MT105A

MT105A Mathematics 1

Candidates should answer all EIGHT questions: all SIX questions of Section A
(60 marks in total) and BOTH questions from Section B (20 marks each).
Candidates are strongly advised to divide their time accordingly.

Please find questions on the following page.

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© University of London 2023

SECTION A

Answer all six questions from this section (60 marks in total).

1. Use row operations to solve the following system of equations:

x y+z = 3
3x + 4y z = 2
x 3y 2z = 7.

2. The function f is defined by

f (x) = x2 ex 3ex .

Find the values of x at the critical (or stationary) points of f .

Determine, for each critical point, whether it is a local
maximum, local minimum, or inflexion point.

3. Find the integrals

Z
ex dx
,
(1 ex )(1 + ex )
Z
p
x2 x 2 dx.

4. Use the Lagrange multiplier method to determine the values

of x and y that minimise 2x + y subject to the constraint
x2 y 3 = 27.

5. The function f is given by

f (x, y) = 3x2 2x3 y + y 2 .

Find the critical (or stationary) points of f and determine, for

each, whether it is a local maximum, local minimum, or a
saddle point.

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6. A sequence of numbers x0 , x1 , x2 , . . . is such that x0 = 3 and,
for each n 1,
1
xn = xn 1 + 2.
2
Show that xn can be written in the following form, for some
numbers a and r (which you should find):

xn = arn + 2 1 + r + r2 + · · · + rn 1
.

Hence, or otherwise, find an explicit expression for xn in

terms of n, simplifying your answer as far as possible.
Describe the behaviour of xn as n ! 1.

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SECTION B

Answer both questions from this section (20 marks each).

7. (a) The function f is given by

2
y2
f (x, y) = ex cos(x2 + y 2 ).

Find the partial derivatives

@f @f
and .
@x @y
Show that
@f @f
y x = 4xyf (x, y).
@x @y

(b) A firm is the only supplier of two goods, X and Y , and the
demand equations for these goods are

2x + pX = 152 and 4y + pY = 200,

where pX and pY are the prices of X and Y and x and y are

the quantities of X and Y (respectively). The firm’s joint
total cost function is

C(x, y) = 4x2 + 4xy + 6y 2 + 10.

Find an expression, in terms of x and y, for the firm’s profit

function.

Determine the values of x and y that maximise the profit.

What are the corresponding prices?

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8. (a) With quantities k and l of capital and labour (respectively),
a firm produces a quantity q(k, l) = k 1/2 l3/2 of its product.
Each unit of capital costs 4 dollars and each unit of labour
costs 3 dollars.

Use the Lagrange multiplier method to determine the values

of k and l that minimise the cost of producing 200 units of
the product.

What is this minimum cost?

What, approximately, is the minimum cost of producing 201

units of the product?

(b) The number of fish in a lake (which, for the purposes of

modelling, need not be a whole number) is modelled as
follows. There are 10000 at the start of 2023. Each year, 5%
of the fish who were alive at the start of the year die and 1000
new fish are born.

Find an expression, in as simple a form as possible, for the

number of fish in the lake N years after the start of 2023.

Describe what happens to the number of fish in the lake in

the long run.

END OF PAPER

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