Paper 4, Section II, F

Geometry | Part IB, 2015

Let α(s)=(f(s),g(s))\alpha(s)=(f(s), g(s)) be a curve in R2\mathbb{R}^{2} parameterized by arc length, and consider the surface of revolution SS in R3\mathbb{R}^{3} defined by the parameterization

σ(u,v)=(f(u)cosv,f(u)sinv,g(u))\sigma(u, v)=(f(u) \cos v, f(u) \sin v, g(u))

In what follows, you may use that a curve σγ\sigma \circ \gamma in SS, with γ(t)=(u(t),v(t))\gamma(t)=(u(t), v(t)), is a geodesic if and only if

u¨=f(u)dfduv˙2,ddt(f(u)2v˙)=0\ddot{u}=f(u) \frac{d f}{d u} \dot{v}^{2}, \quad \frac{d}{d t}\left(f(u)^{2} \dot{v}\right)=0

(i) Write down the first fundamental form for SS, and use this to write down a formula which is equivalent to σγ\sigma \circ \gamma being a unit speed curve.

(ii) Show that for a given u0u_{0}, the circle on SS determined by u=u0u=u_{0} is a geodesic if and only if dfdu(u0)=0\frac{d f}{d u}\left(u_{0}\right)=0.

(iii) Let γ(t)=(u(t),v(t))\gamma(t)=(u(t), v(t)) be a curve in R2\mathbb{R}^{2} such that σγ\sigma \circ \gamma parameterizes a unit speed curve that is a geodesic in SS. For a given time t0t_{0}, let θ(t0)\theta\left(t_{0}\right) denote the angle between the curve σγ\sigma \circ \gamma and the circle on SS determined by u=u(t0)u=u\left(t_{0}\right). Derive Clairault's relation that

f(u(t))cos(θ(t))f(u(t)) \cos (\theta(t))

is independent of tt.

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