
The following tables, based on information supplied by the examiners, show approximate borderlines

m x A op

ns
at ca ic
aly , R ra

c
s

pt c s n
M si ing

Q od l P
Co ple d T

Fl trom Me

v n
ai
An ups geb
in recent years.

ko io
M

Ch
e t na

ar at
m n
l

ec m
G ar A

eo x

ua s
a
et s

M im i s
M atio
For convenience, we define M1 and M2 by

El ntu
m

h
ne

ui
ro
Li
M1 = 30α + 5β + m − 120, M2 = 15α + 5β + m.
Number Theory
M1 is related to the primary classification criterion for the first class and M2 is related to the primary Topics in Analysis B B
classification criterion for the upper and lower second and third classes. Coding and Cryptography D E
The second column of each table shows a sufficient criterion for each class (in terms of M1 for the Automata and Form. Lang.
first class and M2 for the other classes). The third and fourth columns show M1 (for the first class) Statistical Modelling E
or M2 (for the other classes), raw mark, number of alphas and number of betas of two representative Mathematical Biology
candidates placed just above the borderline. Further Complex Methods E
Classical Dynamics E
The sufficient condition for each class is not prescriptive: it is just intended to be helpful for interpreting
Cosmology
the data. Each candidate near a borderline is scrutinised individually. The data given below are relevant
Logic and Set Theory
to one year only; borderlines may go up or down in future years.
Graph Theory
Galois Theory D E
Part IB 2014 Representation Theory E E
Class Sufficient condition Borderline candidates Number Fields E D
1 M1 > 783 784/494,12,10 789/474,13, 9 Algebraic Topology E D
2.1 M2 > 480 481/366, 4,11 484/364, 5, 9 Linear Analysis E E E
2.2 M2 > 336 337/232, 4, 9 345/225, 6, 6 Riemann Surfaces D E
3 M2 > 228 229/199, 0, 6 255/185, 1,11 Algebraic Geometry E
Differential Geometry E D
Part IB 2015 Prob. and Measure E
Class Sufficient condition Borderline candidates Applied Prob. E
1 M1 > 707 708/458,11, 8 715/445,12, 6 Princ. of Stats E
2.1 M2 > 486 487/332, 8, 7 487/377, 4,10 Stochastic FM’s D D D
2.2 M2 > 354 355/250, 4, 9 357/282, 3, 6 Opt. and Control D D D
3 M2 > 227 228/183, 1, 6 234/194, 1, 5 Asymptotic Methods E D
Dynamical Systems
Integrable Systems D E
Part II dependencies
Principles of QM D E
The relationships between Part IB courses and Part II courses are shown in the following tables. A Applications of QM B E
blank in the table means that the material in the Part IB course is not directly relevant to the Part II Statistical Physics E
course. Electrodynamics D E
The terminology is as follows: General Relativity D D
Fluid Dynamics II E E
Essential: (E) a good understanding of the methods and results of the Part IB course is essential; Waves E D
Desirable: (D) knowledge of some of the results of the Part IB course is required; Numerical Analysis D D D E
Background: (B) some knowledge of the Part IB course would provide a useful background.
PART IB 14

LINEAR ALGEBRA 24 lectures, Michaelmas term GROUPS, RINGS AND MODULES 24 lectures, Lent term

Groups
Definition of a vector space (over R or C), subspaces, the space spanned by a subset. Linear indepen- Basic concepts of group theory recalled from Part IA Groups. Normal subgroups, quotient groups
dence, bases, dimension. Direct sums and complementary subspaces. [3] and isomorphism theorems. Permutation groups. Groups acting on sets, permutation representations.
Linear maps, isomorphisms. Relation between rank and nullity. The space of linear maps from U to V , Conjugacy classes, centralizers and normalizers. The centre of a group. Elementary properties of finite
representation by matrices. Change of basis. Row rank and column rank. [4] p-groups. Examples of finite linear groups and groups arising from geometry. Simplicity of An .
Determinant and trace of a square matrix. Determinant of a product of two matrices and of the inverse Sylow subgroups and Sylow theorems. Applications, groups of small order. [8]
matrix. Determinant of an endomorphism. The adjugate matrix. [3]
Rings
Eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Diagonal and triangular forms. Characteristic and minimal polynomials. Definition and examples of rings (commutative, with 1). Ideals, homomorphisms, quotient rings, iso-
Cayley-Hamilton Theorem over C. Algebraic and geometric multiplicity of eigenvalues. Statement and morphism theorems. Prime and maximal ideals. Fields. The characteristic of a field. Field of fractions
illustration of Jordan normal form. [4] of an integral domain.
Dual of a finite-dimensional vector space, dual bases and maps. Matrix representation, rank and Factorization in rings; units, primes and irreducibles. Unique factorization in principal ideal domains,
determinant of dual map [2] and in polynomial rings. Gauss’ Lemma and Eisenstein’s irreducibility criterion.
Bilinear forms. Matrix representation, change of basis. Symmetric forms and their link with quadratic Rings Z[α] of algebraic integers as subsets of C and quotients of Z[x]. Examples of Euclidean domains
forms. Diagonalisation of quadratic forms. Law of inertia, classification by rank and signature. Complex and uniqueness and non-uniqueness of factorization. Factorization in the ring of Gaussian integers;
Hermitian forms. [4] representation of integers as sums of two squares.
Inner product spaces, orthonormal sets, orthogonal projection, V = W ⊕ W ⊥ . Gram-Schmidt or- Ideals in polynomial rings. Hilbert basis theorem. [10]
thogonalisation. Adjoints. Diagonalisation of Hermitian matrices. Orthogonality of eigenvectors and
properties of eigenvalues. [4] Modules
Definitions, examples of vector spaces, abelian groups and vector spaces with an endomorphism. Sub-
modules, homomorphisms, quotient modules and direct sums. Equivalence of matrices, canonical form.
Appropriate books Structure of finitely generated modules over Euclidean domains, applications to abelian groups and
C.W. Curtis Linear Algebra: an introductory approach. Springer 1984 Jordan normal form. [6]
P.R. Halmos Finite-dimensional vector spaces. Springer 1974
Appropriate books
K. Hoffman and R. Kunze Linear Algebra. Prentice-Hall 1971
P.M.Cohn Classic Algebra. Wiley, 2000
P.J. Cameron Introduction to Algebra. OUP
J.B. Fraleigh A First Course in Abstract Algebra. Addison Wesley, 2003
B. Hartley and T.O. Hawkes Rings, Modules and Linear Algebra: a further course in algebra. Chapman
and Hall, 1970
I. Herstein Topics in Algebra. John Wiley and Sons, 1975
P.M. Neumann, G.A. Stoy and E.C. Thomson Groups and Geometry. OUP 1994
M. Artin Algebra. Prentice Hall, 1991
 PART IB 15

ANALYSIS II 24 lectures, Michaelmas term METRIC AND TOPOLOGICAL SPACES 12 lectures, Easter term

Uniform convergence Metrics

The general principle of uniform convergence. A uniform limit of continuous functions is continuous. Definition and examples. Limits and continuity. Open sets and neighbourhoods. Characterizing limits
Uniform convergence and termwise integration and differentiation of series of real-valued functions. and continuity using neighbourhoods and open sets. [3]
Local uniform convergence of power series. [3]
Topology
Uniform continuity and integration Definition of a topology. Metric topologies. Further examples. Neighbourhoods, closed sets, conver-
Continuous functions on closed bounded intervals are uniformly continuous. Review of basic facts on gence and continuity. Hausdorff spaces. Homeomorphisms. Topological and non-topological properties.
Riemann integration (from Analysis I). Informal discussion of integration of complex-valued and Rn - Completeness. Subspace, quotient and product topologies. [3]
b b
valued functions of one variable; proof that  a f (x) dx ≤ a f (x) dx. [2]
Connectedness
Rn as a normed space Definition using open sets and integer-valued functions. Examples, including intervals. Components.
Definition of a normed space. Examples, including the Euclidean norm on Rn and the uniform norm The continuous image of a connected space is connected. Path-connectedness. Path-connected spaces
on C[a, b]. Lipschitz mappings and Lipschitz equivalence of norms. The Bolzano–Weierstrass theorem are connected but not conversely. Connected open sets in Euclidean space are path-connected. [3]
in Rn . Completeness. Open and closed sets. Continuity for functions between normed spaces. A
Compactness
continuous function on a closed bounded set in Rn is uniformly continuous and has closed bounded
Definition using open covers. Examples: finite sets and [0, 1]. Closed subsets of compact spaces are
image. All norms on a finite-dimensional space are Lipschitz equivalent. [5]
compact. Compact subsets of a Hausdorff space must be closed. The compact subsets of the real line.
Differentiation from Rm to Rn Continuous images of compact sets are compact. Quotient spaces. Continuous real-valued functions on
Definition of derivative as a linear map; elementary properties, the chain rule. Partial derivatives; con- a compact space are bounded and attain their bounds. The product of two compact spaces is compact.
tinuous partial derivatives imply differentiability. Higher-order derivatives; symmetry of mixed partial The compact subsets of Euclidean space. Sequential compactness. [3]
derivatives (assumed continuous). Taylor’s theorem. The mean value inequality. Path-connectedness
for subsets of Rn ; a function having zero derivative on a path-connected open subset is constant. [6]
Appropriate books
Metric spaces †
W.A. Sutherland Introduction to metric and topological spaces. Clarendon 1975
Definition and examples. *Metrics used in Geometry*. Limits, continuity, balls, neighbourhoods, open
D.J.H.Garling A Course in Mathematical Analysis (Vol 2). Cambridge University Press 2013
and closed sets. [4]
A.J. White Real analysis: an introduction. Addison-Wesley 1968
The Contraction Mapping Theorem B. Mendelson Introduction to Topology. Dover, 1990
The contraction mapping theorem. Applications including the inverse function theorem (proof of con-
tinuity of inverse function, statement of differentiability). Picard’s solution of differential equations.
[4]

Appropriate books
† J.C. Burkill and H. Burkill A Second Course in Mathematical Analysis. Cambridge University Press
2002
A.F. Beardon Limits: A New Approach to Real Analysis. Springer 1997
D.J.H.Garling A Course in Mathematical Analysis (Vol 3). Cambridge University Press 2014
†
W. Rudin Principles of Mathematical Analysis. McGraw–Hill 1976
W.A. Sutherland Introduction to Metric and Topological Spaces. Clarendon 1975
A.J. White Real Analysis: An Introduction. Addison–Wesley 1968
T.W. Körner A companion to analysis. AMS, 2004
 PART IB 16

COMPLEX ANALYSIS 16 lectures, Lent term COMPLEX METHODS 16 lectures, Lent term

Analytic functions Analytic functions

Complex differentiation and the Cauchy-Riemann equations. Examples. Conformal mappings. Informal Definition of an analytic function. Cauchy-Riemann equations. Analytic functions as conformal map-
discussion of branch points, examples of log z and z c . [3] pings; examples. Application to the solutions of Laplace’s equation in various domains. Discussion of
log z and z a . [5]
Contour integration and Cauchy’s theorem
Contour integration (for piecewise continuously differentiable curves). Statement and proof of Cauchy’s Contour integration and Cauchy’s Theorem
theorem for star domains. Cauchy’s integral formula, maximum modulus theorem, Liouville’s theorem, [Proofs of theorems in this section will not be examined in this course.]
fundamental theorem of algebra. Morera’s theorem. [5] Contours, contour integrals. Cauchy’s theorem and Cauchy’s integral formula. Taylor and Laurent
series. Zeros, poles and essential singularities. [3]
Expansions and singularities
Uniform convergence of analytic functions; local uniform convergence. Differentiability of a power Residue calculus
series. Taylor and Laurent expansions. Principle of isolated zeros. Residue at an isolated singularity. Residue theorem, calculus of residues. Jordan’s lemma. Evaluation of definite integrals by contour
Classification of isolated singularities. [4] integration. [4]

The residue theorem Fourier and Laplace transforms

Winding numbers. Residue theorem. Jordan’s lemma. Evaluation of definite integrals by contour Laplace transform: definition and basic properties; inversion theorem (proof not required); convolution
integration. Rouché’s theorem, principle of the argument. Open mapping theorem. [4] theorem. Examples of inversion of Fourier and Laplace transforms by contour integration. Applications
to differential equations. [4]
Appropriate books
Appropriate books
L.V. Ahlfors Complex Analysis. McGraw–Hill 1978
†
A.F. Beardon Complex Analysis. Wiley M.J. Ablowitz and A.S. Fokas Complex variables: introduction and applications. CUP 2003
D.J.H.Garling A Course in Mathematical Analysis (Vol 3). Cambridge University Press 2014 G. Arfken and H. Weber Mathematical Methods for Physicists. Harcourt Academic 2001
† H.A. Priestley Introduction to Complex Analysis. Oxford University Press 2003 G. J. O. Jameson A First Course in Complex Functions. Chapman and Hall 1970
I. Stewart and D. Tall Complex Analysis. Cambridge University Press 1983 T. Needham Visual complex analysis. Clarendon 1998
† H.A. Priestley Introduction to Complex Analysis. Clarendon 1990
†
I. Stewart and D. Tall Complex Analysis (the hitchhiker’s guide to the plane). Cambridge University
Press 1983
 PART IB 17

GEOMETRY 16 lectures, Lent term VARIATIONAL PRINCIPLES 12 lectures, Easter Term

Parts of Analysis II will be found useful for this course.

Groups of rigid motions of Euclidean space. Rotation and reflection groups in two and three dimensions.
Stationary points for functions on Rn . Necessary and sufficient conditions for minima and maxima.
Lengths of curves. [2]
Importance of convexity. Variational problems with constraints; method of Lagrange multipliers. The
Spherical geometry: spherical lines, spherical triangles and the Gauss-Bonnet theorem. Stereographic Legendre Transform; need for convexity to ensure invertibility; illustrations from thermodynamics.
projection and Möbius transformations. [3] [4]
Triangulations of the sphere and the torus, Euler number. [1] The idea of a functional and a functional derivative. First variation for functionals, Euler-Lagrange
Riemannian metrics on open subsets of the plane. The hyperbolic plane. Poincaré models and their equations, for both ordinary and partial differential equations. Use of Lagrange multipliers and multi-
metrics. The isometry group. Hyperbolic triangles and the Gauss-Bonnet theorem. The hyperboloid plier functions. [3]
model. [4] Fermat’s principle; geodesics; least action principles, Lagrange’s and Hamilton’s equations for particles
Embedded surfaces in R3 . The first fundamental form. Length and area. Examples. [1] and fields. Noether theorems and first integrals, including two forms of Noether’s theorem for ordinary
Length and energy. Geodesics for general Riemannian metrics as stationary points of the energy. differential equations (energy and momentum, for example). Interpretation in terms of conservation
First variation of the energy and geodesics as solutions of the corresponding Euler-Lagrange equations. laws. [3]
Geodesic polar coordinates (informal proof of existence). Surfaces of revolution. [2] Second variation for functionals; associated eigenvalue problem. [2]
The second fundamental form √ and Gaussian
√ curvature. For metrics of the form du2 + G(u, v)dv2 ,
expression of the curvature as Guu / G. Abstract smooth surfaces and isometries. Euler numbers
Appropriate books
and statement of Gauss-Bonnet theorem, examples and applications. [3]
D.S. Lemons Perfect Form. Princeton Unversity Press 1997
Appropriate books C. Lanczos The Variational Principles of Mechanics. Dover 1986
†
P.M.H. Wilson Curved Spaces. CUP, January 2008 R. Weinstock Calculus of Variations with applications to physics and engineering. Dover 1974
M. Do Carmo Differential Geometry of Curves and Surfaces. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, I.M. Gelfand and S.V. Fomin Calculus of Variations. Dover 2000
N.J., 1976 W. Yourgrau and S. Mandelstam Variational Principles in Dynamics and Quantum Theory. Dover
A. Pressley Elementary Differential Geometry. Springer Undergraduate Mathematics Series, Springer- 2007
Verlag London Ltd., 2001 S. Hildebrandt and A. Tromba Mathematics and Optimal Form. Scientific American Library 1985
E. Rees Notes on Geometry. Springer, 1983
M. Reid and B. Szendroi Geometry and Topology. CUP, 2005
PART IB 18

METHODS 24 lectures, Michaelmas term QUANTUM MECHANICS 16 lectures, Michaelmas term

Self-adjoint ODEs Physical background

Periodic functions. Fourier series: definition and simple properties; Parseval’s theorem. Equations Photoelectric effect. Electrons in atoms and line spectra. Particle diffraction. [1]
of second order. Self-adjoint differential operators. The Sturm-Liouville equation; eigenfunctions and
eigenvalues; reality of eigenvalues and orthogonality of eigenfunctions; eigenfunction expansions (Fourier Schrödinger equation and solutions
series as prototype), approximation in mean square, statement of completeness. [5] De Broglie waves. Schrödinger equation. Superposition principle. Probability interpretation, density
and current. [2]
PDEs on bounded domains: separation of variables Stationary states. Free particle, Gaussian wave packet. Motion in 1-dimensional potentials, parity.
Physical basis of Laplace’s equation, the wave equation and the diffusion equation. General method Potential step, square well and barrier. Harmonic oscillator. [4]
of separation of variables in Cartesian, cylindrical and spherical coordinates. Legendre’s equation:
derivation, solutions including explicit forms of P0 , P1 and P2 , orthogonality. Bessel’s equation of Observables and expectation values
integer order as an example of a self-adjoint eigenvalue problem with non-trivial weight. Position and momentum operators and expectation values. Canonical commutation relations. Uncer-
Examples including potentials on rectangular and circular domains and on a spherical domain (axisym- tainty principle. [2]
metric case only), waves on a finite string and heat flow down a semi-infinite rod. [5] Observables and Hermitian operators. Eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. Formula for expectation value.
[2]
Inhomogeneous ODEs: Green’s functions
Properties of the Dirac delta function. Initial value problems and forced problems with two fixed end Hydrogen atom
points; solution using Green’s functions. Eigenfunction expansions of the delta function and Green’s Spherically symmetric wave functions for spherical well and hydrogen atom.
functions. [4] Orbital angular momentum operators. General solution of hydrogen atom. [5]
Fourier transforms Appropriate books
Fourier transforms: definition and simple properties; inversion and convolution theorems. The discrete
Fourier transform. Examples of application to linear systems. Relationship of transfer function to Feynman, Leighton and Sands vol. 3 Ch 1-3 of the Feynman lectures on Physics. Addison-Wesley
Green’s function for initial value problems. [4] 1970
† S. Gasiorowicz Quantum Physics. Wiley 2003

PDEs on unbounded domains P.V. Landshoff, A.J.F. Metherell and W.G Rees Essential Quantum Physics. Cambridge University
Classification of PDEs in two independent variables. Well posedness. Solution by the method of Press 1997
characteristics. Green’s functions for PDEs in 1, 2 and 3 independent variables; fundamental solutions †
A.I.M. Rae Quantum Mechanics. Institute of Physics Publishing 2002
of the wave equation, Laplace’s equation and the diffusion equation. The method of images. Application L.I. Schiff Quantum Mechanics. McGraw Hill 1968
to the forced wave equation, Poisson’s equation and forced diffusion equation. Transient solutions of
diffusion problems: the error function. [6]

Appropriate books
G. Arfken and H.J. Weber Mathematical Methods for Physicists. Academic 2005
M.L. Boas Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences. Wiley 2005
J. Mathews and R.L. Walker Mathematical Methods of Physics. Benjamin/Cummings 1970
K. F. Riley, M. P. Hobson, and S.J. Bence Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering: a
comprehensive guide. Cambridge University Press 2002
Erwin Kreyszig Advanced Engineering Mathematics. Wiley
PART IB 19

ELECTROMAGNETISM 16 lectures, Lent term FLUID DYNAMICS 16 lectures, Lent term

Electrostatics Parallel viscous flow

Currents and the conservation of charge. Lorentz force law and Maxwell’s equations. Gauss’s law. Plane Couette flow, dynamic viscosity. Momentum equation and boundary conditions. Steady flows
Application to spherically symmetric and cylindrically symmetric charge distributions. Point, line and including Poiseuille flow in a channel. Unsteady flows, kinematic viscosity, brief description of viscous
surface charges. Electrostatic potentials; general charge distributions, dipoles. Electrostatic energy. boundary layers (skin depth). [3]
Conductors. [4]
Kinematics
Magnetostatics Material time derivative. Conservation of mass and the kinematic boundary condition. Incompressibil-
Magnetic fields due to steady currents. Ampère’s law. Simple examples. Vector potentials and the Biot– ity; streamfunction for two-dimensional flow. Streamlines and path lines. [2]
Savart law for general current distributions. Magnetic dipoles. Lorentz force on current distributions
and force between current-carrying wires. [3] Dynamics
Statement of Navier-Stokes momentum equation. Reynolds number. Stagnation-point flow; discussion
Electrodynamics of viscous boundary layer and pressure field. Conservation of momentum; Euler momentum equation.
Faraday’s law of induction for fixed and moving circuits. Ohm’s law. Plane electromagnetic waves in Bernoulli’s equation.
vacuum, polarization. Electromagnetic energy and Poynting vector. [4] Vorticity, vorticity equation, vortex line stretching, irrotational flow remains irrotational. [4]
Electromagnetism and relativity Potential flows
Review of special relativity; tensors and index notation. Charge conservation. 4-vector potential, Velocity potential; Laplace’s equation, examples of solutions in spherical and cylindrical geometry by
gauge transformations. Electromagnetic tensor. Lorentz transformations of electric and magnetic fields. separation of variables. Translating sphere. Lift on a cylinder with circulation.
Maxwell’s equations in relativistic form. Lorentz force law. [5]
Expression for pressure in time-dependent potential flows with potential forces. Oscillations in a
manometer and of a bubble. [3]
Appropriate books
D.J. Griffiths Introduction to Electrodynamics. Pearson 2013 Geophysical flows
E.M. Purcell and D.J. Morin Electricity and Magnetism. Cambridge University Press 2013 Linear water waves: dispersion relation, deep and shallow water, standing waves in a container,
A. Zangwill Modern Electromagnetism. Cambridge University Press 2012 Rayleigh-Taylor instability.
J.D. Jackson Classical Electrodynamics. Wiley 1975 Euler equations in a rotating frame. Steady geostrophic flow, pressure as streamfunction. Motion in a
P. Lorrain and D. Corson Electromagnetism, Principles and Applications. Freeman 1990 shallow layer, hydrostatic assumption, modified continuity equation. Conservation of potential vorticity,
R. Feynman, R. Leighton and M. Sands The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Vol 2. Basic Books 2011 Rossby radius of deformation. [4]

Appropriate books
† D.J.
Acheson Elementary Fluid Dynamics. Oxford University Press 1990
G.K. Batchelor An Introduction to Fluid Dynamics. Cambridge University Press 2000
G.M. Homsey et al. Multi-Media Fluid Mechanics. Cambridge University Press 2008
M. van Dyke An Album of Fluid Motion. Parabolic Press
M.G. Worster Understanding Fluid Flow. Cambridge University Press 2009
 PART IB 20

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS 16 lectures, Lent term STATISTICS 16 lectures, Lent term

Polynomial approximation Estimation

Interpolation by polynomials. Divided differences of functions and relations to derivatives. Orthogonal Review of distribution and density functions, parametric families. Examples: binomial, Poisson, gamma.
polynomials and their recurrence relations. Least squares approximation by polynomials. Gaussian Sufficiency, minimal sufficiency, the Rao–Blackwell theorem. Maximum likelihood estimation. Confi-
quadrature formulae. Peano kernel theorem and applications. [6] dence intervals. Use of prior distributions and Bayesian inference. [5]

Computation of ordinary differential equations Hypothesis testing

Euler’s method and proof of convergence. Multistep methods, including order, the root condition and Simple examples of hypothesis testing, null and alternative hypothesis, critical region, size, power, type
the concept of convergence. Runge-Kutta schemes. Stiff equations and A-stability. [5] I and type II errors, Neyman–Pearson lemma. Significance level of outcome. Uniformly most powerful
tests. Likelihood ratio, and use of generalised likelihood ratio to construct test statistics for composite
Systems of equations and least squares calculations hypotheses. Examples, including t-tests and F -tests. Relationship with confidence intervals. Goodness-
LU triangular factorization of matrices. Relation to Gaussian elimination. Column pivoting. Fac- of-fit tests and contingency tables. [4]
torizations of symmetric and band matrices. The Newton-Raphson method for systems of non-linear
algebraic equations. QR factorization of rectangular matrices by Gram–Schmidt, Givens and House- Linear models
holder techniques. Application to linear least squares calculations. [5] Derivation and joint distribution of maximum likelihood estimators, least squares, Gauss-Markov the-
orem. Testing hypotheses, geometric interpretation. Examples, including simple linear regression and
Appropriate books one-way analysis of variance. ∗Use of software∗. [7]
† S.D. Conte and C. de Boor Elementary Numerical Analysis: an algorithmic approach. McGraw–Hill
Appropriate books
1980
G.H. Golub and C. Van Loan Matrix Computations. Johns Hopkins University Press 1996 D.A. Berry and B.W. Lindgren Statistics, Theory and Methods. Wadsworth 1995
A Iserles A first course in the Numerical Analysis of Differential Equations. CUP 2009 G. Casella and J.O. Berger Statistical Inference. Duxbury 2001
E. Suli and D.F. Meyers An introduction to numerical analysis. CUP 2003 M.H. DeGroot and M.J. Schervish Probability and Statistics. Pearson Education 2001
A. Ralston and P. Rabinowitz A first course in numerical analysis. Dover 2001
M.J.D. Powell Approximation Theory and Methods. CUP 1981
P.J. Davis Interpolation and Approximation. Dover 1975
PART IB 21

MARKOV CHAINS 12 lectures, Michaelmas term OPTIMISATION 12 lectures, Easter term

Discrete-time chains Lagrangian methods

Definition and basic properties, the transition matrix. Calculation of n-step transition probabilities. General formulation of constrained problems; the Lagrangian sufficiency theorem. Interpretation of
Communicating classes, closed classes, absorption, irreducibility. Calculation of hitting probabilities Lagrange multipliers as shadow prices. Examples. [2]
and mean hitting times; survival probability for birth and death chains. Stopping times and statement
of the strong Markov property. [5] Linear programming in the nondegenerate case
Convexity of feasible region; sufficiency of extreme points. Standardization of problems, slack variables,
Recurrence and transience; equivalence of transience and summability of n-step transition probabilities;
equivalence of extreme points and basic solutions. The primal simplex algorithm, artificial variables,
equivalence of recurrence and certainty of return. Recurrence as a class property, relation with closed
the two-phase method. Practical use of the algorithm; the tableau. Examples. The dual linear problem,
classes. Simple random walks in dimensions one, two and three. [3]
duality theorem in a standardized case, complementary slackness, dual variables and their interpretation
Invariant distributions, statement of existence and uniqueness up to constant multiples. Mean return as shadow prices. Relationship of the primal simplex algorithm to dual problem. Two person zero-sum
time, positive recurrence; equivalence of positive recurrence and the existence of an invariant distri- games. [6]
bution. Convergence to equilibrium for irreducible, positive recurrent, aperiodic chains *and proof by
coupling*. Long-run proportion of time spent in given state. [3] Network problems
Time reversal, detailed balance, reversibility; random walk on a graph. [1] The Ford-Fulkerson algorithm and the max-flow min-cut theorems in the rational case. Network flows
with costs, the transportation algorithm, relationship of dual variables with nodes. Examples. Condi-
Appropriate books tions for optimality in more general networks; ∗the simplex-on-a-graph algorithm∗. [3]

G.R. Grimmett and D.R. Stirzaker Probability and Random Processes. OUP 2001 Practice and applications
G.R. Grimmett and D. Welsh Probability, An Introduction. OUP, 2nd edition, 2014 ∗Efficiency of algorithms∗. The formulation of simple practical and combinatorial problems as linear
J.R. Norris Markov Chains. CUP 1997 programming or network problems. [1]

Appropriate books
† M.S.Bazaraa, J.J. Jarvis and H.D. Sherali Linear Programming and Network Flows. Wiley 1988
D. Luenberger Linear and Nonlinear Programming. Addison–Wesley 1984
S. Boyd and L. Vandenberghe Convex Optimization. Cambridge University Press 2004
D. Bertsimas, J.N. Tsitsiklis Introduction to Linear Optimization. Athena Scientific 1997
PART IB 22

COMPUTATIONAL PROJECTS 8 lectures, Easter term of Part IA CONCEPTS IN THEORETICAL PHYSICS (non-examinable) 8 lectures, Easter term
This course is intended to give a flavour of the some of the major topics in Theoretical Physics. It will be of interest to all
Practical sessions are offered and lectures given in the Part IA year. The projects that need to be students.
completed for credit are published by the Faculty in a manual usually by the end of July preceding the The list of topics below is intended only to give an idea of what might be lectured; the actual content will be announced in
Part IB year. The manual contains details of the projects and information about course administration. the first lecture.
The manual is available on the Faculty website at http://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/catam/.
Full credit may obtained from the submission of the two core projects and a further two additional Principle of Least Action
projects. Once the manual is available, these projects may be undertaken at any time up to the A better way to do Newtonian dynamics. Feynman’s approach to quantum mechanics.
submission deadlines, which are near the start of the Full Lent Term in the IB year for the two core
projects, and near the start of the Full Easter Term in the IB year for the two additional projects. Quantum Mechanics
Principles of quantum mechanics. Probabilities and uncertainty. Entanglement.
A list of suitable books can be found in the CATAM manual.
Statistical Mechanics
More is different: 1 = 1024 . Entropy and the Second Law. Information theory. Black hole entropy.

Electrodynamics and Relativity

Maxwell’s equations. The speed of light and relativity. Spacetime. A hidden symmetry.

Particle Physics
A new periodic table. From fields to particles. From symmetries to forces. The origin of mass and the
Higgs boson.

Symmetry
Symmetry of physical laws. Noether’s theorem. From symmetries to forces.

General Relativity
Equivalence principle. Gravitational time dilation. Curved spacetime. Black holes. Gravity waves.

Cosmology
From quantum mechanics to galaxies.
GENERAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR PART II 23

Part II

GENERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Structure of Part II Examinations
There are two types of lecture courses in Part II: C courses and D courses. C courses are intended to Arrangements common to all examinations of the undergraduate Mathematical Tripos are given on
be straightforward and accessible, and of general interest, whereas D courses are intended to be more pages 1 and 2 of this booklet.
demanding. The Faculty Board recommend that students who have not obtained at least a good second There are no restrictions on the number or type of courses that may be presented for examination, but
class in Part IB should include a significant number of C courses amongst those they choose. examiners may consider if most of the marks are obtained on only one or two courses. The Faculty
There are 9 C courses and 26 D courses. All C courses are 24 lectures; of the D courses, 20 are 24 Board has recommended to the examiners that no distinction be made, for classification purposes,
lectures and 6 are 16 lectures. The complete list of courses is as follows (an asterisk denotes a 16-lecture between quality marks obtained on the Section II questions for C course questions and those obtained
course): for D course questions.
C courses D courses Candidates may answer no more than six questions in Section I on each paper; there is no restriction
Number Theory Logic and Set Theory Stochastic Financial Models on the number of questions in Section II that may be answered.
Topics in Analysis Graph Theory *Optimisation and Control The number of questions set on each course is determined by the type and length of the course, as
Coding and Cryptography Galois Theory *Asymptotic Methods shown in the following table:
Automata and Formal Lang. Representation Theory Dynamical Systems
Statistical Modelling *Number Fields *Integrable Systems Section I Section II
Mathematical Biology Algebraic Topology Principles of Quantum Mechanics C course, 24 lectures 4 2
Further Complex Methods Linear Analysis Applications of Quantum Mechanics D course, 24 lectures — 4
Classical Dynamics *Riemann Surfaces Statistical Physics D course, 16 lectures — 3
Cosmology Algebraic Geometry *Electrodynamics
Differential Geometry General Relativity
In Section I of each paper, there are 9 questions, one on each C course.
Probability and Measure Fluid Dynamics
Applied Probability Waves In Section II of each paper, there are 4 or 5 questions on C courses, one question on each of the 20
Principles of Statistics Numerical Analysis 24-lecture D courses and either one question or no questions on each of the 6 16-lecture D courses,
giving a total of 29 questions on each paper.
The distribution in Section II of the C course questions and the 16-lecture D course questions is shown
Computational Projects
in the following table. (Important note: Prior to 2015/16 the questions on Topics in Analysis and
In addition to the lectured courses, there is a Computational Projects course. Asymptotic Methods appeared on different papers from those shown here.)
No questions on the Computational Projects are set on the written examination papers, credit for
examination purposes being gained by the submission of reports. The maximum credit obtainable is P1 P2 P3 P4 P1 P2 P3 P4
150 marks and there are no alpha or beta quality marks. Credit obtained is added directly to the credit C courses 16-lecture D courses
gained on the written papers. The maximum contribution to the final merit mark is thus 150, which is Number Theory ∗ ∗ Number Fields ∗ ∗ ∗
the same as the maximum for a 16-lecture course. The Computational Projects are considered to be a Topics in Analysis ∗ ∗ Riemann Surfaces ∗ ∗ ∗
single piece of work within the Mathematical Tripos. Coding and Cryptography ∗ ∗ Optimization and Control ∗ ∗ ∗
Automata and Form. Lang. ∗ ∗ Asymptotic Methods ∗ ∗ ∗
Statistical Modelling ∗ ∗ Integrable Systems ∗ ∗ ∗
Mathematical Biology ∗ ∗ Electrodynamics ∗ ∗ ∗
Further Complex Methods ∗ ∗
Classical Dynamics ∗ ∗
Cosmology ∗ ∗
PART II 24

Approximate class boundaries

The following tables, based on information supplied by the examiners, show approximate borderlines
in recent years.
For convenience, we define M1 and M2 by

M1 = 30α + 5β + m − 120, M2 = 15α + 5β + m.

M1 is related to the primary classification criterion for the first class and M2 is related to the primary
classification criterion for the upper and lower second and third classes.
The second column of each table shows a sufficient criterion for each class (in terms of M1 for the
first class and M2 for the other classes). The third and fourth columns show M1 (for the first class)
or M2 (for the other classes), raw mark, number of alphas and number of betas of two representative
candidates placed just above the borderline.
The sufficient condition for each class is not prescriptive: it is just intended to be helpful for interpreting
the data. Each candidate near a borderline is scrutinised individually. The data given below are relevant
to one year only; borderlines may go up or down in future years.

Part II 2014
Class Sufficient condition Borderline candidates
1 M1 > 623 637/407,11, 4 624/364,12, 4
2.1 M2 > 410 406/296, 5, 7 398/258, 8, 4
2.2 M2 > 253 264/164, 4, 8 254/194, 2, 6
3 M2 > 155 162/117, 1, 6 156/131, 0, 5

Part II 2015
Class Sufficient condition Borderline candidates
1 M1 > 728 734/444,12,10 729/374,15, 5
2.1 M2 > 467 468/313, 8, 7 473/303, 9, 7
2.2 M2 > 345 346/236, 4,10 355/220, 7, 6
3 M2 > 169 188/133, 2, 5 206/171, 1, 4
PART II 25

NUMBER THEORY (C) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term TOPICS IN ANALYSIS (C) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term
Analysis courses from IB will be helpful, but it is intended to introduce and develop concepts of analysis as required.

Review from Part IA Numbers and Sets: Euclid’s Algorithm, prime numbers, fundamental theorem of Discussion of metric spaces; compactness and completeness. Brouwer’s fixed point theorem. Proof(s)
arithmetic. Congruences. The theorems of Fermat and Euler. [2] in two dimensions. Equivalent formulations, and applications. The degree of a map. The fundamental
Chinese remainder theorem. Lagrange’s theorem. Primitive roots to an odd prime power modulus. theorem of algebra, the Argument Principle for continuous functions, and a topological version of
[3] Rouché’s Theorem. [6]
The mod-p field, quadratic residues and non-residues, Legendre’s symbol. Euler’s criterion. Gauss’ The Weierstrass Approximation Theorem. Chebychev polynomials and best uniform approximation.
lemma, quadratic reciprocity. [2] Gaussian quadrature converges for all continuous functions. Review of basic properties of analytic
functions. Runge’s Theorem on the polynomial approximation of analytic functions. [8]
Proof of the law of quadratic reciprocity. The Jacobi symbol. [1]
Liouville’s proof of the existence of transcendentals. The irrationality of e and π. The continued fraction
Binary quadratic forms. Discriminants. Standard form. Representation of primes. [5]
 expansion of real numbers; the continued fraction expansion of e. [4]
Distribution of the primes. Divergence of p p−1 . The Riemann zeta-function and Dirichlet series.
Review of countability, topological spaces, and the properties of compact Hausdorff spaces. The Baire
Statement of the prime number theorem and of Dirichlet’s theorem on primes in an arithmetic progres-
category theorem for a complete metric space. Applications. [6]
sion. Legendre’s formula. Bertrand’s postulate. [4]
Continued fractions. Pell’s equation. [3] Appropriate books
Primality testing. Fermat, Euler and strong pseudo-primes. [2]
A.F. Beardon Complex Analysis: the Argument Principle in Analysis and Topology. John Wiley &
Factorization. Fermat factorization, factor bases, the continued-fraction method. Pollard’s method. Sons, 1979
[2] E.W. Cheney Introduction to Approximation Theory. AMS, 1999
G.H. Hardy and E.M. Wright An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers. Clarendon Press, Oxford,
Appropriate books fifth edition, reprinted 1989
A. Baker A Concise Introduction to the Theory of Numbers. Cambridge University Press 1984 T. Sheil-Small Complex Polynomials. Cambridge University. Press, 2002
Alan Baker A Comprehensive Course in Number Theory. Cambridge University Press 2012
G.H. Hardy and E.M. Wright An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers. Oxford University Press
N. Koblitz A Course in Number Theory and Cryptography. Springer 1994
T. Nagell Introduction to Number Theory. AMS
H. Davenport The Higher Arithmetic. Cambridge University Press
 PART II 26

CODING AND CRYPTOGRAPHY (C) 24 lectures, Lent term AUTOMATA AND FORMAL LANGUAGES (C) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term
Part IB Linear Algebra is useful and Part IB Groups, Rings and Modules is very useful. Part IA Numbers and Sets is essential.

Introduction to communication channels, coding and channel capacity. [1]

Register machines
Data compression; decipherability. Kraft’s inequality. Huffman and Shannon-Fano coding. Shannon’s Definition of a register machine; recursive functions, recursively enumerable sets. Undecidability of the
noiseless coding theorem. [2] halting problem for register machines. Other undecidable problems: reduction and Rice’s theorem.
Applications to gambling and the stock market. [1] Post systems; the λ-calculus; Church’s thesis. [8]
Codes, error detection and correction, Hamming distance. Examples: simple parity, repetition, Ham-
Regular languages and finite-state automata
ming’s original [7,16] code. Maximum likelihood decoding. The Hamming and Gilbert-Shannon-
Deterministic finite-state automata (DFA) and regular languages. Nondeterminism. Regular expres-
Varshamov bounds. Shannon entropy. [4]
sions. Limitations of finite-state automata: homomorphisms and closure properties; the pumping
Information rate of a Bernoulli source. Capacity of a memoryless binary symmetric channel; Shannon’s lemma; examples of non-regular languages. Minimization and the use of equivalence relations and
noisy coding theorem for such channels. [3] quotients to construct minimal DFAs. Myhill–Nerode theorem (statement only). Two-way finite au-
Linear codes, weight, generator matrices, parity checks. Syndrome decoding. Dual codes. Examples: tomata. [7]
Hamming, Reed-Muller. [2]
Pushdown automata and context-free languages
Cyclic codes. Discussion without proofs of the abstract algebra (finite fields, polynomial rings and
Context-free grammars and context-free languages: generating languages by replacement rules. Normal
ideals) required. Generator and check polynomials. BCH codes. Error-locator polynomial and decoding.
forms for context-free languages, the Chomsky and Greibach normal forms; left- or right-linear grammars
Recurrence (shift-register) sequences. Berlekamp-Massey algorithm. Secret sharing. [5]
are equivalent to regular languages; regular languages are context-free. Limitations of context-free
Introduction to cryptography. Unicity distance, one-time pad. Shift-register based pseudo-random grammars: the pumping lemma for context-free languages; examples of non-context-free languages.
sequences. Linear complexity. Simple cipher machines. [2] Pushdown automata. [8]
Secret sharing via simultaneous linear equations. Public-key cryptography. Secrecy and authentication.
The RSA system. The discrete logarithm problem and Elgamal signatures (and the Digital Signature Other topics
Algorithm). Bit commitment and coin tossing. [4] Statement and *informal discussion* of the P versus NP problem. *Turing machines*. [1]

Appropriate books Appropriate books

† G.M. Goldie and R.G.E. Pinch Communication Theory . Cambridge University Press 1991 J.E. Hopcroft, R. Motwani and J.D. Ullman Introduction to automata theory, languages and computa-
D. Welsh Codes and Cryptography. OUP 1988 tion, 3rd edn. Pearson 2006
T.M. Cover and J.A. Thomas Elements of Information Theory. Wiley 1991 P.T. Johnstone Notes on logic and set theory (Chapter 4). CUP 1987
†
W. Trappe and L.C. Washington Introduction to Cryptography with Coding Theory. Prentice Hall, D.C. Kozen Automata and computability. Springer 1997
2002 M. Sipser Introduction to the theory of computation. Wadsworth Publishing Co 2012
R.I. Soare Recursively enumerable sets and degrees: a study of computable functions and computably
generated sets. Springer (Perspectives in mathematical logic) 1987
PART II 27

STATISTICAL MODELLING (C) 24 lectures, Lent term MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY (C) 24 lectures, Lent term
Part IB Statistics is essential. About two thirds of this course will be lectures, with the remaining hours as practical classes, Part II Dynamical Systems is useful.
using R in the CATAM system. R may be downloaded at no cost via http://cran.r-project.org
Introduction to the role of mathematics in biology [1]
Introduction to the statistical package R
Systems without spatial structure: deterministic systems
The use of R for graphical summaries of data, e.g. histograms, and for classical tests such as t-tests
Examples: population dynamics, epidemiology, chemical reactions, physiological systems.
and F -tests. [2]
Continuous and discrete population dynamics governed by deterministic ordinary differential equations
Review of basic inferential techniques or difference equations. Single population models: the logistic model and bifurcation to chaos; systems
Asymptotic distribution of the maximum likelihood estimator. Approximate confidence intervals and with time delay; age-structured populations. Two-species models: predator-prey interactions, competi-
hypothesis tests. Wilks’ theorem. Posterior distributions and credible intervals. [3] tion, enzyme kinetics, infectious diseases. Phase-plane analysis, null-clines and stability of equilibrium.
Systems exhibiting nonlinear oscillations: limit cycles; excitable systems. [9]
Linear models
Maximum likelihood, least squares, and projection matrices. Prediction. Multiple linear regression, Stochastic systems
analysis of variance, transformations of variables including Box-Cox and model selection. Orthogonality Discrete stochastic models of birth and death processes. Master equations and Fokker-Planck equations.
of sets of parameters. Factors, interactions and their interpretation. Leverages, residuals, qq-plots, The continuum limit and the importance of fluctuations. Comparison of deterministic and stochastic
multiple R2 and Cook’s distances. [5] models, including implications for extinction/invasion. Simple random walk and derivation of the
diffusion equation. [6]
Exponential dispersion families and generalised linear models (glm)
Exponential families and mean-variance relationship. Dispersion parameter and generalised linear mod- Systems without spatial structure: diffusion and reaction-diffusion systems
els. Canonical link function. Iterative solution of likelihood equations. Regression for binomial data; The general transport equation. Fundamental solutions for steady and unsteady diffusion. Models with
use of logit and other link functions. Poisson regression models, and their surrogate use for multinomial density-dependent diffusion. Fischer-Kolmogorov equation: propagation of reaction-diffusion waves.
data. Application to 2- and 3-way contingency tables. Hypothesis tests and model selection, including Chemotaxis and the growth of chemotactic instability. General conditions for diffusion-driven (Turing)
deviance and Akaike’s Information Criteria. Residuals and model checking. [8] instability: linear stability analysis and evolution of spatial pattern. [8]

Examples in R Appropriate books

Linear and generalised linear models. Inference, model selection and criticism. [6]
L. Edelstein-Keshet Mathematical Models in Biology. SIAM classics in applied mathematics reprint,
Appropriate books 2005
J.D. Murray Mathematical Biology (3rd edition), especially volume 1. Springer, 2002
A.J.Dobson An Introduction to Generalized Linear Models. Chapman and Hall 2002 S.P. Ellner and J. Guckenheimer Dynamic Models in Biology. Princeton University Press, 2006
J.Faraway Practical Regression and Anova in R. http://cran.r-project.org/doc/contrib/Faraway-
PRA.pdf
A.C. Davison Statistical Models. CUP 2008
 PART II 28

FURTHER COMPLEX METHODS (C) 24 lectures, Lent term CLASSICAL DYNAMICS (C) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term
Complex Methods (or Complex Analysis) is essential. Part IB Variational Principles is essential.

Complex variable Review of Newtonian mechanics

Revision of complex variable. Analyticity of a function defined by an integral (statement and discussion Newton’s second law. Motion of N particles under mutual interactions. Euclidean and Galilean sym-
only). Analytic and meromorphic continuation. metry. Conservation laws of momentum, angular momentum and energy. [2]
Cauchy principal value of finite and infinite range improper integrals. The Hilbert transform. Kramers-
Lagrange’s equations
Kronig relations.
Configuration space, generalized coordinates and velocities. Holonomic constraints. Lagrangian, Hamil-
Multivalued functions: definitions, branch points and cuts, integration; examples, including inverse ton’s principle and Euler-Lagrange equations of motion. Examples: N particles with potential forces,
trigonometric functions as integrals and elliptic integrals. [8] planar and spherical pendulum, charged particle in a background electromagnetic field, purely kinetic
Lagrangians and geodesics. Ignorable coordinates. Symmetries and Noether’s theorem. [5]
Special functions
Gamma function: Euler integral definition; brief discussion of product formulae; Hankel representation; Quadratic Lagrangians, oscillations, normal modes. [1]
reflection formula; discussion of uniqueness (e.g. Wielandt’s theorem). Beta function: Euler integral
Motion of a rigid body
definition; relation to the gamma function. Riemann zeta function: definition as a sum; integral
Kinematics of a rigid body. Angular momentum, kinetic energy, diagonalization of inertia tensor. Euler
representations; functional equation; *discussion of zeros and relation to π(x) and the distribution of
top, conserved angular momentum, Euler equations and their solution in terms of elliptic integrals.
prime numbers*. [6]
Lagrange top, steady precession, nutation. [6]
Differential equations by transform methods
Hamilton’s equations
Solution of differential equations by integral representation; Airy equation as an example. Solution
Phase space. Hamiltonian and Hamilton’s equations. Simple examples. Poisson brackets, conserved
of partial differential equations by transforms; the wave equation as an example. Causality. Nyquist
quantities. Principle of least action. Liouville theorem. Action and angle variables for closed orbits in
stability criterion. [4]
2-D phase space. Adiabatic invariants (proof not required). Mention of completely integrable systems,
Second order ordinary differential equations in the complex plane and their action-angle variables. [7]
Classification of singularities, exponents at a regular singular point. Nature of the solution near an Hamiltonian systems in nonlinear phase spaces, e.g. classical spin in a magnetic field. 2-D motion of ideal
isolated singularity by analytic continuation. Fuchsian differential equations. The Riemann P-function, point vortices. *Connections between Lagrangian/Hamiltonian dynamics and quantum mechanics.*
hypergeometric functions and the hypergeometric equation, including brief discussion of monodromy. [3]
[6]
Appropriate books
Appropriate books † L.D.Landau and E.M. Lifshitz Mechanics. Butterworth-Heinemann 2002
†
M.J. Ablowitz and A.S. Fokas Complex Variables: Introduction and Applications. CUP 2003 F. Scheck Mechanics: from Newton’s laws to deterministic chaos. Springer 1999
†
E.T. Whittaker and G.N. Watson A course of modern analysis. CUP 1996 L.N. Hand and J.D. Finch Analytical Mechanics. CUP 1999
E.T. Copson Functions of a Complex Variable. Oxford University Press 1935 H. Goldstein, C. Poole and J. Safko Classical Mechanics. Pearson 2002
B. Spain and M.G. Smith Functions of Mathematical Physics. Van Nostrand 1970 V.I. Arnold Mathematical methods of classical mechanics. Springer 1978
PART II 29

COSMOLOGY (C) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term LOGIC AND SET THEORY (D) 24 lectures, Lent term
No specific prerequisites.

Introduction Ordinals and cardinals

∗Astronomical terminology (parsecs, magnitudes). The matter and radiation distribution in the uni- Well-orderings and order-types. Examples of countable ordinals. Uncountable ordinals and Hartogs’
verse. Hierarchy of structures in the universe from nucleons to galaxy clusters. Dark matter and lemma. Induction and recursion for ordinals. Ordinal arithmetic. Cardinals; the hierarchy of alephs.
dark energy. The four forces of nature, brief mention of the standard model, quarks and leptons, and Cardinal arithmetic. [5]
unification.∗ [2]
Posets and Zorn’s lemma
The expanding universe Partially ordered sets; Hasse diagrams, chains, maximal elements. Lattices and Boolean algebras.
The Cosmological Principle: homogeneity and isotropy. Derivation of Hubble’s law. Scale factor of the Complete and chain-complete posets; fixed-point theorems. The axiom of choice and Zorn’s lemma.
universe. Hubble parameter. Kinematic effects, including redshift. [2] Applications of Zorn’s lemma in mathematics. The well-ordering principle. [5]
Simple Newtonian account of an expanding fluid. The cosmological constant. Derivation of Friedmann
Propositional logic
and Raychaudhuri equations for perfect fluid models. Observational parameters: H, q, Ω. Possible
The propositional calculus. Semantic and syntactic entailment. The deduction and completeness theo-
worlds: open, closed, and flat models. Einstein, Friedmann, Lemaı̂tre and De Sitter universes. Age of
rems. Applications: compactness and decidability. [3]
the universe. Luminosity distance. The acceleration of the universe. Horizons. [4]
Predicate logic
Statistical physics
The predicate calculus with equality. Examples of first-order languages and theories. Statement of
Summary (only) of thermodynamics and statistical physics needed for the early universe: temperature
the completeness theorem; *sketch of proof*. The compactness theorem and the Löwenheim-Skolem
and entropy, blackbody radiation, density of states, fermion and boson distributions for mass, number
theorems. Limitations of first-order logic. Model theory. [5]
and entropy densities in classical and relativistic limits. [3]
Set theory
Thermal history of the universe
Set theory as a first-order theory; the axioms of ZF set theory. Transitive closures, epsilon-induction
Cosmic microwave background. Hydrogen recombination and photon decoupling. Helium, deuterium
and epsilon-recursion. Well-founded relations. Mostowski’s collapsing theorem. The rank function and
and primordial nucleosynthesis. Survival of massive particles (light and heavy neutrinos, hadrons).
the von Neumann hierarchy. [5]
Conservation of entropy and particle number. Matter/antimatter asymmetry and the early universe.
Inflation and the problems of the standard cosmology. Significance of the Planck time. The initial Consistency
singularity. [8] ∗Problems of consistency and independence∗. [1]
Origin of structure in the universe Appropriate books
Jeans instability. Definition of density perturbation. Derivation of cosmological perturbation equation.
Simple growing mode solution. Non-zero pressure, damping of perturbations and the Jeans length. B.A. Davey and H.A. Priestley Lattices and Order. Cambridge University Press 2002
Non-linear dust collapse. ∗Anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background. Simple description of T. Forster Logic, Induction and Sets. Cambridge University Press
inflationary fluctuations and the constant curvature spectrum.∗ [5] A. Hajnal and P. Hamburger Set Theory. LMS Student Texts number 48, CUP 1999
A.G. Hamilton Logic for Mathematicians. Cambridge University Press 1988
†
Appropriate books P.T. Johnstone Notes on Logic and Set Theory. Cambridge University Press 1987
D. van Dalen Logic and Structure. Springer-Verlag 1994
J.D. Barrow The Book of Universes. Vintage 2012
E. Linder First Principles of Cosmology. Addison Wesley 1997
R. Belusevic Relativity, Astrophysics and Cosmology 1st vol. Wiley 2008
B. Ryden Introduction to Cosmology. Addison-Wesley 2003
E.Kolb and M.S.Turner The Early Universe. Addison-Wesley 1990 (Advanced text to consult for
particular topics)
E.R. Harrison Cosmology: The Science of the Universe. CUP 2000
 PART II 30

GRAPH THEORY (D) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term GALOIS THEORY (D) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term
No specific prerequisites. Groups, Rings and Modules is essential.

Field extensions, tower law, algebraic extensions; irreducible polynomials and relation with simple
Introduction
algebraic extensions. Finite multiplicative subgroups of a field are cyclic. Existence and uniqueness of
Basic definitions. Trees and spanning trees. Bipartite graphs. Euler circuits. Elementary properties of
splitting fields. [6]
planar graphs. Statement of Kuratowski’s theorem. [3]
Existence and uniquness of algebraic closure. [1]
Connectivity and matchings Separability. Theorem of primitive element. Trace and norm. [3]
Matchings in bipartite graphs; Hall’s theorem and its variants. Connectivity and Menger’s theorem. [3]
Normal and Galois extensions, automorphic groups. Fundamental theorem of Galois theory. [3]
Extremal graph theory Galois theory of finite fields. Reduction mod p. [2]
Long paths, long cycles and Hamilton cycles. Complete subgraphs and Turán’s theorem. Bipartite Cyclotomic polynomials, Kummer theory, cyclic extensions. Symmetric functions. Galois theory of
subgraphs and the problem of Zarankiewicz. The Erdős-Stone theorem; *sketch of proof*. [5] cubics and quartics. [4]
Eigenvalue methods Solubility by radicals. Insolubility of general quintic equations and other classical problems. [3]
The adjacency matrix and the Laplacian. Strongly regular graphs. [2] Artin’s theorem on the subfield fixed by a finite group of automorphisms. Polynomial invariants of a
finite group; examples. [2]
Graph colouring
Vertex and edge colourings; simple bounds. The chromatic polynomial. The theorems of Brooks and Appropriate books
Vizing. Equivalent forms of the four colour theorem; the five colour theorem. Heawood’s theorem for
surfaces; the torus and the Klein bottle. [5] E. Artin Galois Theory. Dover Publications
I. Stewart Galois Theory. Taylor & Francis Ltd Chapman & Hall/CRC 3rd edition
Ramsey theory B. L. van der Waerden Modern Algebra. Ungar Pub 1949
Ramsey’s theorem (finite and infinite forms). Upper bounds for Ramsey numbers. [3] S. Lang Algebra (Graduate Texts in Mathematics). Springer-Verlag New York Inc
I. Kaplansky Fields and Rings. The University of Chicago Press
Probabilistic methods
Basic notions; lower bounds for Ramsey numbers. The model G(n, p); graphs of large girth and large
chromatic number. The clique number. [3]

Appropriate books
†
B.Bollobás Modern Graph Theory. Springer 1998
R.Diestel Graph Theory. Springer 2000
D.West Introduction to Graph Theory. Prentice Hall 1999
PART II 31

REPRESENTATION THEORY (D) 24 lectures, Lent term NUMBER FIELDS (D) 16 lectures, Lent term
Linear Algebra, and Groups, Rings and Modules are esssential. Part IB Groups, Rings and Modules is essential and Part II Galois Theory is desirable.

Definition of algebraic number fields, their integers and units. Norms, bases and discriminants. [3]
Representations of finite groups
Representations of groups on vector spaces, matrix representations. Equivalence of representations. Ideals, principal and prime ideals, unique factorisation. Norms of ideals. [3]
Invariant subspaces and submodules. Irreducibility and Schur’s Lemma. Complete reducibility for Minkowski’s theorem on convex bodies. Statement of Dirichlet’s unit theorem. Determination of units
finite groups. Irreducible representations of Abelian groups. in quadratic fields. [2]
Ideal classes, finiteness of the class group. Calculation of class numbers using statement of the Minkowski
Character theory
bound. [3]
Determination of a representation by its character. The group algebra, conjugacy classes, and orthog-
onality relations. Regular representation. Permutation representations and their characters. Induced Dedekind’s theorem on the factorisation of primes. Application to quadratic fields. [2]
representations and the Frobenius reciprocity theorem. Mackey’s theorem. Frobenius’s Theorem. Discussion of the cyclotomic field and the Fermat equation or some other topic chosen by the lecturer.
[12] [3]

Arithmetic properties of characters Appropriate books

Divisibility of the order of the group by the degrees of its irreducible characters. Burnside’s pa q b
theorem. [2] Alan Baker A Comprehensive Course in Number Theory. Cambridge University Press 2012
† Z.I. Borevich and I.R. Shafarevich Number Theory. Elsevier 1986
†
Tensor products J. Esmonde and M.R. Murty Problems in Algebraic Number Theory. Springer 1999
Tensor products of representations and products of characters. The character ring. Tensor, symmetric E. Hecke Lectures on the Theory of Algebraic Numbers. Springer 1981
and exterior algebras. [3] † D.A. Marcus Number Fields. Springer 1977

I.N. Stewart and D.O. Tall Algebraic Number Theory and Fermat’s Last Theorem. A K Peters 2002
Representations of S 1 and SU2
The groups S 1 , SU2 and SO(3), their irreducible representations, complete reducibility. The Clebsch-
Gordan formula. *Compact groups.* [4]

Further worked examples

The characters of one of GL2 (Fq ), Sn or the Heisenberg group. [3]

Appropriate books
J.L. Alperin and R.B. Bell Groups and representations. Springer 1995
I.M. Isaacs Character theory of finite groups. Dover Publications 1994
G.D. James and M.W. Liebeck Representations and characters of groups. Second Edition, CUP 2001
J-P. Serre Linear representations of finite groups. Springer-Verlag 1977
M. Artin Algebra. Prentice Hall 1991
PART II 32

ALGEBRAIC TOPOLOGY (D) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term LINEAR ANALYSIS (D) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term
Part IB Analysis II is essential, and Metric and Topological Spaces is highly desirable. Part IB Linear Algebra, Analysis II and Metric and Topological Spaces are essential.

Normed and Banach spaces. Linear mappings, continuity, boundedness, and norms. Finite-dimensional
The fundamental group
normed spaces. [4]
Homotopy of continuous functions and homotopy equivalence between topological spaces. The funda-
mental group of a space, homomorphisms induced by maps of spaces, change of base point, invariance The Baire category theorem. The principle of uniform boundedness, the closed graph theorem and the
under homotopy equivalence. [3] inversion theorem; other applications. [5]
The normality of compact Hausdorff spaces. Urysohn’s lemma and Tiezte’s extension theorem. Spaces
Covering spaces of continuous functions. The Stone–Weierstrass theorem and applications. Equicontinuity: the Ascoli–
Covering spaces and covering maps. Path-lifting and homotopy-lifting properties, and ther application Arzelà theorem. [5]
to the calculation of fundamental groups. The fundamental group of the circle; topological proof of the
Inner product spaces and Hilbert spaces; examples and elementary properties. Orthonormal systems,
fundamental theorem of algebra. *Construction of the universal covering of a path-connected, locally
and the orthogonalization process. Bessel’s inequality, the Parseval equation, and the Riesz–Fischer
simply connected space*. The correspondence between connected coverings of X and conjugacy classes
theorem. Duality; the self duality of Hilbert space. [5]
of subgroups of the fundamental group of X. [5]
Bounded linear operations, invariant subspaces, eigenvectors; the spectrum and resolvent set. Compact
The Seifert–Van Kampen theorem operators on Hilbert space; discreteness of spectrum. Spectral theorem for compact Hermitian operators.
Free groups, generators and relations for groups, free products with amalgamation. Statement *and [5]
proof* of the Seifert–Van Kampen theorem. Applications to the calculation of fundamental groups.
[4] Appropriate books
† B.Bollobás Linear Analysis. 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press 1999
Simplicial complexes
Finite simplicial complexes and subdivisions; the simplicial approximation theorem. [3] C. Goffman and G. Pedrick A First Course in Functional Analysis. 2nd Edition, Oxford University
Press 1999
Homology W. Rudin Real and Complex Analysis. McGraw–Hill International Editions: Mathematics Series
Simplicial homology, the homology groups of a simplex and its boundary. Functorial properties for
simplicial maps. *Proof of functoriality for continuous maps, and of homotopy invariance*. [4]

Homology calculations
The homology groups of S n , applications including Brouwer’s fixed-point theorem. The Mayer-Vietoris
theorem. *Sketch of the classification of closed combinatorical surfaces*; determination of their homol-
ogy groups. Rational homology groups; the Euler–Poincaré characteristic and the Lefschetz fixed-point
theorem [5]

Appropriate books
M. A. Armstrong Basic topology. Springer 1983
W. Massey A basic course in algebraic topology. Springer 1991
C. R. F. Maunder Algebraic Topology. Dover Publications 1980
A. Hatcher Algebraic Topology. Cambridge University Press, 2001
PART II 33

RIEMANN SURFACES (D) 16 lectures, Lent term ALGEBRAIC GEOMETRY (D) 24 lectures, Lent term
Complex Analysis is essential and Analysis II desirable. Groups Rings and Modules is essential.

The complex logarithm. Analytic continuation in the plane; natural boundaries of power series. Informal Affine varieties and coordinate rings. Projective space, projective varieties and homogenous coordinates.
examples of Riemann surfaces of simple functions (via analytic continuation). Examples of Riemann Rational and regular maps. [4]
surfaces, including the Riemann sphere, and the torus as a quotient surface. [4] Discussion of basic commutative algebra. Dimension, singularities and smoothness. [4]
Analytic, meromorphic and harmonic functions on a Riemann surface; analytic maps between two Conics and plane cubics. Quadric surfaces and their lines. Segre and Veronese embeddings. [4]
Riemann surfaces. The open mapping theorem, the local representation of an analytic function as
Curves, differentials, genus. Divisors, linear systems and maps to projective space. The canonical class.
z
→ z k . Complex-valued analytic and harmonic functions on a compact surface are constant. [2]
[8]
Germs of an analytic map between two Riemann surfaces; the space of germs as a covering surface (in
Statement of the Riemann-Roch theorem, with applications. [4]
the sense of complex analysis). The monodromy theorem (statement only). The analytic continuation
of a germ over a simply connected domain is single-valued. [3] Appropriate books
The degree of a map between compact Riemann surfaces; Branched covering maps and the Riemann- † K.Hulek Elementary Algebraic Geometry. American Mathematical Scoiety, 2003
Hurwitz relation (assuming the existence of a triangulation). The fundamental theorem of algebra.
F. Kirwan Complex Algebraic Curves. Cambridge University Press, 1992
Rational functions as meromorphic functions from the sphere to the sphere. [3]
M. Reid Undergraduate Algebraic Geometry. Cambridge University Press 1989
Meromorphic periodic functions; elliptic functions as functions from a torus to the sphere. The Weier- B. Hassett Introduction to Algebraic Geometry. Cambridge University Press, 2007
strass P-function. [3] K. Ueno An Introduction to Algebraic Geometry. American Mathematical Society 1977
Statement of the Uniformization Theorem; applications to conformal structure on the sphere, ∗to tori, R. Hartshorne Algebraic Geometry, chapters 1 and 4. Springer 1997
and the hyperbolic geometry of Riemann surfaces∗. [1]

Appropriate books
L.V.Ahlfors Complex Analysis. McGraw-Hill, 1979
A.F.Beardon A Primer on Riemann Surfaces. Cambridge University Press, 2004
G.A.Jones and D.Singerman Complex functions: an algebraic and geometric viewpoint. Cambridge
University Press, 1987
E.T.Whittaker and G.N.Watson A Course of Modern Analysis Chapters XX and XXI, 4th Edition.
Cambridge University Press, 1996
PART II 34

DIFFERENTIAL GEOMETRY (D) 24 lectures, Lent term PROBABILITY AND MEASURE (D) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term
Analysis II and Geometry are very useful. Analysis II is essential.

Smooth manifolds in Rn , tangent spaces, smooth maps and the inverse function theorem. Examples, Measure spaces, σ-algebras, π-systems and uniqueness of extension, statement ∗and proof∗ of
regular values, Sard’s theorem (statement only). Transverse intersection of submanifolds. [4] Carathéodory’s extension theorem. Construction of Lebesgue measure on R. The Borel σ-algebra
Manifolds with boundary, degree mod 2 of smooth maps, applications. [3] of R. Existence of non-measurable subsets of R. Lebesgue-Stieltjes measures and probability distri-
bution functions. Independence of events, independence of σ-algebras. The Borel–Cantelli lemmas.
Curves in 2-space and 3-space, arc-length, curvature, torsion. The isoperimetric inequality. [2]
Kolmogorov’s zero-one law. [6]
Smooth surfaces in 3-space, first fundamental form, area. [1]
Measurable functions, random variables, independence of random variables. Construction of the in-
The Gauss map, second fundamental form, principal curvatures and Gaussian curvature. Theorema tegral, expectation. Convergence in measure and convergence almost everywhere. Fatou’s lemma,
Egregium. [3] monotone and dominated convergence, differentiation under the integral sign. Discussion of product
Minimal surfaces. Normal variations and characterization of minimal surfaces as critical points of measure and statement of Fubini’s theorem. [6]
the area functional. Isothermal coordinates and relation with harmonic functions. The Weierstrass Chebyshev’s inequality, tail estimates. Jensen’s inequality. Completeness of Lp for 1  p  ∞. The
representation. Examples. [3] Hölder and Minkowski inequalities, uniform integrability. [4]
Parallel transport and geodesics for surfaces in 3-space. Geodesic curvature. [2] L2 as a Hilbert space. Orthogonal projection, relation with elementary conditional probability. Variance
The exponential map and geodesic polar coordinates. The Gauss-Bonnet theorem (including the state- and covariance. Gaussian random variables, the multivariate normal distribution. [2]
ment about classification of compact surfaces). [4] The strong law of large numbers, proof for independent random variables with bounded fourth moments.
Global theorems on curves: Fenchel’s theorem (the total curvature of a simple closed curve is greater Measure preserving transformations, Bernoulli shifts. Statements ∗and proofs∗ of maximal ergodic
than or equal to 2π); the Fary-Milnor theorem (the total curvature of a simple knotted closed curve is theorem and Birkhoff’s almost everywhere ergodic theorem, proof of the strong law. [4]
greater than 4π). [2] The Fourier transform of a finite measure, characteristic functions, uniqueness and inversion. Weak
convergence, statement of Lévy’s convergence theorem for characteristic functions. The central limit
Appropriate books
theorem. [2]
P.M.H. Wilson Curved Spaces. CUP, January 2008
M. Do Carmo Differential Geometry of Curves and Surfaces. Pearson Higher Education, 1976 Appropriate books
V. Guillemin and A. Pollack Differential Topology,. Pearson Higher Education, 1974 P. Billingsley Probability and Measure. Wiley 1995
J. Milnor Topology from the differentiable viewpoint. Revised reprint of the 1965 original. Princeton R.M. Dudley Real Analysis and Probability. Cambridge University Press 2002
Landmarks in Mathematics. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1997 R.T. Durrett Probability: Theory and Examples. Wadsworth and Brooks/Cole 1991
B. O’Neill Elementary Differential Geometry. Harcourt 2nd ed 1997 D. Williams Probability with Martingales. Cambridge University Press
A. Pressley Elementary Differential Geometry,. Springer Undergraduate Mathematics Series, Springer-
Verlag London Ltd, 2000
I.M. Singer and J.A. Thorpe Lecture notes on elementary topology and geometry. Undergraduate Texts
in Mathematics. Springer-Verlag, New York-Heidelberg, 1996
M. Spivak A Comprehensive Introduction to Differential Geometry. Vols. I-V, Publish or Perish, Inc.
1999
J.A. Thorpe Elementary Topics in Differential Geometry. Springer-Verlag 1994
PART II 35

APPLIED PROBABILITY (D) 24 lectures, Lent term PRINCIPLES OF STATISTICS (D) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term
Markov Chains is essential Part IB Statistics is essential

Finite-state continuous-time Markov chains: basic properties. Q-matrix, backward and forward equa-
The Likelihood Principle
tions. The homogeneous Poisson process and its properties (thinning, superposition). Birth and death
Basic inferential principles. Likelihood and score functions, Fisher information, Cramer-Rao lower
processes. [6]
bound, review of multivariate normal distribution. Maximum likelihood estimators and their asymptotic
General continuous-time Markov chains. Jump chains. Explosion. Minimal Chains. Communicating properties: stochastic convergence concepts, consistency, efficiency, asymptotic normality. Wald, score
classes. Hitting times and probabilities. Recurrence and transience. Positive and null recurrence. and likelihood ratio tests, confidence sets, Wilks’ theorem, profile likelihood. Examples. [8]
Convergence to equilibrium. Reversibility. [6]
Applications: the M/M/1 and M/M/∞ queues. Burke’s theorem. Jackson’s theorem for queueing Bayesian Inference
networks. The M/G/1 queue. [4] Prior and posterior distributions. Conjugate families, improper priors, predictive distributions. Asymp-
totic theory for posterior distributions. Point estimation, credible regions, hypothesis testing and Bayes
Renewal theory: renewal theorems, equilibrium theory (proof of convergence only in discrete time).
factors. [3]
Renewal-reward processes. Little’s formula. [4]
Moran and Wright-Fisher models. Kingmans’s coalescent. Infinite sites and infinite alleles models. Decision Theory
Ewens’ sampling formula. [4] Basic elements of a decision problem, including loss and risk functions. Decision rules, admissibility,
minimax and Bayes rules. Finite decision problems, risk set. Stein estimator. [4]
Appropriate books
Multivariate Analysis
G.R. Grimmett and D.R. Stirzaker Probability and Random Processes. OUP 2001 Correlation coefficient and distribution of its sample version in a bivariate normal population. Partial
J.R. Norris Markov Chains. CUP 1997 correlation coefficients. Classification problems, linear discriminant analysis. Principal component
R. Durrett Probability Models for DNA Sequences. Springer 2008 analysis. [5]

Nonparametric Inference and Monte Carlo Techniques

Glivenko-Cantelli theorem, KolmogorovSmirnov tests and confidence bands. Bootstrap methods: jack-
knife, roots (pivots), parametric and nonparametric bootstrap. Monte Carlo simulation and the Gibbs
sampler. [4]

Appropriate books
G. Casella and R.L. Berger Statistical Inference. Duxbury (2001)
A.W. van der Vaart Asymptotic Statistics. CUP (1998)
T.W. Anderson An introduction to multivariate statistical analysis. Wiley (2003)
E.L. Lehmann and G Casell Theory of Point estimation. Springer (1998)
PART II 36

STOCHASTIC FINANCIAL MODELS (D) 24 lectures, Lent term OPTIMISATION AND CONTROL (D) 16 lectures, Lent term
Methods, Statistics, Probability and Measure, and Markov Chains are desirable. Optimisation and Markov Chains are very helpful.

Utility and mean-variance analysis Dynamic programming

Utility functions; risk aversion and risk neutrality. Portfolio selection with the mean-variance criterion; The principle of optimality. The dynamic programming equation for finite-horizon problems. Inter-
the efficient frontier when all assets are risky and when there is one riskless asset. The capital-asset change arguments. Markov decision processes in discrete time. Infinite-horizon problems: positive,
pricing model. Reservation bid and ask prices, marginal utility pricing. Simplest ideas of equilibrium negative and discounted cases. Value interation. Policy improvment algorithm. Stopping problems.
and market clearning. State-price density. [5] Average-cost programming. [6]

Martingales LQG systems

Conditional expectation, definition and basic properties. Conditional expectation, definition and basic Linear dynamics, quadratic costs, Gaussian noise. The Riccati recursion. Controllability. Stabilizabil-
properties. Stopping times. Martingales, supermartingales, submartingales. Use of the optional sam- ity. Infinite-horizon LQ regulation. Observability. Imperfect state observation and the Kalman filter.
pling theorem. [3] Certainty equivalence control. [5]

Dynamic models Continuous-time models

Introduction to dynamic programming; optimal stopping and exercising American puts; optimal port- The optimality equation in continuous time. Pontryagin’s maximum principle. Heuristic proof and
folio selection. [3] connection with Lagrangian methods. Transversality conditions. Optimality equations for Markov
jump processes and diffusion processes. [5]
Pricing contingent claims
Lack of arbitrage in one-period models; hedging portfolios; martingale probabilities and pricing claims Appropriate books
in the binomial model. Extension to the multi-period binomial model. Axiomatic derivation. [4]
D.P. Bertsekas Dynamic Programming and Optimal Control, Volumes I and II. Athena Scientific, 2001
Brownian motion L. M. Hocking Optimal Control: An introduction to the theory with applications. Oxford 1991
Introduction to Brownian motion; Brownian motion as a limit of random walks. Hitting-time distribu- S. Ross Introduction to Stochastic Dynamic Programming. Academic Press 1995
tions; changes of probability. [3] P. Whittle Optimisation over Time Vols. I and II. Wiley 1983
P. Whittle Optimal Control: Basics and Beyond. Wiley 1995
Black-Scholes model
The Black-Scholes formula for the price of a European call; sensitivity of price with respect to the
parameters; implied volatility; pricing other claims. Binomial approximation to Black-Scholes. Use of
finite-difference schemes to compute prices [6]

Appropriate books
J. Hull Options, Futures and Other Derivative Securities. Prentice-Hall 2003
J. Ingersoll Theory of Financial Decision Making. Rowman and Littlefield 1987
A. Rennie and M. Baxter Financial Calculus: an introduction to derivative pricing. Cambridge Uni-
versity Press 1996
P. Wilmott, S. Howison and J. Dewynne The Mathematics of Financial Derivatives: a student intro-
duction. Cambridge University Press 1995
 PART II 37

ASYMPTOTIC METHODS (D) 16 lectures, Lent term DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS (D) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term
Either Complex Methods or Complex Analysis is essential, Part II Further Complex Methods is useful.

Asymptotic expansions  General introduction

Definition (Poincare) of φ(z) ∼ an z −n; examples; elementary properties; uniqueness; Stokes’ phe- The notion of a dynamical system and examples of simple phase portraits. Relationship between
nomenon. [4] continuous and discrete systems. Reduction to autonomous systems. Initial value problems, uniqueness,
finite-time blowup, examples. Flows, orbits, invariant sets, limit sets and topological equivalence.
Asymptotics behaviour of functions defined by integrals [3]
Integration by parts. Watson’s lemma and Laplace’s method. Riemann–Lebesgue lemma and method
of stationary phase. The method of steepest descent (including derivation of higher order terms). Airy Fixed points of flows
function, *and application to wave theory of a rainbow*. [7] Linearization. Classification of fixed points in R2 , Hamiltonian case. Effects of nonlinearity; hyperbolic
and non-hyperbolic cases; Stable-manifold theorem (statement only), stable and unstable manifolds in
Asymptotic behaviour of solutions of differential equations R2 . Phase-plane sketching. [3]
Asymptotic solution of second-order linear differential equations, including Liouville–Green functions
(proof that they are asymptotic not required) and WKBJ with the quantum harmonic oscillator as an Stability
example. [4] Lyapunov, quasi-asymptotic and asymptotic stability of invariant sets. Lyapunov and bounding func-
tions. Lyapunov’s 1st theorem; La Salle’s invariance principle. Local and global stability. [2]
Recent developments
Further discussion of Stokes’ phenomenon. *Asymptotics ‘beyond all orders’*. [1] Periodic orbits in R2
The Poincaré index; Dulac’s criterion; the Poincaré–Bendixson theorem (*and proof*). Nearly Hamil-
Appropriate books tonian flows.
† M.J. Ablowitz and A.S. Fokas Complex Variables: Introduction and Applications. CUP 2003 Stability of periodic orbits; Floquet multipliers. Examples; van der Pol oscillator. [5]
J.D. Murray Asymptotic Analysis. Springer 1984
Bifurcations in flows and maps
A. Erdelyi Asymptotic Expansions. Dover 1956
Non-hyperbolicity and structural stability. Local bifurcations of fixed points: saddle-node, transcritical,
P.D. Miller Applied Asymptotic Analysis. American Math. Soc. 2006
pitchfork and Andronov-Hopf bifurcations. Construction of centre manifold and normal forms. Exam-
F.W.J. Olver Asymptotics and Special Functions. A K Peters 1997
† C.M. Bender and S.A. Orszag Advanced Mathematical Methods for Scientists and Engineers: Asymptotic ples. Effects of symmetry and symmetry breaking. *Bifurcations of periodic orbits.* Fixed points and
periodic points for maps. Bifurcations in 1-dimensional maps: saddle-node, period-doubling, transcrit-
Methods and Perturbation Theory. Springer 1999
ical and pitchfork bifurcations. The logistic map. [5]

Chaos
Sensitive dependence on initial conditions, topological transitivity. Maps of the interval, the saw-
tooth map, horseshoes, symbolic dynamics. Period three implies chaos, the occurrence of N -cycles,
Sharkovsky’s theorem (statement only). The tent map. Unimodal maps and Feigenbaum’s constant.
[6]

Appropriate books
D.K. Arrowsmith and C.M. Place Introduction to Dynamical Systems. CUP 1990
P.G. Drazin Nonlinear Systems. CUP1992
†
P.A. Glendinning Stability, Instability and Chaos. CUP1994
D.W. Jordan and P. Smith Nonlinear Ordinary Differential Equations. OUP 1999
J. Guckenheimer and P. Holmes Nonlinear Oscillations, Dynamical Systems, and Bifurcations of Vector
Fields. Springer, second edition 1986
 PART II 38

INTEGRABLE SYSTEMS (D) 16 lectures, Michaelmas term PRINCIPLES OF QUANTUM MECHANICS (D) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term
Part IB Methods, and Complex Methods or Complex Analysis are essential; Part II Classical Dynamics is desirable. IB Quantum Mechanics is essential.

Integrability of ordinary differential equations: Hamiltonian systems and the Arnol’d–Liouville Theorem
Dirac formalism
(sketch of proof). Examples. [3]
Bra and ket notation, operators and observables, probability amplitudes, expectation values, complete
Integrability of partial differential equations: The rich mathematical structure and the universality commuting sets of operators, unitary operators. Schrödinger equation, wave functions in position and
of the integrable nonlinear partial differential equations (Korteweg-de Vries, sine-Gordon). Backlund momentum space. [3]
transformations and soliton solutions. [2]
Time evolution operator, Schrödinger and Heisenberg pictures, Heisenberg equations of motion. [2]
The inverse scattering method: Lax pairs. The inverse scattering method for the KdV equation, and
other integrable PDEs. Multi soliton solutions. Zero curvature representation. [6] Harmonic oscillator
Hamiltonian formulation of soliton equations. [2] Analysis using annihilation, creation and number operators. Significance for normal modes in physical
examples. [2]
Painleve equations and Lie symmetries: Symmetries of differential equations, the ODE reductions of
certain integrable nonlinear PDEs, Painleve equations. [3] Multiparticle systems
Composite systems and tensor products, wave functions for multiparticle systems. Symmetry or anti-
Appropriate books symmetry of states for identical particles, Bose and Fermi statistics, Pauli exclusion principle. [3]
† Dunajski, M Solitons, Instantons and Twistors. (Ch 1–4) Oxford Graduate Texts in Mathematics,
Perturbation theory
ISBN 9780198570639, OUP, Oxford 2009
Time-independent theory; second order without degeneracy, first order with degeneracy. [2]
S. Novikov, S.V. Manakov, L.P. Pitaevskii, V. Zaharov Theory of Solitons. for KdF and Inverse Scat-
tering Angular momentum
P.G. Drazin and R.S. Johnson Solitons: an introduction. (Ch 3, 4 and 5) Cambridge University Press Analysis of states |jm from commutation relations. Addition of angular momenta, calculation of
1989 Clebsch–Gordan coefficients. Spin, Pauli matrices, singlet and triplet combinations for two spin half
V.I. Arnol’d Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics. (Ch 10) Springer, 1997 states. [4]
P.R. Hydon Symmetry Methods for Differential Equations:A Beginner’s Guide. Cambridge University
Press 2000 Translations and rotations
P.J. Olver Applications of Lie groups to differential equations. Springeri 2000 Unitary operators corresponding to spatial translations, momenta as generators, conservation of momen-
MJ Ablowitz and P Clarkson Solitons, Nonlinear Evolution Equations and Inverse Scattering. CUP tum and translational invariance. Corresponding discussion for rotations. Reflections, parity, intrinsic
1991 parity. [3]
MJ Ablowitz and AS Fokas Complex Variables. CUP, Second Edition 2003
Time-dependent perturbation theory
Interaction picture. First-order transition probability, the golden rule for transition rates. Application
to atomic transitions, selection rules based on angular momentum and parity, ∗ absorption, stimulated
and spontaneous emission of photons∗ . [3]

Quantum basics
Quantum data, qubits, no cloning theorem. Entanglement, pure and mixed states, density matrix.
Classical determinism versus quantum probability, Bell inequality for singlet two-electron state, GHZ
state. [2]

Appropriate books
† E.Merzbacher Quantum Mechanics, 3rd edition. Wiley 1998
† B.H. Bransden and C.J. Joachain Quantum Mechanics, 2nd edition. Pearson
J. Binney and D. Skinner The Physics of Quantum Mechanics. Cappella Archive, 3rd edition
P.A.M. Dirac The Principles of Quantum Mechanics. Oxford University Press 1967, reprinted 2003
C.J. Isham Lectures on Quantum Theory: Mathematical and Structural Foundations. Imperial College
Press 1995
PART II 39

APPLICATIONS OF QUANTUM MECHANICS (D) 24 lectures, Lent term STATISTICAL PHYSICS (D) 24 lectures, Lent term
Principles of Quantum Mechanics is essential. Part IB Quantum Mechanics and “Multiparticle Systems” from Part II Principles of Quantum Mechanics are essential.

Variational Principle Fundamentals of statistical mechanics

Variational principle, examples. [2] Microcanonical ensemble. Entropy, temperature and pressure. Laws of thermodynamics. Example
of paramagnetism. Boltzmann distribution and canonical ensemble. Partition function. Free energy.
Bound states and scattering states in one dimension Specific heats. Chemical Potential. Grand Canonical Ensemble. [5]
Bound states, reflection and transmission amplitudes. Examples. Relation between bound states and
transmission amplitude by analytic continuation. [3] Classical gases
Density of states and the classical limit. Ideal gas. Maxwell distribution. Equipartition of energy.
Scattering theory in three dimensions Diatomic gas. Interacting gases. Virial expansion. Van der Waal’s equation of state. Basic kinetic
Classical scattering, definition of differential cross section. Asymptotic wavefunction for quantum scat- theory. [3]
tering, scattering amplitude, cross section. Green’s function, Born approximation to scattering on a
potential. Spherically symmetric potential, partial waves and phase shifts, optical theorem. Low energy Quantum gases
scattering, scattering length. Bound states and resonances as zeros and poles of S-matrix. [5] Density of states. Planck distribution and black body radiation. Debye model of phonons in solids.
Bose-Einstein distribution. Ideal Bose gas and Bose-Einstein condensation. Fermi-Dirac distribution.
Electrons in a magnetic field Ideal Fermi gas. Pauli paramagnetism. [8]
Vector potential and Hamiltonian. Quantum Hamiltonian, inclusion of electron spin, gauge invariance,
Zeeman splitting. Landau levels, effect of spin, degeneracy and filling effects, use of complex variable Thermodynamics
for lowest Landau level. Aharonov-Bohm effect. [4] Thermodynamic temperature scale. Heat and work. Carnot cycle. Applications of laws of thermody-
namics. Thermodynamic potentials. Maxwell relations. [4]
Particle in a one-dimensional periodic potential
Discrete translation group, lattice and reciprocal lattice, periodic functions. Bloch’s theorem, Brillouin Phase transitions
zone, energy bands and gaps. Floquet matrix, eigenvalues. Band gap in nearly-free electron model, Liquid-gas transitions. Critical point and critical exponents. Ising model. Mean field theory. First and
tight-binding approximation. [3] second order phase transitions. Symmetries and order parameters. [4]

Crystalline solids Appropriate books

Introduction to crystal symmetry groups in three dimensions, Voronoi/Wigner-Seitz cell. Primitive,
body-centred and face-centred cubic lattices. Reciprocal lattice, periodic functions, lattice planes, F. Mandl Statistical Physics. Wiley 1988
Brillouin zone. Bloch states, electron bands, Fermi surface. Basics of electrical conductivity: insulators, R.K. Pathria Statistical Mechanics, 2nd ed.. Butterworth-Heinemann 1996
semiconductors, conductors. Extended zone scheme. [4] L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz Statistical Physics, Part 1 (Course of Theoretical Physics volume 5).
Butterworth-Heinemann 1996
Bragg scattering. Vibrations of crystal lattice, quantization, phonons. [3]
F. Reif Fundamentals of Thermal and Statistical Physics. McGraw-Hill 1965
A.B. Pippard Elements of Classical Thermodynamics. Cambridge University Press, 1957
Appropriate books
K. Huang Introduction to Statistical Physics. Taylor and Francis 2001
D.J. Griffiths Introduction to Quantum Mechanics. 2nd edition, Pearson Education 2005
N.W. Ashcroft and N.D. Mermin Solid State Physics. Holt–Saunders 1976
L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz Quantum Mechanics (Course in Theoretical Physics Vol. 3).
Butterworth–Heinemann, 1981
PART II 40

ELECTRODYNAMICS (D) 16 lectures, Michaelmas term GENERAL RELATIVITY (D) 24 lectures, Lent term
IB Electromagnetism and IA Dynamics and Relativity are essential. IB Methods is desirable. Part IB Methods and Variational Principles are very useful.

Classical Field Theory Brief review of Special Relativity

Revision of Maxwell’s equations in relativistic form. Action principle for Maxwell’s equations with Notion of proper time. Equation of motion for free point particle derivable from a variational principle.
prescribed current. Action principle for charged particles. Motion of relativistic charged particles in Noether’s Theorem. [1]
constant electric and magnetic fields. Electromagnetic field energy, momentum and stress tensor. Poynt-
ing’s theorem. Energy and momentum density of a plane electromagnetic wave. Radiation pressure. Introduction and motivation for General Relativity
[6] Curved and Riemannian spaces. The Pound–Rebka experiment. Introduction to general relativity:
interpretation of the metric, clock hypothesis, geodesics, equivalence principles. Static spacetimes.
Electromagnetic Radiation Newtonian limit. [4]
Revision of multipole expansions in electrostatics and magnetostatics. Retarded potential of a time-
dependent charge distribution. The radiation field. Dipole radiation. Energy radiated. Liénard– Tensor calculus
Wiechert potentials for an arbitrarily moving point charge. Larmor formula. Scattering. [5] Covariant and contravariant tensors, tensor manipulation, partial derivatives of tensors. Metric tensor,
magnitudes, angles, duration of curve, geodesics. Connection, Christoffel symbols, covariant derivatives,
Electromagnetism in Media parallel transport, autoparallels as geodesics. Curvature. Riemann and Ricci tensors, geodesic deviation.
Electric fields in matter and polarisation. Magnetic fields in matter and bound currents. Macroscopic [5]
Maxwell equations. Reflection and refraction. Dispersion. Causality and Kramers–Kronig relation.
Electromagnetic waves in conductors; the Drude model, plasma oscillations. [5] Vacuum field equations
Spherically symmetric spacetimes, the Schwarzschild solution. Birkhoff’s Theorem. Rays and orbits,
Appropriate books gravitational red-shift, light deflection, perihelion advance. Shapiro time delay. [4]

A. Zangwill Modern Electrodynamics. CUP 2012 Einstein Equations coupled to matter

J.D. Jackson Electrodynamics. Wiley 1999 Concept of an energy momentum tensor. Maxwell stress tensor and perfect fluid as examples. Impor-
L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz The Classical Theory of Fields (Course of Theoretical Physics volume tance of Bianchi identities. The emergence of the cosmological term. Simple exact solutions: Friedmann-
2). Butterworth-Heinemann 1996 Lemaitre metrics, the Einstein Static Universe. Hubble expansion and redshift. De-Sitter spacetime,
R. Feynman, R. Leighton and M. Sands The Feynman Lectures in Physics, Vol 2. . Basic Books 2011 mention of Dark Energy and the problem of Dark matter. Notion of geodesic completeness and def-
inition of a spacetime singularity. Schwarzschild and Friedmann-Lemaitre spacetimes as examples of
spacetimes with singularities. [4]

Linearized theory
Linearized form of the vacuum equations. De-Donder gauge and reduction to wave equation. Compar-
ison of linearized point mass solution with exact Schwarzschild solution and identification of the mass
parameter. Gravitational waves in linearized theory. *The quadrupole formula for energy radiated.*
Comparison of linearized gravitational waves with the exact pp-wave metric. [4]

Gravitational collapse and black holes

Non-singular nature of the surface r = 2M in the Schwarzschild solution using Finkelstein and Kruskal
coordinates. The idea of an event horizon and the one-way passage of timelike geodesics through it.
Qualitative account of idealized spherically symmetric collapse. The final state: statement of Israel’s
Theorem. *Qualitative description of Hawking radiation.* [2]

Appropriate books
S.M. Carroll Spacetime and Geometry. Addison-Wesley 2004
J.B. Hartle Gravity: An introduction to Einstein’s General Relativity. Addison–Wesley 2002
L.P. Hughston and K.P. Tod An Introduction to General Relativity. Cambridge University Press 1990
R. d’Inverno Introducing Einstein’s Relativity. Clarendon 1992
†
W. Rindler Relativity: Special, General and Cosmological. Oxford University Press 2001
H. Stephani Relativity: An introduction to Special and General Relativity. Cambridge University Press,
2004
PART II 41

FLUID DYNAMICS II (D) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term WAVES (D) 24 lectures, Lent term
Methods and Fluid Dynamics are essential. Part IB Methods is essential and Part IB Fluid Dynamics is very belpful.
It is recommended that students attend the associated Laboratory Demonstrations in Fluid Dynamics, which take place in
the Michaelmas term. Sound waves
Equations of motion of an inviscid compressible fluid (without discussion of thermodynamics). Mach
Governing equations for an incompressible Newtonian fluid number. Linear acoustic waves; wave equation; wave-energy equation; plane waves; spherically sym-
Stress and rate-of-strain tensors and hypothesis of linear relation between them for an isotropic fluid; metric waves. [3]
equation of motion; conditions at a material boundary; dissipation; flux of mass, momentum and energy;
the Navier-Stokes equations. Dynamical similarity; steady and unsteady Reynolds numbers. [4] Elastic waves
Momentum balance; stress and infinitesimal strain tensors and hypothesis of a linear relation between
Unidirectional flows them for an isotropic solid. Wave equations for dilatation and rotation; dilatation and shear potentials.
Couette and Poiseuille flows; the Stokes layer; the Rayleigh problem. [2] Compressional and shear plane waves; simple problems of reflection and transmission; Rayleigh waves.
[6]
Stokes flows
Flow at low Reynolds number; linearity and reversibility; uniqueness and minimum dissipation theorems. Dispersive waves
Flow in a corner; force and torque relations for a rigid particle in arbitrary motion; case of a rigid sphere Rectangular acoustic wave guide; Love waves; cut-off frequency. Representation of a localised initial
and a spherical bubble. [4] disturbance by a Fourier integral (one-dimensional case only); modulated wave trains; stationary phase.
Group velocity as energy propagation velocity; dispersing wave trains. Water waves; internal gravity
Flow in a thin layer
waves. [5]
Lubrication theory; simple examples; the Hele-Shaw cell; gravitational spreading on a horizontal surface.
[3] Ray theory
Group velocity from wave-crest kinematics; ray tracing equations. Doppler effect; ship wave pattern.
Generation and confinement of vorticity
Cases where Fermat’s Principle and Snell’s law apply. [4]
Vorticity equation; vortex stretching; flow along a plane wall with suction; flow toward a stagnation
point on a wall; flow in a stretched line vortex. [3] Non-linear waves
One-dimensional unsteady flow of a perfect gas. Water waves. Riemann invariants; development of
Boundary layers at high Reynolds number
shocks; rarefaction waves; ‘piston’ problems. Rankine-Hugoniot relations for a steady shock. Hydraulic
The Euler limit and the Prandtl limit; the boundary layer equation for two-dimensional flow. Similarity
jumps. [6]
solutions for flow past a flat plate and a wedge. ∗Discussion of the effect of acceleration of the external
stream, separation.∗ Boundary layer at a free surface; rise velocity of a spherical bubble. [6] Appropriate books
Stability of unidirectional inviscid flow J.D. Achenbach Wave Propagation in Elastic Solids. North Holland 1973
Instability of a vortex sheet and of simple jets (e.g. vortex sheet jets). [2] † J. Billingham and A.C. King Wave Motion: Theory and application. Cambridge University Press 2000

D.R. Bland Wave Theory and Applications. Clarendon Press 1988

Appropriate books M.J. Lighthill Waves in Fluids. Cambridge University Press 1978
D.J. Acheson Elementary Fluid Dynamics. Oxford University Press 1990 G.B. Whitham Linear and Nonlinear Waves. Wiley 1999
G.K. Batchelor An Introduction to Fluid Dynamics. Cambridge University Press 2000
E. Guyon, J-P Hulin, L. Petit and C.D. Mitescu Physical Hydrodynamics. Oxford University Press
2000
PART II 42

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS (D) 24 lectures, Michaelmas term COMPUTATIONAL PROJECTS

Part IB Numerical Analysis is essential and Analysis II, Linear Algebra and Complex Methods or Complex Analysis are
all desirable. The projects that need to be completed for credit are published by the Faculty in a manual usu-
ally by the end of July preceding the Part II year. The manual contains details of the projects
Finite difference methods for the Poisson’s equation and information about course administration. The manual is available on the Faculty website at
Approximation of ∇2 by finite differences. The accuracy of the five-point method in a square. Higher http://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/catam/. Each project is allocated a number of units of
order methods. Solution of the difference equations by iterative methods, including multigrid. Fast credit. Full credit may obtained from the submission of projects with credit totalling 30 units. Credit
Fourier transform (FFT) techniques. [5] for submissions totalling less than 30 units is awarded proportionately. There is no restriction on the
choice of projects. Once the manual is available, the projects may be done at any time up to the
Finite difference methods for initial value partial differential equations submission deadline, which is near the beginning of the Easter Full Term.
Difference schemes for the diffusion equation and the advection equation. Proof of convergence in
A list of suitable books can be found in the manual
simple cases. The concepts of well posedness and stability. Stability analysis by eigenvalue and Fourier
techniques. Splitting methods. [6]

Spectral methods
Brief review of Fourier expansions. Calculation of Fourier coefficients with FFT. Spectral methods
for the Poisson equation in a square with periodic boundary conditions. Chebyshev polynomials and
Chebyshev methods. Spectral methods for initial-value PDEs. [5]

Iterative methods for linear algebraic systems

Iterative methods, regular splittings and their convergence. Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel methods. Krylov
spaces. Conjugate gradients and preconditioning. [5]

Computation of eigenvalues and eigenvectors

The power method and inverse iteration. Transformations to tridiagonal and upper Hessenberg forms.
The QR algorithm for symmetric and general matrices, including shifts. [3]

Appropriate books
G.H. Golub and C.F. van Loan Matrix Computations. Johns Hopkins Press 1996
A. Iserles A First Course in the Numerical Analysis of Differential Equations. Cambridge University
Press 1996
K.W. Morton and D.F. Mayers Numerical Solution of Partial Differential Equations: an Introduction.
Cambridge University Press 2005