Solutions for Assignment 5

prepared by Jordi
Exercise (2.4.1). Let the level set S = {(x, y, z) R3 | f (x, y, z) = 0} be a
regular surface. Show that the tangent plane at the point p = (x0 , y0 , z0 ) is given
by the equation
fx (p)(x x0 ) + fy (p)(y y0 ) + fz (p)(z z0 ) = 0.
Let (t) = (x(t), y(t), z(t)) be some regular curve on the surface with arbitrary tangent vector v = 0 (p) at p and paramatrised so that (0) = p. Since
f ((t)) = (x(t), y(t), z(t)) = 0, we may differentiate and apply the chain rule at
p to obtain
(fx (p), fy (p), fz (p)) (x0 (0), y 0 (0), (z 0 (0)) = 0.
Since v Tp (S) was chosen arbitrarily, this means that the gradient f (p) at p
is orthogonal to every tangent vector, thus a normal vector to the tangent plane
at p whence the result follows.
Exercise (2.4.2). Find all tangent planes to the surface x2 + y 2 z 2 = 1 at
the points (x, y, 0), and show that they are parallel to the z-axis.
An application of the previous exercise. Set f (x, y, z) = x2 + y 2 z 2 1,
and the quadric surface in question is the inverse image Q = f 1 (0). From the
gradient vector f = (2x, 2y, 2z) we may compute the general equation of the
tangent plane at (x0 , y0 , 0) Q to be
x0 (x x0 ) + y0 (y y0 ) = 0.
This plane is parallel to the z-axis because of the absence of the z variable. (A
cylinder formed from stretching a line in the x-y plane along the z-coordinate.)
Exercise (2.4.8). Demonstrate that if L : R3 R3 is a linear map and S R3
is a regular surface such that L(S) S, then the restriction L S is differentiable
and
dLp (w) = L(w)
for all p S and w Tp (S).
Let (, U ) be some patch around p. We must check the differentiability of
the map L : U S, but this is clear since S is regular, and the composition
of differentiable mappings is differentiable. Now, by the definition of the differential, (cf. definition 1, appendix to chapter 2 in Do Carmo), for any regular
curve : (, ) S with (0) = p and 0 (0) = w,

d[L ((t))] 
dLp (w) =

dt
t=0
=L(0 (0))
=L(w)

by linearity of L

as desired.
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Exercise (2.4.10). Let : I R3 be some regular curve with nonzero curvature everywhere and parametrised by arclength. Show that for all s I, the
corresponding parametrised tubular surface
x(s, v) =
~ (s) + r(~n(s) cos v + ~b(s) sin v)
of positive constant radius r, whenever regular, has for unit normal the vector
N (s, v) = (~n(s) cos v + ~b(s) sin v).
The computations for this creature can get kind of hairy, so here is a good
example of why the Frenet formulae are such a great thing. They summarise all
the relevant information about the regular curve and simplify calculations.
Let S be the parametrised tubular surface in question. First we need the
two basis vectors xs , xv . We shall omit the parameter s in order to minimise the
proliferation of parentheses. Let us also adopt the more standard convention
for the sign of the torsion, the opposite to the one Do Carmo suggests.
xs
xv

= (1 r cos v)~t (r sin v)~n + (r cos v)~b

=
0~t
(r sin v)~n +
(r cos v)~b

Now the wedge product. Notice that with xs and xs given as above, by the
linearity and skew-symmetric properties of the wedge product, and since {~t, ~n, ~b}
is an orthonormal basis,




~b
~t
~n



xs xv =  1 r cos v r sin v r cos v 

0
r sin v
r cos v 
so that
xs xv = 0~t r(1 r cos v)(cos v)~n r(1 r cos v)(sin v)~b.
Next step is to normalise this. As an interesting side remark, observe that this
parametrisation is nonsingular everywhere (id est, defines an honest regular
surface) if |xs xv | = r(1 r cos v) never vanishes. For this it is sufficient that
< 1/r everywhere for nonzero r. Upon dividing by this norm, we conclude
that
N (s, v) =

xs xv
|xs xv |

= (cos v~n(s) + sin v~b(s)).

Exercise (2.5.1). Fun with the first fundamental form. Compute E, F, G for
the following parametrised surfaces wherever they are regular.
1. x(u, v) = (a sin u cos v, b sin u sin v, c cos u); ellipsoid.
2. x(u, v) = (au cos v, bu sin v, u2 ); elliptic paraboloid.
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3. x(u, v) = (au cosh v, bu sinh v, u2 ); hyperbolic paraboloid.

4. x(u, v) = (a sinh u cos v, b sinh u sin v, c cosh u); hyperbolic paraboloid
of two sheets.
Basically mindless computations. Just recall that
E(u, v) :=xu xu
F (u, v) :=xu xv
G(u, v) :=xv xv .
Maple says the fundamental forms are as follows. Check these results.
1. Ellipsoid.
E(u, v) =a2 cos2 u cos2 v + b2 cos2 u sin2 v + c2 sin2 u
F (u, v) = a2 cos u cos v sin u sin v + b2 cos u sin v sin u cos v
G(u, v) =a2 sin2 u sin2 v + b2 sin2 u cos2 v
2. Elliptic paraboloid.
E(u, v) =a2 cos2 v + b2 sin2 v + 4u2
F (u, v) = a2 u cos v sin v + b2 u sin v cos v
G(u, v) =a2 u2 sin2 v + b2 u2 cos2 v
3. Hyperbolic paraboloid.
E(u, v) =a2 cosh2 v + b2 sinh2 v + 4u2
F (u, v) =a2 u cosh v sinh v + b2 u sinh v cosh v
G(u, v) =a2 u2 sinh2 v + b2 u2 cosh2 v
4. Hyperboloid of two sheets.
E(u, v) =a2 cosh2 u cos2 v + b2 cosh2 u sin2 v + c2 sinh2 u
F (u, v) = a2 cosh u cos v sinh u sin v + b2 cosh u sin v sinh u cos v
G(u, v) =a2 sinh2 u sin2 v + b2 sinh2 u cos2 v
Exercise (2.5.9). Show that a surface of revolution can always be parametrised
so that E = E(v), F = 0, G = 1.
There is not much of an insight here. Just parametrise the generating curve of
the surface of revolution by arclength and compute the fundamental forms. Let
us work this out in detail.

Let (s) = (x(s), 0, z(s)) be a unit speed regular curve in the x-s plane.
Parametrise our surface of revolution S by
(v, s) = (x(s) cos u, x(s) sin u, z(s)),
differentiate, and take dot products.
v =(x(s) sin u, x(s) cos u, 0)
s =(x0 (s) cos u, x0 (s) sin u, z 0 (s))
Thus,
E(v, s) = v v =x2 (s)
F (v, s) = v s = x(s)x0 (s) sin u cos u + x(s)x0 (s) sin u cos = 0
G(v, s) = s s =(x0 (s))2 + (z 0 (s))2 = 1 since is of unit speed.
Exercise (2.5.10). Let P {(x, y, z) R3 | z = 0} be the x-y plane, and let
x : U P be a parametrisation of P given by
x(, ) = ( cos , sin , 0),
where
U = {(, ) R3 | > 0, 0 < < 2}.
Compute the coefficients of the first fundamental form of P in this parametrisation.
Perform the usual rituals.
x =(cos , sin , 0)
x =( sin , cos , 0)
Coefficients:
E(, ) =1
F (, ) =0
G(, ) =2