UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Faculty of Mathematics

SCHEDULES FOR THE MATHEMATICS COURSES

IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES TRIPOS 2020-21

This booklet describes courses provided by the Faculty of Mathematics for students taking
Natural Sciences or Computer Science. Its purposes are to provide :

(i) detailed schedules (i.e. syllabuses) for each of the courses;

(ii) information about the examinations;

(iii) a bibliography.

Queries and suggestions should be addressed to :

Faculty of Mathematics,
Centre for Mathematical Sciences,
Wilberforce Road,
Cambridge CB3 0WA
United Kingdom
(e-mail: [email protected]).

All the relevant documentation is available on the Faculty of Mathematics website (http:
//www.maths.cam.ac.uk/), where a section specific to the Mathematics courses in the Natural
Sciences Tripos (http://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergradnst/) is provided. Course materi-
als are available on Moodle at https://www.vle.cam.ac.uk/.

August 14, 2020

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aim of the Faculty of Mathematics is to provide relevant service courses for the Natural
Sciences and Computer Science Triposes. After completing Mathematics A or B (Part IA) and
Mathematics (Part IB), students should have covered the mathematical methods required to
provide a grounding in the mathematical techniques used either in the Physical Sciences courses
of the Natural Sciences Tripos or in the Computer Science Tripos, as appropriate.

COVID-19
The arrival of the pandemic required all teaching and assessment to be moved online at short
notice in Easter Term 2020, and resulted in the 2020 examinations being replaced by online
formative assessments. Though it is currently very unclear how the public health situation will
evolve through 2020/21, these schedules reflect the Faculty’s working assumption that it should
again be possible to hold “normal” examinations in Easter Term 2021.
While the content of the lecture courses is described by the schedules below, the delivery and
location of lectures will certainly be affected by health considerations in Michaelmas and prob-
ably subsequent terms. Detailed arrangements, and updates on any changes, will be announced
by email and posted on the Moodle pages for these courses.

COURSES
Part IA
The following mathematics courses are provided for Part IA of the Natural Sciences and Com-
puter Science Tripos.

• Mathematics, Course A

• Mathematics, Course B

Course A provides a thorough grounding in methods of mathematical science and contains

everything prerequisite for the mathematical content of all physical-science courses in Part IB
of the Natural Sciences Tripos, including specifically Mathematics, Physics A and Physics B.
Course B contains additional material for those students who find mathematics rewarding in
its own right, and it proceeds at a significantly faster pace. Both courses draw on examples
from the physical sciences but provide a general mathematical framework by which quantitative
ideas can be transferred across disciplines.
Students are strongly encouraged to take Course A unless they have a thorough understanding
of the material in Further Mathematics A-Level. Some topics that look similar in the Schedules
may be lectured quite differently in terms of style and depth. Both courses lead to the same
examination and qualification. Mathematics is a skill that requires firm foundations: it
is a better preparation for future courses in NST to gain a first-class result having
pursued Course A than to gain a second-class result following Course B.
Each course consists of 60 lectures over three terms.
An additional scientific computing module organised by the NST Management Committee runs
in Michaelmas Term; information regarding this module will be provided separately.

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Part IB
The following mathematics course is provided for Part IB of the Natural Sciences Tripos

• Mathematics

In order to take this course in Part IB of the Natural Sciences Tripos, it is recommended to
have obtained at least a second class in Part IA Mathematics, course A or B. The material from
course A is assumed. Students are nevertheless advised that if they have taken course A in
Part IA, they should consult their Director of Studies about suitable reading during the Long
Vacation before embarking upon part IB Mathematics. The IB course consists of 58 lectures
over the three terms, six assessed computational exercises and occasional examples classes.

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EXAMINATIONS
In the examinations, formulae booklets will not be provided but candidates will not be required
to quote elaborate formulae from memory. The use of calculators will not be permitted.

Part IA Mathematics, courses A and B

These courses are examined in two three-hour written papers, common to both courses, at the
end of the year.
The written papers each consist of two sections, A and B. Section A on Paper 1 is based on the
A-Level syllabus. All other parts of the written papers are based on these Schedules. Candidates
may attempt all questions from Section A and at most 5 questions from section B.
Section A on each paper consists of up to 20 short-answer questions and carries a total of 20
marks. Section B on each paper consists of 10 questions, each of which carries 20 marks. Up to
2 of the questions in Section B of each paper are starred to indicate that they rely on material
lectured in the B course but not in the A course. The examination paper shows, for each major
subsection of a question, the approximate maximum mark available.
The questions in Section A have clear goals that carry 1 mark (correct) or 0 marks (incorrect or
incomplete); no fractional credit is given and it is not necessary to show working. In Section B,
partial credit may be available for incomplete answers and students are advised to show their
working.

Part IB Mathematics
This course is examined in two three-hour papers at the end of the year, together with six
assessed computer practicals, the arrangements for which are described in a course handbook
that will be distributed by the lecturer for the Mathematics course.1
On each paper, candidates may attempt up to 6 questions. All attempts at a question are given
a mark out of 20. The examination paper shows, for each major subsection of the question, the
approximate maximum mark available.
The total credit available for the computer practicals is 24 marks: each of the six modules has
a maximum mark of 4. A student who submits complete attempts at all the practicals should
receive a mark of at least 20. Students are required to register electronically for the Computer
Practical course using the instructions in the course booklet. This must be done before the
deadline (in late October) stated in the booklet. The first two modules must be submitted
in electronic form before the end of the Michaelmas term and all remaining modules must be
submitted for assessment in electronic form by the end of the Lent term. The student must also
submit a signed declaration form stating that ‘The results achieved are my own unaided work’.

Transcript Marks
As with all mathematics examinations, the marks required for each class vary from year to year
according to the difficulty of the examination and other factors.
In order to ensure comparability between subjects, the Natural Sciences Tripos requires marks
to be reported in a form where 70+% corresponds to a First Class, 60−69% to a 2.i, 50−59% to
a 2.ii, and 40 − 49% to a Third. In accordance with guidelines for the NST, this reported mark,
which appears on CamSIS and official transcripts, is obtained by a piecewise linear mapping of
the total raw marks onto this scale, and the same mapping is applied, in proportion, to the raw
marks obtained on both the examinations and the practicals.
1
Further copies are available from the Centre for Mathematical Sciences, the electronic version will also be
available on Moodle.

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SCHEDULES
The schedules, or syllabuses, given on the following pages are determined by a committee which
has input from all the Physical Science subjects in the Natural Sciences and from Computer
Science and is agreed by the Faculty of Mathematics. The schedules are minimal for lecturing
and maximal for examining; that is to say, all the material in the schedules will be lectured and
only this material will be examined.
The numbers in square bracket at the end of paragraphs of the schedules indicate roughly the
number of lectures that will be devoted to the material in the paragraph.

Part IA: Mathematics, course A

This course comprises Mathematical Methods I, Mathematical Methods II and Mathematical
Methods III.
The material in the course will be as well illustrated as time allows with examples and applica-
tions of Mathematical Methods to the Physical Sciences.
Mathematical Methods I 24 lectures, Michaelmas term
Vector sum and vector equation of a line. Scalar product, unit vectors, vector equation of
a plane. Vector product, vector area, vector and scalar triple products. Orthogonal bases.
Cartesian components. Spherical and cylindrical polar coordinates. [5]
Complex numbers and complex plane, vector diagrams. Exponential function of a complex
variable. exp (iωt), complex representations of cos and sin. Hyperbolic functions. [3]
Revision for functions of a single variable of differentiation (including differentiation from first
principles, product and chain rules) and of stationary values. Elementary curve sketching.
Brief mention of the ellipse and its properties. Power series. Statement of Taylor’s theorem.
Examples to include the binomial expansion, exponential and trigonometric functions, and
logarithm. Newton-Raphson method. [5]
The integral as the limit of a sum. Methods of integration (including by parts and substitution).
Examples to include odd and even functions and trigonometric functions. Fundamental theorem
of calculus. [3]
Elementary probability theory. Simple examples of conditional probability. Probability dis-
tributions, discrete and continuous, normalisation. Permutations and combinations. Binomial
distribution, (p + q)n , binomial coefficients. Normal distribution. Expectation values, mean,
variance and its expression in terms of first and second moments.
[5]
Extended examples distributed through the course. [3]

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Mathematical Methods II 24 lectures, Lent term
Ordinary differential equations. First order equations: separable equations; linear equations,
integrating factors. Second-order linear equations with constant coefficients; exp(λx) as trial
solution, including degenerate case. Superposition. Particular integrals and complementary
functions. Constants of integration and number of necessary boundary/initial conditions. Par-
ticular integrals by trial solutions. [6]
Differentiation of functions of several variables. Differentials, chain rule. Exact differentials.
Scalar and vector fields. Gradient of a scalar as a vector field. Directional derivatives. Un-
conditional stationary values. Elementary sketching of contours in two dimensions illustrating
maxima, minima and saddle points. Verification of solution to a partial differential equation by
substitution. Linear superposition. [7]
Double and triple integrals
R +∞ in Cartesian, spherical and cylindrical coordinates. Examples to
include evaluation of −∞ exp(−x2 )dx. [3]
Parameterized curves. Line integral of a vector field. Conservative and non-conservative vector
fields. Surface integrals and flux of a vector field over a surface. Divergence of a vector field.
∇2 as div grad. Curl. *Statement of the Divergence and Stokes Theorems.* [5]
Extended examples distributed through the course. [3]

Mathematical Methods III 12 lectures, Easter term

Linear equations. Matrix addition and multiplication. Determinant of a matrix. Statement
of main properties of determinants. Inverse matrix. The equations A x = 0 with non-zero
solutions. Symmetric, antisymmetric and orthogonal matrices. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors
for symmetric matrices. [7]
Orthogonality relations for sine and cosine. Fourier series; examples. [3]
Extended examples distributed through the course. [2]

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Part IA: Mathematics, course B
This course comprises Mathematical Methods I, Mathematical Methods II and Mathematical
Methods III.
The material will be as well illustrated as time allows with examples and applications of Math-
ematical Methods to the Physical Sciences.

Mathematical Methods I 24 lectures, Michaelmas term

Vector sum and vector equation of a line. Scalar product, unit vectors, vector equation of
a plane. Vector product, vector area, vector and scalar triple products. Orthogonal bases.
Cartesian components. Spherical and cylindrical polar coordinates. [4]
Complex numbers and complex plane, vector diagrams. Exponential function of a complex
variable. exp (iωt), complex representations of cos and sin. Hyperbolic functions. [2]
Revision of single variable calculus. Leibnitz’s formula. Elementary curve sketching. Brief
mention of the ellipse and its properties. Elementary Analysis; idea of convergence and limits.
Orders of magnitude and approximate behaviour for large and small x. O notation. Idea of
continuity and differentiability of functions. Power series. Statement of Taylor’s theorem. Ex-
amples to include binomial expansion, exponential and trigonometric functions, and logarithm.
Newton-Raphson method. Convergence of series; comparison and ratio tests. [6]
The integral as the limit of a sum. Differentiation of an integral with respect to its limits or
a parameter. Approximation of a sum by an integral. Stirling’s approximation as an example.
Schwarz’s inequality. Double and triple integrals
R +∞ in Cartesian, spherical and cylindrical coordi-
nates. Examples to include evaluation of −∞ exp (−x2 ) dx. [5]
Elementary probability theory. Simple examples of conditional probability. Probability dis-
tributions, discrete and continuous, normalisation. Permutations and combinations. Binomial
distribution, (p + q)n , binomial coefficients. Normal distribution. Expectation values, mean,
variance and its expression in terms of first and second moments. [4]
Extended examples distributed through the course. [3]

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Mathematical Methods II 24 lectures, Lent term
Ordinary differential equations. First order equations: separable equations; linear equations,
integrating factors. Examples involving substitution. Second-order linear equations with con-
stant coefficients; exp (λx) as trial solution, including degenerate case. Superposition. Particu-
lar integrals and complementary functions. Constants of integration and number of necessary
boundary/initial conditions. Particular integrals by trial solutions. Examples including radioac-
tive sequences. Resonance, transients and damping. [6]
Differentiation of functions of several variables. Differentials, chain rule. Exact differentials,
illustrations including Maxwell’s relations. Scalar and vector fields. Gradient of a scalar as
a vector field. Directional derivatives. Unconditional stationary values; classification using
Hessian matrix. Conditional stationary values, Lagrange multipliers, examples with two or
three variables. Boltzmann distribution as an example. [8]
Parameterized curves. Line integral of a vector field. Conservative and non-conservative vector
fields. Surface integrals and flux of a vector field over a surface. Divergence of a vector field.
∇2 as div grad. Curl. Divergence and Stokes’s theorems. [5]
Orthogonality relations for sine and cosine. Fourier series; examples. [2]
Extended examples distributed through the course. [3]

Mathematical Methods III 12 lectures, Easter term

Linear equations. Notion of a vector space; linear mappings. Matrix addition and multipli-
cation. Determinant of a matrix. Statement of the main properties of determinants. Inverse
matrix. Equations A x = 0 with non-zero solutions. Symmetric, antisymmetric and orthogonal
matrices. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors for symmetric matrices. Hessian matrix as an example.
[6]
Linear second-order partial differential equations; physical examples of occurrence, verification
of solution by substitution. Linear superposition. Method of separation of variables (Cartesian
coordinates only). [4]
Extended examples distributed through the course. [2]

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Part IB: Mathematics
This course comprises Mathematical Methods I, Mathematical Methods II, Mathematical Meth-
ods III and six Computer Practicals. The material in Course A from Part IA will be assumed
in the lectures for this course. Topics marked with asterisks should be lectured, but questions
will not be set on them in examinations.
The material in the course will be as well illustrated as time allows with examples and applica-
tions of Mathematical Methods to the Physical Sciences. Separate occasional examples classes
will be given as stated in the lecture list.

Mathematical Methods I 24 lectures, Michaelmas term

Vector calculus
Suffix notation. Einstein summation convention. Contractions using δij and ijk . Reminder of
vector products, grad, div, curl, ∇2 , and their representations using suffix notation. Divergence
theorem and Stokes’ theorem. Vector differential operators in orthogonal curvilinear coordi-
nates, e.g. cylindrical and spherical polar coordinates. Jacobians. [6]

Partial differential equations

Linear second-order partial differential equations; physical examples of occurrence, the method
of separation of variables (Cartesian coordinates only). [2]

Green’s functions
Response to impulses, delta function (treated heuristically), Green’s functions for initial and
boundary value problems. [3]

Fourier transform
Fourier transforms; relation to Fourier series, simple properties and examples, convolution the-
orem, correlation functions, Parseval’s theorem and power spectra. [2]

Matrices
N –dimensional vector spaces, matrices, scalar product, transformation of basis vectors. Eigen-
values and eigenvectors of a matrix; degenerate case, stationary property of eigenvalues. Or-
thogonal and unitary transformations. Quadratic and Hermitian forms, quadric surfaces. [5]

Elementary Analysis
Idea of convergence and limits. O notation. Statement of Taylor’s theorem with discussion of
remainder. Convergence of series; comparison and ratio tests. Power series of a complex vari-
able; circle of convergence. Analytic functions: Cauchy-Riemann equations, rational functions
and exp (z). Zeros, poles and essential singularities. [3]

Series solutions of ordinary differential equations

Homogeneous equations; solution by series (without full discussion of logarithmic singularities),
exemplified by Legendre’s equation. Classification of singular points. Indicial equation and
local behaviour of solutions near singular points. [3]

8
Computer practicals Michaelmas & Lent terms
There are no lectures for this course, which consists of six computational exercises related to
material elsewhere in the Mathematics course.
Topics for the exercises will include :
1. Familiarisation, getting started. Numerical integration.
2. Solving ordinary differential equations.
3. Root finding.
4. Solving partial differential equations.
5. Matrix algebra.
6. Eigenfunction expansions.

Mathematical Methods II 24 lectures, Lent term

Sturm-Liouville theory
Self-adjoint operators, eigenfunctions and eigenvalues, reality of eigenvalues and orthogonality
of eigenfunctions. Eigenfunction expansions and determination of coefficients. Legendre poly-
nomials; orthogonality. [3]
Conditional stationary values and the calculus of variations
Lagrange multipliers, examples with two or three variables. Euler-Lagrange equations and
examples.
Variational principles; Fermat’s principle; Hamilton’s principle and deduction of Lagrange’s
equation, illustrated by a system with:

L= 1
2 m1 ẋ21 + 12 m2 ẋ22 − V (x1 − x2 ) .

Variational principle for the lowest eigenvalue ∗ and for higher eigenvalues∗ (Rayleigh-Ritz). [6]

Laplace and Poisson’s equations

Solution by separation of variables of Laplace’s equation in plane polar coordinates, and spher-
ical polar coordinates (axisymmetric case); Legendre polynomials again.
Solution of Poisson’s equation as an integral. Uniqueness for Poisson’s equation with Dirichlet
boundary conditions. Green’s identity. Green’s function for Laplace’s equation with simple
boundary conditions using the method of images. Applications to electrostatic fields and steady
heat flow. [5]

Cartesian tensors
Transformation laws, addition, multiplication, contraction. Isotropic tensors, symmetric and
anti-symmetric tensors. Principal axes and diagonalisation. Tensor fields, e.g. conductivity,
polarizability, elasticity. [4]

Contour integration
Integration along a path; elementary properties. Cauchy’s theorem; proof by Cauchy-Riemann
equations and divergence theorem in 2–D. Integral of f 0 (z); Cauchy’s formula for f (z). Calculus
of residues; examples of contour integration; point at infinity; multi-valued functions, branch
points, log (z). [4]

Transform methods
Fourier inversion by contour integration. Examples of simple linear differential equations, in-
cluding diffusion equation. [2]

9
Mathematical Methods III 10 lectures, Easter term

Small oscillations
Small oscillations and equilibrium; normal modes, normal coordinates, examples, e.g. vibrations
of linear molecules such as CO2 . Symmetries of normal modes. [2]

Group theory
Idea of an algebra of symmetry operations; symmetry operations on a square. Definition of a
group; group table. Subgroups; homomorphic and isomorphic groups.
Representation of groups; reducible and irreducible representations; basic theorems of represen-
tation theory. Classes, characters. Examples of character tables of point groups. ∗ Applications
in Molecular Physics∗ . [8]

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
There are very many books which cover the sort of mathematics required by Natural Scientists.
The following should be helpful as general reference; further advice will be given by Lecturers.
Books which can reasonably be used as principal texts for the course are marked with a dagger.
The prices given are intended as a guide only, and are subject to change.

Natural Sciences Mathematics Part IA

† M L Boas
Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences, 2nd edition.
Wiley, 1983 (£49.94 hardback)
(3rd edition available August 2005, £34.95 hardback).
A Jeffrey
Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists, 5th edition.
Nelson Thornes, 1996 (6th edition available, Blackwells, £39.99)
† E Kreyszig
Advanced Engineering Mathematics, 8th edition.
Wiley, 2011 (10th edition available, £46.59 hardback).
† K F Riley, M P Hobson & S J Bence
Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering.
3rd ed., Cambridge University Press, 2002 (£39.99 paperback.
Available online via http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk).
I S Sokolnikoff & R M Redheffer
Mathematics of Physics and Modern Engineering, 2nd edition.
McGraw Hill, 1967 (out of print)
† G Stephenson
Mathematical Methods for Science Students, 2nd edition.
Prentice Hall/Pearson, 1973 (£50.99 paperback).
G Stephenson
Worked Examples in Mathematics for Scientists and Engineers.
Longman, 1985 (out of print)
K A Stroud & D Booth
Engineering Mathematics, 5th edition.
Palgrave, 2001 (£41.31 paperback with CD-ROM)
K A Stroud & D Booth
Advanced Engineering Mathematics.
Palgrave, 2003 (£24.24 paperback)
G Thomas, M Weir, J Hass & F Giordano
Thomas’s Calculus, 11th edition.
Pearson, 2004 (£56.04 hardback)

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 Natural Sciences Mathematics Part IB
† G Arfken & H Weber
Mathematical Methods for Physicists, 6th edition.
Elsevier, 2005 (£44.09).
† J W Dettman
Mathematical Methods in Physics and Engineering.
Dover, 1988 (£23.99 paperback).
† H F Jones
Groups, Representation and Physics, 2nd edition.
Institute of Physics Publishing (Taylor & Francis), 1998 (£45.99 paperback).
E Kreyszig
Advanced Engineering Mathematics, 8th edition.
Wiley, 1999 (10th edition available, £46.59 hardback)
J Mathews & R L Walker
Mathematical Methods of Physics, 2nd edition.
Pearson/Benjamin Cummings, 1970 (From £42.00 used)
† K F Riley, M P Hobson & S J Bence
Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering.
3rd ed., Cambridge University Press, 2002 (£39.99 paperback).
R N Snieder
A guided tour of mathematical methods for the physical sciences, 2nd edition.
Cambridge University Press, 2004 (£34.19 paperback)

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