JRF in Mathematics 2013
JRF in Mathematics 2013
There will be two tests MTA and MTB of 2 hours duration each in the forenoon
and in the afternoon. Topics to be covered in these tests along with an outline of
the syllabus and sample questions are given below:
1) Topics for MTA (Forenoon examination) : Real Analysis, Measure and Integration, Complex Analysis, Ordinary Differential Equations and General Topology.
2) Topics for MTB (Afternoon examination) : Algebra, Linear Algebra, Functional
Analysis, Elementary Number Theory and Combinatorics.
Candidates will be judged based on their performance in both the tests.
7. Complex analysis : Analytic functions, Cauchys theorem and Cauchy integral formula, maximum modulus principle, Laurent series, Singularities, Theory of
residues, contour integration.
8. Abstract algebra : Groups, homomorphisms, normal subgroups and quotients, isomorphism theorems, finite groups, symmetric and alternating groups, direct product, structure of finite Abelian groups, Sylow theorems. Rings and ideals,
quotients, homomorphism and isomorphism theorems, maximal ideals, prime ideals,
integral domains, field of fractions; Euclidean rings, principal ideal domains, unique
factoristation domains, polynomial rings. Fields, characteristic of a field, algebraic
extensions, roots of polynomials, separable and normal extensions, finite fields.
9. Ordinary differential equations : First order ODE and their solutions,
singular solutions, initial value problems for first order ODE, general theory of
homogeneous and nonhomogeneous linear differential equations, and Second order
ODE and their solutions.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
Topology
(1) Let (X, d) be a compact metric space. Suppose that f : X X is a function
such that
d(f (x), f (y)) < d(x, y) for x 6= y, x, y X.
Then show that there exists x0 X such that f (x0 ) = x0 .
(2) Let X be a Hausdorff space. Let f : X R be such that {(x, f (x)) : x X}
is a compact subset of X R. Show that f is continuous.
(3) Let X be a compact Hausdorff space. Assume that the vector space of
real-valued continuous functions on X is finite dimensional. Show that X
is finite.
(4) Let n > 1 and let X = {(p1 , p2 , . . . , pn )|pi is rational}. Show that X is
disconnected.
(5) Let A = {(x, y) R2 | max{|x|, |y|} 1} and B = {(0, y) R2 |y R}.
Show that the set A + B = {a + b|a A, b B} is a closed subset of R2 .
Functional analysis and Linear algebra
(6) Let y1 , y2 , . . . be a sequence in a Hilbert space. Let Vn be the linear span
of {y1 , y2 , . . . , yn }. Assume that kyn+1 k ky yn+1 k for each y Vn for
n = 1, 2, 3, . . .. Show that hyi , yj i = 0 for i 6= j.
(7) Let E and F be real or complex normed linear spaces. Let Tn : E F be
a sequence of continuous linear transformations such that supn kTn k < .
Let
M = {x E| The sequence {Tn (x)}is Cauchy}.
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
(12)
(a1 + a2 + . . . + an )
, n = 1, 2, 3, . . .
n
(14) Let p (x) be an odd degree polynomial in one variable with coefficients from
the set R of real numbers. Let g : R R be a bounded continuous function.
Prove that there exists an x0 R such that p (x0 ) = g (x0 ).
(15) Suppose that U is a connected open subset of R2 and f : U R is such
f
that f
x 0 and y 0 on U . Show that f is a constant function.
(16) Let f1 , f2 , f3 , . . . and f be nonnegative Lebesgue integrable functions on R
such that
Zy
Zy
lim
fn (x)dx
Z
and lim
R
U
=
Z
fn (x)dx
fn (x)dx
f (x)dx.
(17) Let f be a uniformly continuous real valued function on the real line R.
Assume that f is integrable with respect to the Lebesgue measure on R.
Show that f (x) 0 as |x| .
R
(18) Let f : R [0, ) be a measurable function. If f (x)dx = 1 then
R
prove that 1+f1(x) dx = . (Hint: First show that m{x : f (x) < 1} =
where m is the Lebesgue measure.)
Elementary Number Theory and Combinatorics
(p1)!
(19) Let p be a prime and r an integer, 0 < r < p. Show that r!(pr)!
is an
integer.
(20) If a and b are integers such that 9 divides a2 + ab + b2 then show that 3
divides both a and b.
(21) Let c be a 3n digit number whose digits are all equal. Show that 3n divides
c.
(22) Prove that x4 10x2 + 1 is reducible modulo p for every prime p.
(23) Does there exist an integer x satisfying the following congruences?
Differential Equations
(34) Let y : [a, b] R be a solution of the equation
dy
d2 y
+ P (x)
+ Q (x) y (x) = 0,
2
dx
dx
where P (x) and Q (x) are continuous functions on [a, b]. If the graph of
the function y (x) is tangent to X-axis at any point of this interval, then
prove that y is identically zero.
(35) Consider the ordinary differential equation
y 00 (t) + py 0 (t) + qy(t) = 0, t > 0
where p and q are real constants such that p2 4q > 0. Show that |y(t)| 0
as t .
(36) Let p C. Consider the differential equation
u00 (x) p2 u(x) = 0.
If every solution of this equation satisfies
Z T
1
|u(t)|dt < ,
sup
T >0 2T T
prove that Re(p) = 0.
1 1+an < , then show that 1 1+xn an < for each real
sequence x1 , x2 , . . ., with xi 0 and lim inf n xn > 0.
(2) Let f : R R be a function with the intermediate value
property: that is, f maps intervals to intervals. Let x R.
Suppose to each sequence (xn ) converging to x there exists a
constant M such that
|f (x) f (xn )| M sup |f (xn ) f (xm )|.
n,m
n!
.
j!
(10) Find the smallest integer n > 0 such that 2012 divides 9n 1.
(Hint: 251 and 503 are prime numbers).