Problems on Math Methods - II

Compiled by JM
jmscphys@gmail.com
1. For the given set of equations : x + y = 1, x + z = 1, x + z = 1, which one
of the following statements is correct?
(a) Equations are inconsistent (b) Equations are consistent and a single
non-trivial solution exist. (c) Equations are consistent and many solution
exist. (d) Equations are consistent and only a trivial solution exist.
2. Consider a function f (x, y) = x3 + y 3 , where y represents a parabolic
curve x2 + 1. The total derivative of f with respect to x, at x = 1 is
(a) 3 (b) 24 (c) 27 (d) 1
3. A 2 × 2 matrix A has eigenvalues eiπ/5 and eiπ/6 . The smallest integer n
such that An = I is
(a) 20 (b) 80 (c) 60 (d) 120.
4. Consider the matrix
 
0 −1 0
i 
A= √ 1 0 −1 (1)
2 0 1 0
Then e−iβA can be expressed as
(a) I + A2 (cos β − 1) − iA sin β (b) I + A2 cos β − iA sin β (c) A2 (cos β − 1)
(d) A2 (cos β − 1) − iA sin β
5. Consider a 3 × 3 matrix
a21
 
a1 a2 a1 a3
A = a1 a2 a22 a2 a3  (2)
a1 a3 a2 a3 a23
.The number of zero eigenvalues of this matrix is
(a) 0 (b) 1 (c) 2 (d) 3
6. The eigenvalues of the matrix
 
0 0 0 1
0 0 1 0
A=
0
 (3)
1 0 0
1 0 0 0
√ √ √ √
are (a) 1, 1, 1, 1 (b) 1, 1, −1, −1 (c) 0, 0, 2, − 2 (d) 2, − 2, √12 , − √12
 
a

7. The symmetric part of P= a − 2 b is
b
 2     
a − 2 ab − 1 a(a − 2) b a(a − 1) b(a − 1)
(a) (b) (c) (d)
ab − 1 b2 − 2 b b2 b(a − 1) a2
 
a(a − 2) b(a − 1)
b(a − 1) b2

1
 8. Let A,B be complex 2 × 2 matrices satisfying the relation A = AB − BA.
Then value of A2 and detA are respectively
(a) 1, 1 (b) 0, 1 (c) 0,0 (d) 1,0
9. Let A be a 3√× 3 real orthogonal matrix. One of the eigenvalues of A is
given by −1+2 3i . Let A100 = aA2 + bA + cI, where I is the 3 × 3 identity
matrix. Then the value of a, b, c respectively are
(a) 0, 1, 0 (b) 1, 0, 0 (c) 0, 0, 1 (d) 0, 1, 1
10. The general solution of the differential equation ey dx + (2y + xey )dy = 0
is given by
(a) xey + y 2 = C (b) xey = C (c) xey − y 2 = C (d) x2 + yex = C
11. Consider the differential equation (y 2 + 3xy 3 )dx + (1 − xy)dy = 0 . On
multiplying this equation by xm y n the equation becomes exact. The value
of m and n respectively, are
(a) 0, 3 (b) 0, −3 (c) 3, 3 (d) 3, 0

12. The value of the integral I = c (ex y + cos x sin y)dx + (ex + sin x cos y)dy
H

around the circle x2 /a2 + y 2 /b2 = 1 is

(a) πeab (a + b) (b) πeb (a − b) (c) 0 (d) πeab
13. If the time taken by a particle moving along a curve y = y(x) with velocity
ds
dt = x from the point (0, 0) to (1, 1) is minimum then the curve is
(a) a straight line (b) an ellipse (c) a hyperbola (d) a circle
P∞
14. If f (x) = xp can be expressed as f (x) = n=0 cn Ln (x) where Ln (x) =
1 x dn n −x
R∞
n! e dxn (x e ) then (Ln (x) satisfy the orthogonality 0 e−x Lm (x)Ln (x)dx =
0, m 6= n)
n
(p!)2 (p!)2 (−1)n (p!)2 n
(p!)2
(a) cn = (−1)
n!(p−n)! (b) cn = n!(p−n)! (c) cn = n! (d) cn = (−1)
(p−n)!
(for n ≥ 1)
15. The value of r2 ∇2 δ 3 (~r) is (here r2 = x2 +y 2 +z 2 and δ 3 (~r) = δ(x)δ(y)δ(z))
(a) 0 (b) δ 3 (~r) (c) 6δ 3 (~r) (d) 3δ 3 (~r)
R∞
16. Consider the integral p! = 0 xp e−x dx. In the limit, p → ∞ , this can be
expressed as √
(a) pp (b) pp e−p 2πp (c) 1 (d) the integral diverges.
17. If x is a continuous variable which is uniformly distributed over the real
line from x = 0 to x− > ∞ according to the distribution f (x) = e−4x
then the average value of cos 4x is
(a) 0 (b) 1/2 (c) 1/4 (d) 1/16
R∞
18. The value of the integral 0 1+e1 ax dx is
(a) a (b) ln 2 (c) lna2 (d) a ln 2

2
 P∞
19. Using the fourier series representation π−t
2 = n=−∞,n6=0 −i 2n e
int
where
P∞ cos nx
0 < t < 2π , the value of n=1 n2 is
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
(a) 3x −6πx+2π
12 (b) 3x −6πx+2π
6 (c) x −6πx+2π
12 (d) 3x −6πx+1π
12

20. Consider a closed curve C with perimeter L and enclosed area A. Then
which of the following is true ?
2
L2 L2 L2
(a) A = L4π (b) A ≤ 4π (c) A ≥ 4π (d) A ≤ 2π

21. Consider an anti-symmetric tensor Pij with indices i and j running from
1 to 5. The number of independent components of the tensor is
(a) 3 (b) 10 (c) 9 (d) 6
22. The value of eiσ.n̂φ/2 is (n̂ is arbitrary unit vector)
(a) 1 (b) i (c) σ.n̂ (d) 0
23. A polynomial is defined by Tn (x) = cos(n cos−1 x), n = 0, 1, 2... . Then
Tn (x) + Tn−2 (x) equals to
(a) Tn−1 (x) (b) 2Tn−1 (x) (c) 2xTn−1 (x) (d) Tn+1 (x)
P∞ n
24. Given exx−1 = n=0 Bn xn! , the value of B2 is
(a) 13 (b) 61 (c) − 12
1
(d) − 16
Pn R π sin(k+ 12 )x
25. Consider S = 12 + k=1 cos kx , the value of the integral π1 0 sin x dx
2
equals to
(a) 1 (b) 0 (c) 1/2 (d) 1/π .
2
26. A function y(z) satisfies the ordinary differential equation y 00 + z1 y 0 − m
z2 y =
0 where m = 0, 1, 2, 3, ... Consider the four statements P, Q, R, S as given
below. P: z m and z −m are linearly independent solutions for all values
of m Q: z m and z −m are linearly independent solutions for all values of
m > 0 R : ln z and 1 are linearly independent solutions for m = 0. S : z m
and ln z are linearly independent solutions for all values of m
The correct option for the combination of valid statements is
(a) P, R, S (b) P and R only (c) Q and R only (d) R and S only.
27. Consider the differential equation y 0 (x) + y tan x = cos x . If y(0) = 0 ,
y(π/3) is
(a) 0.52 (b) 1.04 (c) 1 (d) 0
28. The Fourier series of the function f (x) = 1−2aa cos
sin x
x+a2 , |a| < 1 , can be
represented
P∞ by P∞ P∞ P∞
(a) n=1 an cos nx (b) n=1 an sin nx (c) n=1 a2 cos nx (d) n=1 an tan nx

29. In spherical polar coordinates , the unit vector θ̂ at (10, π/4, π/2) is
(a) k̂ (b) √12 (ĵ + k̂) (c) √12 (−ĵ + k̂) (d) √12 (ĵ − k̂)

30. Consider T = S −1 AS with A has eigenvalues λ1 , λ2 where λ1 > λ2 . Then

limn→∞ T r(T n ) is (n is positive integer)
(a) λn1 (b) λn2 (c) ( λλ21 )n (d) λ1 λ2

3
 2 2
31. Consider the function f (x, y) = (x + y)e−x −y in the region x2 + y 2 ≤ 1.
One can conclude that in the given region f (x, y) has
(a) two critical points (b) one critical point (c) four critical points (d) no
critical points .
32. Consider the function f (t) = −1 for −T /2 < t < 0 and f (t) = 1 for
0 < t < T /2 . In the fourier expansion of the function, which of the
following is not true ?
(a) an = 0 (b) b2n = 0 (c) b2n+1 = 0 (d) a0 = 0
33. The work done by force F (x, y) = (3y 2 + 2)î + 16xĵ in moving a particle
from (−1, 0) to (1, 0) along the upper half of the ellipse b2 x2 + y 2 = b2 is
a minimum for which value of b?
(a) 0 (b) π (c) π/2 (d) 2π
34. The solution of the DE y 00 − y 0 − 2y = 3e2x with y(0) = 0; y 0 (0) = 0 is
(a) y = e−x −e2x +xe2x (b) y = ex −e−2x −xe2x (c) y = e−x +e2x +(x/2)e2x
(d) y = ex − e−2x − (x/2)e2x

35. Consider a matrix M with elements given by Mij = ijk nk where n repre-
sent the unit vector, Then eM φ can be expressed as
(a) I +M sin φ+M 2 cos φ (b) I +M sin φ+M 2 (1−cos φ) (c) I +M cos φ+
M 2 sin φ (d) M sin φ + M 2 cos φ + M 3 cos φ
 
0 0 1
36. The inverse of a given matrix M = 2 1 1 can be expressed as
1 1 1
αM 2 + βM + γI. The value of αβγ is
(a) 2 (b) -2 (c) 1 (d) -1
~ = (~a × ~r)rn . (~a is a constant vector). For which value of n ,
37. Consider A
∇×A ~ has the value 24 ~r(~a.~r)
r
(a) n = −1 (b) n = −2 (c) n = 2 (d) n = −3

38. Consider a DE G00 (x) + p(x)G0 (x) + q(x)G(x) = δ(x) . One can conclude
that
(a) G(x) and G0 (x) both are continuous. (b) G(x) is continuous but G0 (x)
is discontinuous. (c) G(x) is discontinuous but G0 (x) is continuous. (d)
G(x) and G0 (x) both are discontinuous.

39. Consider the DE xy 0 (x) + 2y(x) = cos πx

x . If y(1) = 1, the value of y(2) is
(a) π (b) 1 (c) 1/2 (d) 1/4.
40. Consider a circle of radius R. Fit the largest possible square inside it and
the largest possible circle inside the square. What is the radius of the
innermost circle ?
(a) √R2 (b) πR
√ (c)
2
R√ (d) R
2π 2 2