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MSc Mathematics
Self-Assessment Problems

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These problems are designed to help decide whether you ought to take the MSc Mathematics course. If you can
already do most or all of the questions you need not take the course; if you have no idea how to tackle any of them
you will be offered extra help. Although your answers will not be marked in detail and will not contribute to your
degree, we would like you to hand in your working along with this problem sheet. This will help us assess which
parts of the course you are likely to find difficult. Looking up formulae you have learnt in the past but since forgotten
is fine, but please do not search the internet or books for detailed answers to the problems.

Easy Possible No idea

T
1. Using suffix notation, demonstrate that xT Bx = xT B x for all (real, square,   
n n) matrices B Rnn and (real) vectors x Rn .
2
2. Determine the Green function for the linear differential operator L = dx
d
2 with   
boundary conditions y(0) = 0 and y(1) = 0.
3. Given the differential operator   
d2 d
Ln = 2
+ 2x 2n ,
dx dx
determine w(x) such that L
fn = wLn is self-adjoint. Normalise the weight
function to w(0) = 1.
4. Using Laplace transforms, find the solution of f + 5 f + 6 f = 1 with f (0) =   
f(0) = 0.
5. Given that u(x, y) = cos(x2 y2 ) cosh(2xy) is the real part of a complex func-   
tion f (z) = f (x + iy), use the Cauchy-Riemann equations to find f (z) to within
an arbitrary constant. (Hint: the Cauchy-Riemann differential equations may
be integrated by inspection.)

1
6. Locate and classify the singularities of the following complex functions and
determine the residues.
4z
(a) 3   
z 8
(b) cot(z)   
7. Using the Bromwich integral formula, find the inverse Laplace transform of   
the function
2
F(s) = .
4 + s2
8. Using the method of Lagrange multipliers, find the function y(x) that makes   
the functional Z /2 
(y0 )2 y2 dx

I[y] =
0
Z /2
stationary subject to the constraint 2ydx = 6 . The boundary condi-
0
tions are y(0) = 0 and y(/2) = 1.

Answers

1. xT Bx = xi Bik xk = xi Bki xk = xT BT x
2. (
x0 (x 1) for 0 < x0 < x < 1
G(x, x0 ) =
x(x0 1) for 0 < x < x0 < 1

3. w(x) = exp x2

4. f (t) = 1/6 e2t /2 + e3t /3

5. f (z) = cos(x2 y2 ) cosh(2xy) i sin(x2 y2 ) sinh(2xy) + const. = cos(z2 ) + const.
6. (a) Simple poles at z = 2, 2e2i/3 , 2e2i/3 . The residues are 1/[1 cos(2/3)],
ei/3 /[2 sin(/3) sin(2/3)], ei/3 /[2 sin(/3) sin(2/3)].
(b) Simple poles at z = 0, 1, 2, . . .. All residues equal to 1/.
7. f (x) = sin(2x).
8. y(x) = 2 sin x + cos x 1