Math 497C Nov 30, 20041
Curves and Surfaces
Fall 2004, PSU
Lecture Notes 15
2.13 The Geodesic Curvature
Let α : I → M be a unit speed curve lying on a surface M ⊂ R3 . Then the
absolute geodesic curvature of α is defined as
|κg | := (α00 )> = α00 − α00 , n(α) n(α) ,
where n is a local Gauss map of M in a neighborhood of α(t). In particular
note that if M = R2 , then |κg | = κ, i.e., absolute geodesic curvature of a
curve on a surface is a gneralization of the curvature of curves in the plane.
Exercise 1. Show that the absolute geodesic curvature of great circles in a
sphere and helices on a cylinder are everywhere zero.
Similarly, the (signed) geodesic curvature generalizes the notion of the signed
curvature of planar curves and may be defined as follows.
We say that a surface M ⊂ R3 is orientable provided that there exists a
(global) Gauss map n : M → S2 , i.e., a continuous mapping which satisfies
n(p) ∈ Tp M , for all p ∈ M . Note that if n is a global Gauss map, then so is
−n. In particular, any orientable surface admits precisely two choices for its
global Gauss map. Once we choose a Gauss map n for an orientable surface,
then M is said to be oriented.
If M is an oriented surface (with global Gauss map n), then, for every
p ∈ M , we define a mapping J : Tp M → Tp M by
JV := n × V.
Exercise 2. Show that if M = R2 , and n = (0, 0, 1), then J is counter
clockwise rotation about the origin by π/2.
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Last revised: December 11, 2021
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Then the geodesic curvature of a unit speed curve α : I → M is given by
κg := α00 , Jα0 .
Note that, since Jα0 is tangent to M ,
α00 , Jα0 = (α00 )> , Jα0 .
Further, since kα0 k = 1, α00 is orthogonal to α0 , which in turn yields that the
projection of α00 into the tangent plane is either parallel or antiparallel to
Jα0 . Thus κg > 0 when the projection of α00 is parallel to Jα0 and is negative
otherwise.
Note that if the curvature of α does not vanish (so that the principal
normal N is well defined), then
κg = κ N, JT .
In particular geodesic curvature is invariant under reparametrizations of α.
Exercise 3. Let S2 be oriented by its outward unit normal, i.e., n(p) = p,
and compute the geodesic curvature of the circles in S2 which lie in planes
z = h, −1 < h < 1. Assume that all these circles are oriented consistently
with respect to the rotation about the z-axis.
Next we derive an expression for κg which does not require that α have
unit speed. To this end, let s : I → [0, L] be the arclength function of α, and
recall that α := α ◦ s−1 : [0, L] → M has unit speed. Thus
κg = κg (s) = α00 (s), Jα0 (s) .
Now recall that (s−1 )0 = 1/kα0 k. Thus by chain rule.
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α0 (t) = α0 s−1 (t) ·
.
kα0 (s−1 (t))k
Further, differentiating both sides of the above equation yields
D 0 −1 E
00 −1
1 − α s ,α s
α00 = α00 s−1 · 0 −1 2 + α0 s−1 ·
.
kα (s )k kα0 (s−1 )k3
Substituting these values into the last expression for κg above yiels
α00 , Jα0
κg = .
kα0 k3
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Exercise 4. Verify the last two equations.
Next we show that the geodesic curvature is intrinsic, i.e., it is invariant
under isometries of the surface. To this end define α̃0 : α(I) → R3 be the
vectorfiled along α(I) given by
α̃0 α(t) = α0 (t).
Then one may immediatley check that
α00 (t) = ∇α0 (t) α̃0 .
Thus
α00 , Jα0 = (α00 )> , Jα0 = ∇α0 α̃0 , Jα0 .
and it follows that
∇α0 α̃0 , Jα0
κg = .
kα0 k3
We say that a curve α : I → M is a geodesic provided that its geodesic
curvature κg ≡ 0.
Exercise 5. Show that if α is a geodesic, then it must have constant speed.
Exercise 6. Show that if α is parametrized by arclength, then
|κg | = k∇α0 α̃0 k.
Exercise 7. Show that α is a geodesic if and only if ∇α0 α̃0 ≡ 0.
Now recall that ∇ is intrinic, which immediately implies that |κg | is in-
trinsic by the last exercise. Thus to complete the proof that κg is intrinsic
it remains to show that J is intrinsic. To see this let X : U → M be a local
patch, then
X2
JXi = bij Xj .
j=1
In particular,
JX1 = b11 X1 + b12 X2 .
Now note that
0 = hJX1 , X1 i = b11 g11 + b12 g21 .
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Further,
g11 = hX1 , X1 i = hJX1 , JX1 i = b211 g11 + 2b11 b12 g12 + b212 g22 .
Solving for b21 in the next to last equation, and substituting in the last
equation yields
2 2
g11 g11
g11 = b211 g11 − 2b211 g11 + b211 2
g 22 = b 2
11 (−g11 + g ).
2 22
g21 g21
Thus b11 may be computed in terms of gij which in turn yields that b12 may
be computed in terms of gij as well. So JX1 nay be expressed intrinsically.
Similarly, JX2 may be expressed intrinsically as well. So we conclude that J
is intrinsic.
2.14 Geodesics in Local Coordinates
Here we will derive a system of ordinary differential equations, in terms of
any local coordinates, whose solutions yield geodesics.
To this end let X : U → M be a patch, and α : I → X(U ) be a unit speed
one-to-one curve. Then we may write
X(u(t)) = α(t),
by letting u(t) := X −1 (α(t)). Next note that, if ui denotes the coordinates
of u, i.e., u(t) = (u1 (t), u2 (t)), then by the chain rule,
2
X
α0 = Xi u0i ,
i=1
which in turn yields
2
X 2
X
α00 = Xij u0i u0j + Xi u00i = (Γkij Xk + `ij N )u0i u0j + Xi u00i ,
i,j=1 i,j,k=1
by Gauss’s formula. Consequently,
2
X 2
X
00 >
(α ) = (Γkij Xk )u0i u0j + Xi u00i = (Γkij u0i u0j + u00k )Xk .
i,j,k=1 i,j,k=1
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So, since |κg | = k(α00 )> k, we conclude that α is a geodesic if and only if
2
X
(Γkij u0i u0j + u00k ) = 0
i,j=1
for k = 1, 2. In other words, for α to be a geodesic the following two equations
must be satisfied:
u001 + Γ111 (u01 )2 + 2Γ112 u01 u02 + Γ122 (u02 )2 = 0
u002 + Γ211 (u01 )2 + 2Γ212 u01 u02 + Γ222 (u02 )2 = 0
Exercise 8. Write down the equations of the geodesic in a surface of revo-
lution. In particular, verify that the great circles in a sphere are geodesics.
2.15 Parallel Translation
Here we will give another interpretation for the concept of geodesic curvature.
Let α : I → M be a simple curve and V be a vector field on M . We say that
V is parallel along α provided that
>
∇α0 (t) V = (V ◦ α)0 = 0.
for all t ∈ I. Recall that α is a geodesic if and only if its velocity is parallel
(i.e., ∇α0 (t) α̃0 ≡ 0)
Exercise 9. Show that if V is parallel along α, then its length is constant.
Exercise 10. Show that if V and W are a pair of parallel vector fields along
α, then the angle between them is constant.
Proposition 11. If α is a unit speed curve on a surface, and V is a parallel
vector field along α, which makes an angle φ with the tangent vector of α,
then κg = φ0 .
Proof. We may assume that V has unit length. Then we may write:
V = cos(φ)T + sin(φ)JT.
Computing k∇T k, and setting it equal to zero yields the desired result.
Corollary 12. The total geodesic curvature of a curve on a surface is equal
to the total rotation of a parallel vector field along the curve, i.e.
Z b
κg = φ(b) − φ(a),
a
where φ is an angle function between T and V .
