Math 497C Nov 11, 20041
Curves and Surfaces
Fall 2004, PSU
Lecture Notes 13
2.9 The Covariant Derivative, Lie Bracket, and Rie-
mann Curvature Tensor of Rn
Let A ⊂ Rn , p ∈ A, and W be a tangent vector of A at p, i.e., suppose
there exists a curve γ : (−, ) → A with γ(0) = p and γ (0) = W . Then
if f : A → R is a function we define the (directional) derivative of f with
respect to W at p as
Wp f := (f ◦ γ) (0) = dfp (W ).
Similarly, if V is a vectorfield along A, i.e., a mapping V : A → Rn , p → Vp ,
we define the covariant derivative of V with respect to W at p as
∇Wp V := (V ◦ γ) (0) = dVp (W ).
Note that if f and V are C 1 , then by definition they may be extended to an
open neighborhood of A. So dfp and dVp , and consequently Wp f and ∇Wp V
are well defined. In particular, they do not depend on the choice of the curve
γ or the extensions of f and V .
Exercise 1. Let Ei be the standard basis of Rn , i.e., E1 := (1, 0, . . . , 0),
E2 := (0, 1, 0, . . . , 0), . . . , En := (0, . . . , 0, 1). Show that for any functions
f : Rn → R and vectorfield V : Rn → Rn
(Ei )p f = Di f (p) and ∇(Ei )p V = Di V (p)
(Hint: Let ui : (−, ) → Rn be given by ui (t) := p + tEi , and observe that
(Ei )p f = (f ◦ ui ) (0), ∇(Ei )p V = (V ◦ ui ) (0)).
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Last revised: November 29, 2004
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The operation ∇ is also known as the standard Levi-Civita connection of
R . If W is a tangent vectorfield of A, i.e., a mapping W : A → Rn such
n
that Wp is a tangent vector of A for all p ∈ A, then we set
W f (p) := Wp f and (∇W V )p := ∇Wp V.
Note that W f : A → R is a function and ∇W V is a vectorfield. Further, we
define
(f W )p := f (p)Wp .
Thus f W : A → Rn is a also a vector field.
Exercise 2. Show that it V = (V 1 , . . . , V n ), i.e., V i are the component
functions of V , then
∇W V = (W V 1 , . . . , W V n ).
Exercise 3. Show that if Z is a tangent vectorfield of A and f : A → R is
a function, then
∇W +Z V = ∇W V + ∇Z V, and ∇f W V = f ∇W V.
Further if Z : A → Rn is any vectorfield, then
∇W (V + Z) = ∇W V + ∇W Z, and ∇W (f V ) = (W f )V + f ∇W V.
Exercise 4. Note that if V and W are a pair of vectorfields on A then
V, W : A → R defined by V, W p := Vp , Wp is a function on A, and show
that
ZV, W = ∇Z V, W + V, ∇Z W .
If V, W : A → Rn are a pair of vector fields, then their Lie bracket is the
vector filed on A defined by
[V, W ]p := ∇Vp W − ∇Wp V.
Exercise 5. Show that if A ⊂ Rn is open, V, W : A → Rn are a pair of
vector fields and f : A → R is a scalar, then
[V, W ]f = V (W f ) − W (V f ).
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(Hint: First show that V f = V, grad f and W f = W, grad f where
grad f := (D1 f, . . . , Dn f ).
Next define
Hess f (V, W ) := V, ∇W grad f ,
and show that Hess f (V, W ) = Hess f (W, V ). In particular, it is enough to
show that Hess f (Ei , Ej ) = Dij f , where {E1 , . . . , En } is the standard basis
for Rn . Then Leibnitz rule yields that
V (W f ) − W (V f )
= V W, grad f − W V, grad f
= ∇V W, grad f + W, ∇V grad f − ∇W V, grad f − V, ∇W grad f
= [V, W ], grad f + Hess f (W, V ) − Hess f (V, W )
= [V, W ]f,
as desired.)
If V and W are tangent vectorfields on an open set A ⊂ Rn , and Z : A →
n
R is any vectorfield, then
R(V, W )Z := ∇V ∇W Z − ∇W ∇V Z − ∇[V,W ] Z
defines a vectorfield on A. If Y is another vectorfield on A, then we may also
define an associated scalar quantity by
R(V, W, Z, Y ) := R(V, W )Z, Y ,
which is known as the Riemann curvature tensor of Rn .
Exercise 6. Show that R ≡ 0.
2.10 The Induced Covariant Derivative on Surfaces;
Gauss’s Formulas revisited
Note that if M ⊂ R3 is a regular embedded surface and V , W : M → R3 are
vectorfields on M . Then ∇W V may no longer be tangent to M . Rather, in
general we have
⊥
∇W V = ∇W V + ∇W V ,
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where (∇W V ) and (∇W V )⊥ respectively denote the tangential and normal
components of ∇W V with resect to M . More explicitly, if for each p ∈ M
we let n(p) be a unit normal vector to Tp M , then
⊥ ⊥
∇W V p
:= ∇Wp V, n(p) n(p) and ∇W V := ∇W V − ∇W V .
Let X (M ) denote the space of tangent vectorfield on M . Then We define the
(induced) covariant derivative on M as the mapping ∇ : X (M ) × X (M ) →
X (M ) given by
∇W V := ∇W V .
Exercise 7. Show that, with respect to tangent vectorfields on M , ∇ satis-
fies all the properties which were listed for ∇ in Exercises 3 and 4.
Next we derive an explicit expression for ∇ in terms of local coordinates.
Let X : U → M be a proper regular patch centered at a point p ∈ M , i.e.,
X(0, 0) = p, and set
X i := Xi ◦ X −1 .
Then X i are vectorfields on X(U ), and for each q ∈ X(U ), (X i )q forms a
basis for Tq M . Thus on X(U ) we have
V = V i X i , and W = W iX i
i i
for some functions V i , W i : X(U ) → R. Consequently, on X(U ),
∇W V = ∇( W j X j ) V iX i
j
= W j ∇X j V iX i
j i
= Wj X j V i + V i ∇X j X i
j i
= W j X j V i + W j V i ∇X j X i .
j i
Next note that if we define uj : (−, ) → R2 by uj (t) := tEj , where E1 :=
(1, 0) and E2 := (0, 1). Then X ◦ui : (−, ) → M are curves with X ◦ui (0) =
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p and (X ◦ ui ) (0) = Xi (0, 0) = X i (p). Thus by the definitions of ∇ and ∇
we have
∇(X j )p X i = ∇(X j )p X i
= X i ◦ (X ◦ uj ) (0)
= (Xi ◦ uj ) (0)
Now note that, by the chain rule,
(Xi ◦ uj ) (0) = DXi uj (0) Duj (0) = Xij (0, 0).
Exercise 8. Verify the last equality above.
Thus, by Gauss’s formula,
∇(X j )p X i = Xij (0, 0)
= Γkij (0, 0)Xk (0, 0) + lij (0, 0)N (0, 0)
k
= Γkij X −1 (p) Xk X −1 (p)
k
= Γkij X −1 (p) X k p .
k
k
In particular if we set X ij := Xij ◦ X −1 and define Γij : X(U ) → R by
k
Γij := Γkij ◦ X −1 , then we have
k
∇X j X i = X ij = Γij X k ,
k
which in turn yields
k
∇W V = j i
W XjV + W V j i
Γij X k .
j i k
Now recall that Γkij depends only on the coefficients of the first fundamental
form gij . Thus it follows that ∇ is intrinsic:
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Exercise 9. Show that if f : M → M is an isometry, then
∇ df (W ) df (V ) = df ∇W V ,
where ∇ denotes the covariant derivative on M (Hint: It is enough to show
that ∇ df (X i ) df (X j ), df (X l ) = df ∇X i X j , df (X l )).
Next note that if n : X(U ) → S2 is a local Gauss map then
∇W V, n = −V, ∇W n = −V, dn(W ) = V, S(W ),
where, recall that, S is the shape operator of M . Thus
⊥
∇Wp V = V, S(Wp )n(p),
which in turn yields
∇W V = ∇W V + V, S(W ) n.
This is Gauss’s formula and implies the expression that we had derived earlier
in local coordinates.
Exercise 10. Verify the last sentence.
