Math GRE Exercises: Charlie Marshak
Math GRE Exercises: Charlie Marshak
Math GRE Exercises: Charlie Marshak
GRE
EXERCISES
Charlie Marshak
August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
Problem Set #1
Z −1
dx
1. Evaluate √ .
−2 −x2 − 6x
(a) arcsin(2/3) − arcsin(1/3)
(b) arccos(2/3) − arccos(1/3)
(c) arctan(2/3) − arctan(2/3)
(d) arctan(2/3) + arctan(2/3)
(e) arccos(2/3) + arccos(1/3)
P∞
2. Let f (x) = x3 + 6x2 − 32. Define Tc,f (x) = n=0 an (x − c)
n to be the Taylor series centered at
c of f . For what values of c does a0 = 0?
(a) c = 3, 2
(b) c = −3, 2, −2
(c) c = 4, 2
(d) c = −4, 2, −2
(e) c = −4, 2
3. Suppose that X and Y are independent random variables with standard deviations σX and σY ,
respectively. If Z = X + Y , then σZ =
(a) σX + σY
2 + σ2
(b) σX Y
2 + σ 2 )1/2
(c) (σX Y
(d) 2σX + 2σY
(e) σX σY
4. Let S = {a, b, c, d} and X = {f : S → S | f is bijective and f (x) 6= x for each x ∈ S}. Then
|X| =
(a) 8
(b) 9
(c) 12
(d) 18
(e) 20
R1√
5. 0 e2x + e−2x + 2 =
1
(a) e − e
1
(b) e + e
1
(c) e − e +1
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
1
(d) e + e −1
(e) 2e
7. The function
x2 y
(
x4 +y 2
(x, y) 6= (0, 0)
f (x, y) =
0 (x, y) = (0, 0)
Which of the following is true?
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) III only
(d) IV only
(e) I and III only
(a) 0
(b) 1
(c) 9
(d) 16
(e) 25
9. Let T be a linear operator on R3 equipped with the standard inner product. Which of the following
must be true?
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
1 1 −1
(III) If T = 1 5 3 , then R3 has an orthonormal basis of eigenvectors for T .
−1 3 −1
(IV) If T 2 is diagonalizable, so is T .
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) III only
(d) III and IV
(e) None are true
R π/2 1
10. Evaluate: 0 1+tan x dx (TRICKS INVOLVED!)
π
(a) 2
π
(b) 3
π
(c) 4
π2
(d) 2
π2
(e) 4
Problem Set #2
2. Which of the following are true of a continuous function f : R → R such that f (x + 1) = f (x)
for all x.
(a) I only
(b) I, II only
(c) I, II, III only
3
August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
3. Let S be a set with |S| ≥ 3. How many non-surjective functions from S → {1, 2, 3} are there?
(a) 3 · 2|S|
(b) 3 · 2|S| − 3
(c) 3|S| − 3
(d) |S|3
(e) 2|S|2 − 3
(a) I only
(b) I and II only
(c) I, II, and III only
(d) I and IV only
(e) None are true.
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) II and III only
(d) III only
(e) None exist.
6. The angle between the tangent plane x2 + y 2 + 2z 2 = 4 at (1, 1, 1) and the xy-plane is:
√
(a) arccos 66
√
(b) arccos 26
√
(c) arccos 36
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
π
(d) 4
π
(e) 2
8. Consider the graph y = ex . Rotating this graph about the x-axis for 1 ≤ x ≤ 2, what is the area
of this surface of revolution? (WARNING: pretty long computation)
h √ √ √ 2
i
4
(a) π · e2 1 + e4 − e 1 + e2 + ln √ee2+1+e +1+e
.
h √ √ √ 2
i
4
(b) π · e2 1 + e4 − e 1 + e2 − ln √ee2+1+e +1+e
h √ √ √ i
2 +1+e
(c) π · e 1 + e2 − 1 + e − ln √ee2 +1+1
√
(d) 2π 2
h √ √ √ i
2 +1+e
(e) π · e 1 + e2 − 1 + e + ln √ee2 +1+1
9. For how many values of the parameter k, will the following system have no solutions?
kx + y + z = 1
x + ky + z = k
x + y + kz = k 2
(a) 0
(b) 1
(c) 2
(d) 4
(e) Infinitely many
Z π/2
1
10. Evaluate dx
0 1 + (tan x)e
π
(a) 2
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
π
(b) 3
π
(c) 4
π2
(d) 2
π2
(e) 4
Problem Set #3
(a) a = 2012
(b) 1 > a > 0
(c) a > 1
(d) a 6= 1 and a > 0
(e) For no values of a does the series converge.
3. Which set does not have the same cardinality as the others?
(a) {f : N → N}
(b) R
(c) {f : {0, 1, . . . , 100} → R}
(d) { solutions to polynomial equations with coefficients in Z}.
(e) {f : Z → {0, 1}}
n π
P
4. The series n≥1 (−1) sin n :
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(d) does not approach any value in the extended real number system.
R √
5. ln( 3 x)dx =
x x
(a) 3 ln x + 3 +C
x x
(b) 3 ln x − 3 +C
x x
(c) 3 ln x + 2 +C
(d) x3 ln x −x+C
x
(e) x3 ln x − 3 +C
6. Suppose that ~r : R → R3 is a curve given by t 7→ ~r(t) and the dot product of the curve with its
derivative is greater than zero (i.e. ~r · ~r0 > 0). Which of the following can we conclude?
(a) 1
1
(b) 2
1
(c) 4
(d) − 12
(e) −1
(a) 18
(b) 20
(c) 24
(d) 35
(e) 40
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(a) ∞
√
(b) 1 − 2
√
(c) 1 + 2
√
1+ 5
(d) 2
√
1− 5
(e) 2
Problem Set #4
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) III only
(d) I and II only
(e) I and III only
x(t) = et
y(t) = sin(t)
d2 y
What is dx2
as a function of t?
− sin t
(a) et
cos t−et sin t
(b) et
− sin t−cos t
(c) et
sin t+cos t
(d) e2t
− sin t−cos t
(e) e2t
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) II and III only
(d) I and III only
(e) All are true
4. Suppose y(t) = y solves y 0 = (y 2 − 1)e2012y−1 with initial condition y(0) = 1, then which of the
following are true?
5. Evaluate ∞ 2
P
n=1 n2 +n :
(a) 1
3
(b) 2
(c) 2
5
(d) 2
(e) 3
y 00 − 2y 0 + y = f (t)
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
7. 2. A tank contains 50 gal of pure water. Starting at time zero, a salt-water solution containing
0.4 lb/gal of salt enters the tank at a rate of 2 gal/min. At the same time a drain is opened at
the bottom of the tank allowing the salt solution to leave at a rate of 2 gal/min. Assume that
the solution is kept perfectly mixed at all times. How long will it take for the amount of salt (in
lbs) in the tank to reach 10 lbs? Leave your answer in exact form (in terms of logarithms).
(a) 2 ln 25
1
(b) −2 ln 2
1
(c) 25 ln 2
(d) 25 ln 2
(e) 25 ln 10
R 2π iθ
8. Evaluate 0 ee dθ.
(a) 2πi
(b) 2π
(c) 4πi
(d) 4πe
(e) 2πi.
R∞ −tx2 dx.
R∞ −x2 dx √
9. Let F : R>0 → R be given by F (t) = −∞ e Given −∞ e = π, then F 0 (t) =
√
π
(a) 2t3/2
√
π
(b) − t3/2
√
π
(c) − t1/2
√
π
(d) − 2t3/2
√
π
(e) t1/2
Problem Set #5
1 1
1. Let A = and define ||A||op := sup {||Av||R2 }. There is a vector v such that ||A||op =
0 1 ||v||R2 =1
||Av||R2 . Also, note that once we find one v that maximizes the norm || ∗ ||op , −v also does. Find
the angle v makes with the positive x-axis assuming v is to the right of the y-axis:
(a) Arctan2
Arctan 2
(b) 2
3π
(c) 4
π
(d) 4
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(e) − π4
(a) eπ
(b) π e
(c) 3π
(d) Not enough information.
R cos x 2
3. Let F (x) = sin x et +xt dt. F 0 (0) =
(a) e cos 1 − 2
(b) −2 + e
e 3
(c) 2 − 2
e 1
(d) 2 + 2
e 1
(e) 2 − 2
(a) I, II only
(b) I only
(c) I and III only
(d) II only
(e) II and III only
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
6. Basketball player decides to practice his free throws in a gym by promising to not stop until he
makes 20 free throws (not necessarily consecutively). If his free-throw percentage is 80 percent.
What’s the probability that he needs exactly 50 tries to complete his goal?
50
(a) (.8)20 (.2)30
20
(b) (.8)20 (.2)30
50
(c) (20 · .8)(30 · .2)
20
49
(d) (.8)20 (.2)30
19
(e) (20 · .8)(30 · .2)
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) III only
(d) II and III only
(e) None are ture.
9.
1 1
lim + ... + =
n→∞ n+1 2n
(a) 1
3
(b) 4
1
(c) 2
(d) ln 2
(e) ln 3
12
Problems: The Fifty-Fourth Competition (1993) 19
Problem
A1. The horizontal line Set
y = c #6
intersects the curve y = 2x − 3x3 in the first quadrant
as in the figure. Find c so that the areas of the two shaded regions are equal.
y
y=c
3
y = 2x – 3x
x
1.
The horizontal line y = c intersects the curve y = 2x − 3x (page 171)first quadrant as in the figure.
3 in the
Find c so that the the area of the two shaded regions are equal.
A2. Let (xn )n≥0 be a sequence of nonzero real numbers such that
(a) 922
xn − xn−1 xn+1 = 1 for n = 1, 2, 3, . . . .
(b) 13
Prove there exists a real4 number a such that xn+1 = axn − xn−1 for all n ≥ 1.
(c) 9
(page 171)
(d) 12
A3. Let Pn be the (e)set95 of subsets of {1, 2, . . . , n}. Let c(n, m) be the number of
functions f : Pn → {1, 2, . . . , m} such that f (A ∩ B) = min{f (A), f (B)}. Prove that
2. Determine which of the following
m statements are true:
!
c(n, m) = n
j .
(I) There is a function f : R3 → R such that:
j=1
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
3. Suppose that A and B are 3 × 3 invertible matrices. Which of the following is always true?
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) III only
(d) I and III only
(e) None of them are true
5. Suppose you have two cards: one is painted black on both sides and the other is painted black on
one side and orange on the other You select a card at random and view one side. You notice it is
black. What is the probability the other side is orange?
1
(a) 2
1
(b) 3
1
(c) 4
1
(d) 5
(e) 1
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) III only
(d) I and II only
(e) I, II, and III
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
7. For a continuously differentiable vector field F~ : D ⊂ R2 → R2 , which of the following are true?
8. A right circular cone has a base of radius 1 and height 3. A cube is inscribed in the cone so that
one face is contained in the base. What is the length of the cube? (Hint: Cut the cone along the
diagonal of the cube and look at the planar figure)
(a) 2
√
3 2−5
(b) 7
√
3 2−5
(c) 7
√
9 2−6
(d) 7
√
9 2+6
(e) 7
(a) ln a − ln b2
(b) ln b − ln a2
(c) ln a2 − ln b2
(d) ln a − ln b
(e) ln b − ln a
Problem Set #7
1. Which of the following apply to the vector field F~ = (x2 − y 2 ), −2xy, z 2 defined on all of R2 .
(a) div F~ = 0
(b) Conservative and curl vanishes.
(c) Conservative, but curl does not vanish
(d) Curl vanishes, but not conservative
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
2. Suppose you wish to make a boquet of 10 flowers and give them to Professor Bertozzi. You go
to the flower store and there are 4 types of flowers you think fit would fit her personality. How
many bouquets can you make using only these flowers?
(a) 410
(b) 40
10
9
(c)
4
13
(d)
3
13
(e)
9
3. Which of the following matrices are not diagonlizable over C?
0 −1
(a)
1 0
1 2
(b)
−2 1
5 4
(c)
2 3
4 1
(d)
0 4
4 1
(e)
0 1
4. Suppose that f : R → R is a smooth function and that u is related to t and x by the equation:
u = f (x − ut)
(a) ut − uux = 0
(b) ux − u2 ut = 0
(c) ux + tut = 0
(d) ut + ux (ut )2 = 0
(e) ut + uux = 0
(a) (7, 2, 1)
(b) (2, 2, 83 )
(c) (−3, −2, 7)
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(d) (14, 0, 0)
(e) (1, 2, 3)
6. A beat slides down the curve xy = 10. Find the bead’s horizontal velocity at time t = 2 if its
height at time t seconds is y = 400 − 16t2 .
14
(a)
9
(b) 53
ms: The Forty-Seventh Competition (1986) 5
(c) 16
9
17
simple expression (not (d)
involving
9 any sums) for f (1) in terms of b1 , b2 , . . . , bn
but independent of a1 , a(e) . . , an ).
2, . 2 (page 69)
(page 70)
1
(a) 2 (e + 1)
(b) e + 1
(c) 1 − e
1
(d) 2 (e − 1)
(e) e − 1
Problem Set #8
(i) u × v 6= 0
(ii) u × w 6= 0
(iii) (u × v) · (u × w) = 0
(a) v ⊥ w
(b) u ⊥ w and u ⊥ v
(c) u, v, and w lie in the same plane
(d) The plane spanned by u and v is orthogonal to the plane spanned by u and w
(e) None of the above.
2. If x2 + x = 3, then x4 + x =
(a) x3 + 3
(b) 4(3 − x)
(c) 3(x − 1)
(d) 6(2 − x)
(e) 3x
d
2
3. dx x=e
ln(ln xx +x ) =
3e−1
(a) e2 +e
3e+2
(b) e2
2e+1
(c) e2 +e
e+2
(d) e2 +e
3e+2
(e) e2 +e
4. At how many points does the graph y = x5 + x3 + x − 2000 cross the x-axis.
(a) 1
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(b) 2
(c) 3
(d) 4
(e) 5
5. Let C be the circle in the yz-plane whose equation is (y − 3)2 + z 2 = 1. If C is revolved around
the z-axis, the surface generated is a torus. What is the equation of the torus.
(a) x2 + y 2 + z 2 = 6y
(b) (x2 + y 2 + z 2 )2 = 8 + 36(x2 + z 2 )
(c) (x2 + y 2 + z 2 + 8)2 = 36(x2 + z 2 )
(d) (x2 + y 2 + z 2 + 8)2 = 36(x2 + y 2 )
(e) (x2 + y 2 + z 2 + 8)2 = 36(y 2 + z 2 )
(a) 4
(b) 5
(c) 6
(d) 7
(e) 8
(a) 0
(b) 6P 0 (x)
(c) 3P 00 (x)
(d) 9P 00 (x)
(e) ∞
8. If C is the circle in the complex plane whose equation is |z| = π, oriented counterclockwise, find
the value of the integral: I
1
cos z − z cos dz
C z
(a) −2πi
(b) −πi
(c) 0
(d) πi
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(e) 2πi
(a) e6 − 7
(b) e6 + 7
1 6
(c) 2 (e − 7)
1 6
(d) 4 (e − 7)
1 6
(e) 2 (e + 7)
Problem Set #9
p(0) = −1
p(−1) = −2
p(1) = 4
(a) p(x) = x − 1
(b) p(x) = 3x + 1
(c) p(x) = 2x2 − 3x − 1
(d) p(x) = −2x2 + 3x − 1
(e) p(x) = 2x2 + 3x − 1
3. Let C be the boundary, oriented counterclowise, of the triangle in the (x, y)-plane whose vertices
are (0, 1), (1, 1) and (1, 3). What is the value of the following integral?
√
I p
( 2x + 1 − y)dx + 2x + y 2 − y dy
C
(a) 2
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(b) 4
(c) 6
√
(d) 2 2 − 3
√
(e) 2( 2 − 1)
4. Which of the following statements are true about sequences of functions {fn } and {gn } that
converge uniformly on a set E?
(a) I only
(b) I and III only
(c) II and III only
(d) I and IV only
(e) III and IV only
5. Find the smallest positive a ∈ N such that there is a b ∈ Z with 13a + 35b = 1.
(a) 8
(b) 3
(c) 27
(d) 22
(e) 10
7. Up to isomorphism, how many additive abelian groups G of order 16 have the property that
x + x + x + x = 0 for each x ∈ G?
(a) 0
(b) 1
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(c) 2
(d) 3
(e) 4
P∞ n 1 − cos 1
8. n=1 (−1) n is a(n)
(a) π/4
(b) π/3
(c) π/2
(d) 3π/3
√
2
(e) 2
(I) The set of holomorphic functions are dense in the set of continuous on D = {~x ∈ R2 ||~x| ≤ 1}
functions with respect to the metric d(f, g) = sup~x∈D |f (~x) − g(~x)|.
(II) If {fn } converges pointwise on a compact set, then it also converges uniformly.
(III) Let {fn } is a sequence of infinitely differentiable functions on [0, 1]. If there is a function g
such that fn0 → g uniformly and fn (0) = 1, then there is a function G such that G(0) = 1
and fn → G uniformly.
(a) I only
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(b) II only
(c) III only
(d) I and III only
(e) II and III only
4. Evaluate:
∞
X (−1)n · 22n
(2n + 1)!
n=0
1
(a) 2 cos 2
(b) sin2 1
1
(c) 2 sin 1
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(d) sin 2
(e) cos 1 sin 1
5. Let C1 , C2 be the circles of radius 1 centered at (1, 0) and (0, 1) respectively. Find the area on
which the interiors of the circles overlap.
√
(a) 4 − 2 2
(b) π+1
2
(c) π−2
2
(d) π+8
2
(e) π+2
4
6. Consider a hemisphere of radius R. Consider the portion of sphere that lies height h above it’s
center. What is the surface area of this portion?
(a) 0
(b) 1
(c) 3
(d) e2
(e) ∞
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
Linear Algebra #1
1. If the matrices
3 −2 −2 1 a 0
1 −1 −1 and −1 b 1
3 −1 −2 2 c −1
are inverses of each other, what is the value of c?
(a) −3
(b) −2
(c) 0
(d) 2
(e) 3
2. If A is a square matrix of order n ≥ 4, and aij = i + j represents the entry in row i and column
j, then the rank of A is always
(a) 1
(b) 2
(c) n − 2
(d) n − 1
(e) n
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) III only
(d) I and III only
(e) I, II, III
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
n2 +1
(d) 2
n(n−1)
(e) 2
(a) -1
(b) 0
(c) 1
(d) 3
(e) 9
6. What is the Jordan form of the transformation T : C2 → C2 given by (w, z) 7→ (−z, w)?
i 1
(a)
0 −i
i 1
(b)
0 i
i 0
(c)
0 −i
−i 1
(d)
0 −i
i 0
(e)
0 i
7. What is the Jordan form of the transformation T : C2 → C2 given by T (x, y) = (4x+y, −x+2y)?
3 0
(a)
0 3
3 0
(b)
0 2
1 1
(c)
0 1
3 1
(d)
0 3
2 1
(e)
0 2
8. A square matrix is said to be nilpotent if An = 0 for some n ∈ N. Which of the following are
true?
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(a) I only
(b) I and II only
(c) I and III only
(d) I, II, and III only
(e) I, II, and IV only
9. Let V be the vector space of all polynomials of degree at most 3 with coefficients in R. Let W
be subspace of V such that p(0) = p(−1) = p(1) = 0. Then dim V + dim W =
(a) 4
(b) 5
(c) 6
(d) 7
(e) 8
10. Let V be the set of polynomials p(x) with coefficients in R. Define linear operators T and S by:
T (p(x)) = xp(x)
d
S(p(x)) = p0 (x) = [p(x)]
dx
We denote ST and T S as the expected composition. Which of the following is true
(a) ST = 0
(b) ST = T
(c) ST = T S
(d) ST − T S is the idenity map of V
(e) ST + T S is the identity map of V
Linear Algebra #2
27
August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(a) I only
(b) I and II only
(c) I and III only
(d) II and III only
(e) I, II, and III
t 1−t
2. If A = has 1 as an eigenvalue, then another eigenvalue could be:
1 2t
(a) -3
(b) -2
(c) 2
(d) 3
(e) 4
3. Which of the following sets are dense in the set of square n × n square matrices over C?
4. Let A be an n × n matrix all of whose diagonal entries are 1 and whose other entries are b, with
b > 1. Which of the following are true:
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) III only
(d) I and II only
(e) II and III only
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(a) A reflection through the plane x = y plane followed by a rotation through the same plane
by 45 degrees
(b) A rotation through the xz-plane by 135 degrees followed by a reflection through the same
plane.
(c) A rotation in the yz-plane by 45 degrees followed by reflection through the same plane
(d) A rotation in the xy-plane by 135 degrees followed by a reflection through the same plane
6. Let f : R3 → R3 be the funciton defined by the equation f (~x) = A~x, where:
1 2 3
A = 4 5 6
7 8 9
The range of f is:
(a) A point
(b) A line through the origin
(c) A plane through the origin
(d) all of R3
7. Let f : R → R be a continuous function such that f (a~x) = af (~x) for every a ∈ R and ~x ∈ R2 .
Which of the following are true?
(a) f is linear.
(b) f (~x) = 0 if and only if ~x = 0.
(c) If f (a) + f (b) = f (a + c) for a, b ∈ Z, then f is surjective precisely when f is non-zero.
(d) All of the above
(e) A and C
8. Which of the following are subspaces?
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
Abstract Algebra
1. Two subgroups H and K of a group G have orders 12 and 30 respectively. Which of the following
could not be the order of the subgroup of G generated by H and K?
(a) 30
(b) 60
(c) 120
(d) 360
(e) Countably infinite
2. Let Gn denote the cyclic group of order n. Which of the following are not cyclic?
(a) G11 × G7
(b) G24 × G17
(c) G11 × G3 × G8
(d) G33 × G11
(e) G49 × G121
(a) Finite
(b) Cyclic
(c) of order
(d) Abelian
(e) None of the above
4. Let G be a group and f : G → G be given by f (x) = axa2 . a is a homomorphism if and only if:
(a) G is abelian
(b) G = {e}
(c) a = e
(d) a2 = a
(e) a3 = e
5. Let G be a group of order 9, and let e denote the identity of G. Which one of the statements
about G cannot be true:
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(e) G is Abelian.
6. Which of the following subsets are subrings of the ring of real numbers?
q
(I) {a + b 23 | a, b ∈ Q}
√
(II) {a + b 2 | a, b ∈ Q}
(III) { 3nm | n ∈ Z and m ∈ Z≥0 }
√
(IV) {a + b 5 | a, b ∈ R such that a2 + b2 ≤ 1}
(a) I only
(b) I and II only
(c) III , IV only
(d) II, III, IV
(e) I, II, III
7. If the finite group G contains a subgroup of order seven but no element other than the identity is
its own inverse, then the order of G could be:
(a) 27
(b) 28
(c) 35
(d) 37
(e) 42
8. Let p and q be distinct primes. How many mutually non-isomorphic Abelian groups are there of
order p2 q 4 ?
(a) 6
(b) 8
(c) 10
(d) 12
(e) 16
(I) R is commutative
(II) R is a division ring (every nonzero element has an inverse)
(III) R is infinite
(a) I only
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(b) I, II only
(c) II, III only
(d) II only
(e) III only
10. If S is a ring with the property that s = s2 for each s ∈ S, which of the following must be true?
Number Theory
(a) 2
(b) 6
(c) 8
(d) 10
(e) 12
2. Let p and q be distinct primes. There is a proper subgroup J of the additive group of integers
which contains exatly three elements of the set: {p, p + q, pq, pq , q p }. Which three elements are
in J?
(a) pq, pq , q p
(b) p + q, pq, pq
(c) p, p + q, pq
(d) p, pq , q p
(e) p, pq, pq
3. Let H be the set of all group homomorphisms φ : Z3 → Z6 . How many functions does H contain?
(a) 1
(b) 2
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
(c) 3
(d) 4
(e) 6
4. Let x and y be positive integers such that 3x + 7y is divisible by 11. Which of the following is
also divisible by 11?
(a) 4x + 6y
(b) x + y + 5
(c) 9x + 4y
(d) 4x − 9y
(e) x + y − 1
(a) 1
(b) 3
(c) 5
(d) 7
(e) 9
6. Let P1 be the set of all primes {2, 3, 5, 7, ...} and for each n, define Pn to be the set of all prime
multiples of n, i.e. {2n, 3n, 5n, 7n, . . .}. Which of the following interesections is non-empty?
(a) P1 ∩ P23
(b) P7 ∩ P21
(c) P12 ∩ P20
(d) P20 ∩ P24
(e) P5 ∩ P25
7. For how many positive integers k does the ordinary decimal representation of the integer k! end
in exactly 99 zeros?
(a) None
(b) One
(c) Four
(d) Five
(e) Twenty Four
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
1. Let K be a nonempty subset of Rn , where n > 1. Which of the following statements must be
true?
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) III only
(d) I and II only
(e) I, II, and III only
xn
fn (x) = .
1 + xn
Which of the following statements are true?
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) I and II only
(d) I and III only
(e) II and III only
P∞ n!x2n
3. The set of real numbers for which the series n=1 nn (1+x2n )
(a) {0}
(b) {x : −1 < x < 1}
(c) {x : −1 ≤ x ≤ 1}
√
(d) {x : |x| ≤ e}
(e) R
4. Let
Pn−1n be an integer greater than 1. Which of the following guarantee that the equation xn =
i
i=0 ai x has at least one root in the interval (0, 1)?
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
Pn−1
(I) a0 > 0 and i=0 ai < 1
Pn−1
(II) a0 > 0 and i=0 ai > 1
Pn−1
(III) a0 < 0 and i=0 ai > 1
(a) None
(b) I only
(c) II only
(d) III only
(e) I and III only
R +∞
5. Let f be a continuous, strictly decreasing, real
R ∞ valued function such that 0 f (x)dx is finite.
In terms of f −1 (the inverse function of f ), 0 f (x)dx is:
R∞
(a) Less than 1 f −1 (y)dy
R1
(b) Greater than 0 f −1 (y)dy
R∞
(c) Equal to 1 f −1 (y)dy
R1
(d) Equal to 0 f −1 (y)dy
R∞
(e) Euqal to 0 f −1 (y)dy
6. If f and g are real valued differentiable functions and if f 0 (x) ≥ g 0 (x) for all x ∈ [0, 1], which of
the following must be true?
Topology
(a) 5
(b) 4
(c) 3
(d) 2
(e) 1
2. Let X = {a, b, c}. Which of the following classes of subsets of X do not form a topology?
(a) {X, ∅}
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
3. Which of the following does NOT define a metric on the set of real numbers?
(
0 if x = y
(a) δ(x, y) =
2 if x 6= y
(b) ρ(x, y) = min{|x − y|, 1}
1
(c) σ(x, y) = 3 · |x − y|
|x−y|
(d) τ (x, y) = |x−y|+1
4. An ordinary polyhedron with 12 faces and 17 edges has how many vertices?
(a) 5
(b) 7
(c) 9
(d) 11
(e) 13
(I) f is open.
(II) f is a local homeomorphism.
(III) f −1 is continuous.
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) III only
(d) II and III only
(e) All of them
6. If A is a subset of the real line R and A contains each rational number, which of the following
must be true?
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
7. Let S be a compact topological space, let T be a topological space, and let f be a function from
S onto T . Which of the following conditions on f is the weakest sufficient condition to guarantee
compactness of T .
(a) f is a homeomorphism
(b) f is continuous and injective
(c) f is continuous
(d) f is injective
(e) f is bounded
8. Let R be the set of real numbers with the topology generated by the basis {[a, b) : a < b, a, b ∈
R}. If X is the subset [0, 1] of R, which of the following must be true?
(I) X is compact
(II) X is Hausdorff
(III) X is connected
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) III only
(d) I and II only
(e) II and III only
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) III only
(d) II and III only
(e) None
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
Combinatorics
1. Sixteen players participated in a round-robin tennis tournament. Each of them won a different
number of games. How many games did the player finishing sixth win?
(a) 14
(b) 13
(c) 12
(d) 9
(e) 10
2. A circular region is divided by 5 radii into five equal area sectors. Twenty one points are chosen
in the circular region none along the circular radii that divide each region. Which of the following
statements are true?
(a) I only
(b) III only
(c) I and II only
(d) I and III only
(e) I, II, and III only
3. From the set of integers {1, 2, . . . , 9}, how many nonempty subset sum to an even integer?
(a) 512
(b) 255
9!
(c) 2!·7!
9!
(d) 2!
(e) None of the above
Pn n
4. k=0 4k (−1)n−k =
k
2n
(a)
n
2
n
(b)
n
(c) 3n
(d) 2n
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
n 2n
(e) 4
n
5. A city has square blocks formed by a grid of north-south and east-west streets. One possible way
to get from City Hall to the Main Fire House is first travel 5 blocks east and then 7 blocks north.
How many different routes from City Hall to the main firehouse that travel exactly 12 city blocks?
(a) 5 · 7
7!
(b) 5!
12!
(c) 7!5!
(d) 212
(e) 7!5!
6. Same question as 5 only now we must avoid the car accident that occured 3 blocks east and 5
blocks north from City Hall. This will not be a multiple choice question because it would give the
previous one away!
7. How many trees are there with 5 vertices? A tree is a graph with no cycles.
(a) 5
(b) 6
(c) 7
(d) 8
(e) 9
8. Alan and Barbara play a game in which they take turns filling entries of an initially enpty 10 × 10
array. Alan plays first. At each turn, a player chooses a real numebr and places it in a vacant
entry. The game ends when all the entries are filled. Alan wins if the determinant of the resulting
matrix is nonzero; Barbara wins if it is zero. Which player has a winning strategy?
(a) Barbara
(b) Alan
(c) Neither
9. For each n ∈ N, we let [n] denote the set {1, . . . , n}. How many injective functions are there
from [n] → [n + k] where k ≥ 0?
n
(a) k!
k
n+k
(b) k!
k
n+k
(c) k!
n−k
(d) (n − k)!
n+k
(e) n!
k
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
Probability
1. Two people play Russian Roullette with a six shooter spinning with one bullet in the chamber.
They spin the chamber each time before they pull the trigger. The probability the first person
dies is:
2
(a) 3
3
(b) 5
4
(c) 7
6
(d) 11
7
(e) 13
2. Suppose X is a discrete random variable on the set of positive integers such that for each positive
integer n, the probability that X = n is 21n . If Y is a random variable with the same distribution
and X and Y are independent, what is the probability that the value of at least one of the variables
X and Y is greater than 3?
(a) 1/64
(b) 15/64
(c) 1/4
(d) 3/4
(e) 3/8
(f) 4/9
3. A fair coin is to be tossed 100 times, with each toss resulting in a head or a tail. If H is the
number of heads and T is the number of tails, which of the following events has the greatest
probability?
(a) H = 50
(b) T ≥ 60
(c) 51 ≤ H ≤ 55
(d) H ≥ 48 and T ≥ 48
(e) H ≤ 5 or H ≥ 95
(a) 0
1
(b) 5
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
√
30
(c) 15
√
5
(d) 5
(e) 1
5. Let X and Y be uniformly distributed random variables on [0, 1]. Find P (|X − Y | < 21 ).
1
(a) 4
1
(b) 3
2
(c) 3
3
(d) 4
4
(e) 5
6. Suppose you answer quiz questions until you get one wrong. If you answer 99% of the questions
correctly, how many questions on average do you expect to answer?
(a) 99
(b) 100
(c) 80
(d) 100/3
(e) 110
7. Suppose you flip a coin until you get two consecutive heads. How many times to you expect to
flip until you stop?
(a) 5
(b) 6
(c) 7
(d) 8
(e) 9
Complex Analysis
1. Let rR> 0 and let C be the circle |z| = r in the complex plane. If P is a polynomial function,
then C P (z)dz =
(a) 0
(b) πr2
(c) 2πi
(d) 2πP (0)i
(e) P (r)
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
2. Let G be the solutions to x4 − 1. G is a group. Which of the following are true about about
homomorphisms of G into itself (also known as an automorphism)?
(a) I only
(b) I and II only
(c) I , II, and III
(d) II and III only
(e) III only
4. If z = e2πi/5 , then 1 + z + z 2 + z 3 + 5z 4 + 4z 5 + 4z 6 + 4z 7 + 4z 8 + 5z 9 =
(a) 0
(b) 4e3πi/5
(c) 5e4πi/5
(d) −4e2πi/5
(e) −5e3πi/5
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
n n invertible Euclidean
matrices, whereGeometry
n 1, and I isand
the nMiscellaneous
n identity matrix. If A and B
Problems
hich of the following statements must be true?
2I are similar matrices.
1. At how many points in the xy-plane do the graphs of y = x2012 and y = 5x intersect?
same trace. (a) 0
similar matrices. (b) 1
I only (C) III only
(c) 2 (D) I and III only (E) I, II, and III
(d) 3
(e) 4
c function of the complex
2.
P∞variable
(−1)n nz x iy given by
n=1 2n−1 =
f z 2 x −1/2
(a) 3y ig x, y ,
(b) −4/5
-valued function of the real variables x and y. If g 2, 3 1, then g 7, 3
(c) −4/25
9 (C) 0 (D) 11 (E) 18
52. If A is a subset of the −4/9
(d)real line ! and A contains each rational number, which of the following must be true?
(e) A−5/16
(A) If A is open, then !.
(B) If A is closed, then A !.
(C) If A is uncountable, then A !.
(D) If A is uncountable, then A is open.
(E) If A is countable, then A is closed.
54. The four shaded circles in Figure 1 above are congruent and each is tangent to the large circle and to two of the
other shaded circles. Figure 2 is the result of replacing each of the shaded circles in Figure 1 by a figure that is
geometrically similar to Figure 1. What is the ratio of the area of the shaded portion of Figure 2 to the area of the
shaded portion of Figure 1 ?
43 2 2
1 1 4 2 2
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)
2 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.
August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
B be nonempty subsets of !
4. The and
four let f :circles
shaded A be a function.
B Figure
in 1 aboveIfare A and DandBeach
C congruent , which of the to the large circle and
is tangent
must be true? to two of the other shaded circles. Figure 2 is the result of replacing each of the shaded circles
in figure 1 by a figure that is geometrically similar to Figure 1. What is the ratio of the shaded
1
f C portion of Figure 2 to the area of shaded portion of Figure 1?
1 1
f f D (a) √
2 2
1√
(b) 1+ 2
f C C 4√
(c) 1+ 2
1 √ 2
f C f f D (d) √2
1+ 2
1 1
2
D f D (e) 2√
.
1+ 2
e above, as r and s increase, the length of the third side of the triangle remains 1 and the measure of
angle remains 110°. What is lim s r ?
s
5. In the rfigure above, as r and s increase the third side remains at 1 and the measure of the obtuse
angle remains at 110 degrees. What is limr,s→∞ (s − r)?
tive number less than 1 (a) 0
(b) A positive number less than 1
e number greater than 1 (c) 1
(d) A finite number greater than 1
(e) ∞.
Multivariable Calculus
x+y
1. The plane y = 1 slices the surface z = arctan 1−xy in a curve C. Find the slope of the tangent
line to C at the point where x = 2.
(a) -3
(b) -1
1
(c) 5
1
(d) 3
44
ng or reuse of
e is illegal.
ying or reuse of GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE.
August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
1
(e) 2
2. Find the volume of the solid in the first octant in R3 bounded below by the cordinate axes and
the unit circle, and bounded above by the surface z = 8xy
1
(a) 2
(b) 1
(c) 2
(d) 4
(e) 8
(f) 9
3. Let F~ be a constant unit force that is parallel to the vector (−1, 0, 1) in R3 and let γ(t) = (t, t2 , t3 )
for t ∈ [0, 1]. The work done by F~ along γ is:
(a) − 14
1
(b) − 4√ 2
(c) 0
√
(d) 2
√
(e) 3 2
4. What is the mininimum value of the expression x + 4z as a function defined on R3 subject to the
constraint x2 + y 2 + z 2 ≤ 2?
(a) 0
(b) -2
√
(c) - 34
√
(d) - 35
√
(e) -5 2
16 3
(a) 9 a
32 3
(b) 9 a
π 2
(c) 2a
8π 2
(d) 3
(e) 2a4
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
Differential Equations
y 00 = (y 0 )2
1
(a) y = x+C1 + C2
(b) y = C2 + log(C1 − x)
(c) y = C2 − log(C1 − x2 )
(d) y = C2 + log(C1 + x)
(e) y = C2 − log(C1 + x)
2. Let y = f (x) be a solution of the differential equation xdy + (y − xex )dx = 0 such that y = 0
when x = 1. What is f (2)?
1
(a) 2e
1
(b) e
e2
(c) 2
(d) 2e
(e) 2e2
(a) ey/x = cx
(b) ey/x = cy
(c) ex/y = cx
(d) ex/y = cy
(e) e−x/y = cx
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August 6, 2012 Charlie Marshak
y 00 − 2y 0 + y = tet
(a) C1 et + C2 t2 et
(b) C1 et + C2 tet
(c) C1 et + C2 tet + t3 et
(d) C1 et + C2 tet + 2t et
t2 t
(e) C1 et + C2 tet + 2e
References:
• Final Exams from Professors Lawrence Evans, Constantine Teleman, Jim Ralston, Josh Baron,
Stephen Curran
• Putnam Exams
• Stewart Calculus
• Rogawski Calculus
47