GS2018: Selection Process for Mathematics

Selection process for admission in 2018 to the various programs in Mathematics in TIFR, namely
the PhD and Integrated PhD programs at TIFR, Mumbai and TIFR CAM, Bengaluru and PhD at
ICTS, Bengaluru, is as follows:

Part I. For all the programs, the first part of the selection process will be the nationwide test
conducted in various centers in December 2017. This is an objective test of two hours duration,
with 25 true/false and 15 multiple choice questions.
The score in the above test will serve as qualification marks for a student to progress to the second
step of the evaluation process. The cut-off marks for the various programs can be different.

Part II. The second part of the selection process varies according to the program and the center,
and is as follows.
TIFR Mumbai, Int PhD and PhD. The cutoffs in Part I will be so adjusted that in all a total of
about 100 students will qualify to appear for the Part II test. This will be held at TIFR, Mumbai, on
a date to be specified later. The test will consist of a written examination of 3 hours duration, with
about 15 questions, and the solution to the questions have to be written with detailed justifications.
Partial credit will be given for partial solutions. The question paper will be the same for Int PhD
and PhD programs. The final selection will be made based on the performances in Part I and Part
II, and the criteria can be different for the two programs.
TIFR CAM, Bengaluru, Int PhD and PhD. The cutoff scores in Part I will be so adjusted that
about 80 applicants to the Int PhD program, and about 20 applicants to the PhD program, qualify
for the Part II test. This will be held at TIFR CAM, Bengaluru, on a date to be specified later.
The Part II examination will be a written examination of 3 hours duration with separate question
papers for Int PhD and PhD candidates. The exam will involve solving problems at the undergrad-
uate level for Int PhD and at the postgraduate level for PhD. Partial credit will be given for partial
solutions. The final selection will be made based on the performances in Part I and Part II.
ICTS, Bengaluru, PhD. Based on their performances in Part I, about 20 students will be called
for Part II at ICTS, Bengaluru, which will consist of a written examination of one hour duration
followed by an interview.

Syllabus for Part I

Part I of the selection process is mainly based on mathematics covered in a reasonable B.Sc. course.

Algebra: Definitions and examples of group (finite and infinite, commutative and non-commutative),
cyclic groups, subgroups, homomorphisms, quotients. Definitions and example of rings and fields.
Basic facts about finite dimensional vector spaces, matrices, determinants, ranks of linear trans-
formations, characteristic and minimal polynomials, symmetric matrices. Integers and their basic
properties. Polynomials with real or complex coefficients in one variable.
Analysis: Basic facts about real and complex numbers, convergence of sequences and series of
real and complex numbers, continuity, differentiability and Riemann integration of real valued
functions defined on an interval (finite or infinite), elementary functions (polynomial functions,
rational functions, exponential and log, trigonometric functions).

Geometry/Topology: Elementary geometric properties of common shapes and figures in 2 and 3

dimensional Euclidean spaces (e.g. triangles, circles, discs, spheres, etc.). Plane analytic geometry
(= coordinate geometry) and trigonometry. Definition and basic properties of metric spaces, exam-
ples of subset Euclidean spaces (of any dimension), connectedness, compactness. Convergence in
metric spaces, continuity of functions between metric spaces.

General: Pigeon-hole principle (box principle), induction, elementary properties of divisibility,

elementary combinatorics (permutations and combinations, binomial coefficients), elementary rea-
soning with graphs.

Sample Questions

Part I

Part A
Answer whether the following statements are True or False. Mark your answer on the machine
checkable answer sheet that is provided.

1. If A and B are 3 × 3 matrices and A is invertible, then there exists an integer n such that
A + nB is invertible.

2. Let P be a degree 3 polynomial with complex coefficients such that the constant term is
2010. Then P has a root α with |α| > 10.

3. The symmetric group S5 consisting of permutations on 5 symbols has an element of order 6.

4. Suppose fn (x) is a sequence of continuous functions on the closed interval [0;1] converging
to 0 pointwise. Then the integral
Z 1
fn (x)dx
0
converges to 0.

5. There are n homomorphisms from the group Z/nZ to the additive group of rationals Q.

6. A bounded continuous function on R is uniformly continuous.

Part B
Answer the following multiple choice questions, by appropriately marking your answer on the
machine checkable answer sheet that is provided.

1. Let f : R → R be a continuous bounded function. Then

(a) f has to be uniformly continuous

(b) there exists an x ∈ R such that f (x) = x
(c) f can not be increasing
(d) lim f (x) exists.
x→∞

2. Define a function (
x + x2 cos( πx ), if x 6= 0
f (x) =
0, if x = 0
Consider the statements:

I. f is differentiable at x = 0 and f 0 (0) = 1.

II. f is differentiable everywhere and f 0 (x) is continuous at x = 0.
III. f is increasing in a neighbourhood around x = 0.
IV. f is not increasing in any neighbourhood of x = 0.

Which one of the following combinations of the above statements are true.

(a) I. and II.

(b) I. and III.
(c) II. and IV.
(d) I. and IV.

Part II

Write your solutions in the answer booklet provided.

TIFR Mumbai, Integrated PhD and PhD:

1. Let F be a field. Prove that the polynomial ring F[x] in one variable over F has infinitely
many prime ideals.

2. Let c1 , . . . , cr be distinct real numbers. Show that the functions ec1t , . . . , ecr t on R are linearly
independent.

3. Let fn : [a; b] → R be a sequence of continuous functions converging uniformly to a func-

tion f .
 (a) Show that if each fn has a zero then f has a zero.
(b) Give an example of a sequence of functions on [0, +∞) converging uniformly such that
each function in the sequence has a zero but the limit function is nowhere zero.

TIFR CAM, Bengaluru, Integrated PhD:

1. Does there exists a function f on R satisfying

3
f (−1) = −1, f (1) = 1 and | f (x) − f (y)| ≤ |x − y| 2 , for all x, y?

Justify your answer.

2. Check whether the function f (x) = sin(x2 ) uniformly continuous on [0, ∞) or not.

3. Let f be a continuously differentiable function on R such that both the limits limx→∞ f (x)
and limx→∞ f 0 (x) exist and are finite. Is limx→∞ f 0 (x) = 0 necessarily?

TIFR CAM, Bengaluru, PhD:

1. Let P(x1 , x2 , ·, ·, ·, xn ) be a real multinomial (i.e. a polynomial in n-variables in Rn ). Show

that the zero set of P has n-dimensional Lebesgue measure zero.
Rt
2. Consider the linear operator T : C([0, 1]) → C([0, 1]) given by T ( f ) = g where g(t) = 0 f (s)ds.
Show that T is a compact operator.

3. Show that the solution of the ODE

1
y0 = y2 − 1, y(0) =
2
exists for all time t ∈ R.