Math 150A. Differential Geometry of Curves and Surfaces - Winter 09 - Hans Lindblad

Text: Do Carmo Differential Geometry of Curves and Surfaces
Other books: Oprea Differential Geometry and Its Applications, O'Neill Elementary Differential Geometry.
Thorpe Elementary Differential Geometry, Spivak A comprehensive introduction to Differential Geometry II-III
Lectures MWF 2-3 HSS 1305. Instructor Hans Lindblad, lindblad@math.ucsd.edu. Office hour M 3-4 APM 7220.
Sections Tu 1-2 APM B412. TA Patrick Driscoll pdriscol@math.ucsd.edu. Office hour F 12-1 Tu 11-12 APM 6351.
Syllabus Differential Geometry can be seen as continuations of Vector Calculus. Geometry is the part of mathematics concerned with questions of size, shape and position of objects in space. Differential geometry uses the methods of differential calculus to study the geometry. A curve in the plane is determined by its initial point and direction and the curvature at each point along the curve, that measures how fast the curve pulls away from the tangent line. Similarly a surface is determined by its curvatures in different directions at each point on the surface. The curvatures is the main focus of the course, these are essentially the coefficients in the second order terms in the Taylor expansion of a surface, or the second order derivatives of the parameterization of a surface. The theory of the curvatures was later used in Einstein's theory of General Relativity to study how space-time curves under the influence of gravity.

150B will deal with 1) Further properties of geodesics, 2) Calculus on manifolds with differential forms and 3) Riemannian Geometry and General Relativity.
wk  date  Monday  Wednesday  Friday
  1  1/5 1.1 Introduction-overview 1.2-3 Parametrized curve-arclength 1.5 Fundamental theorem of curves
  2  1/12 1.7 Isoperimetric inequality  2.2 Regular Surfaces App. B Differential, 2.2 Surfaces
  3  1/19  Holiday  2.3 Differentiable map on a surface  2.4 Tangent plane and differential
  4  1/26  2.4 Differential, Contractions  Inverse Function Theorem  Practice Midterm 1
  5  2/2  Midterm I 2.5-6 First fundamental form-Orient  3.2 Second fundamental form
  6  2/9 3.2-App A Second fund. form  3.2-App A Second fund. form  3.3
  7  2/16  Holiday  3.3  Practice Midterm 2
  8  2/23  Midterm II  4.2  4.3
  9  3/2  4.3  4.4  4.4
10  3/9  4.4-4.5  Practice Final  Practice Final


See 150A Fall 98 and 150A Fall 03 for homework assignments and practice exams from previous years.
wk  date  Homework (tentative)  Due 6pm in box 6th floor APM  Solutions
  1  1/6  Review of Vector Calculus, dot and cross product and normals.  
  2  1/13   1.2: 4,   1.3: 2,4,10,   1.4: 2,6,12,   1.5: 1,2,5,7,8,12,  
  3  1/20   1.7: 1,15a,   2.2: 1,3,6,7,8,10,11,13,16,  
  4  1/27   2.3: 1,2,3,8,   2.4: 1-3,7,9,13a,16,17,24,26,    
  5  2/3   Midterm,      
  6  2/10   2.5: 1,3,5,9,11      
  7  2/17   3.2: 1,4,5,6,7,8,13,14,16,17,   3.3: 1,2,3,4,6,7  
  8  2/24   Midterm,    
  9  3/3   4.2: 1,3,4,5,6,10,   4.3: 1,3,4,6,7,8  
10  3/10   4.4: 1,2,5,8,9,15a  
Exams Two midterms in class, a final Mon March 16, 3-6. Grade Each midterm 20%, final 50%, homeworks 10%.