[Differential Geometry] What does an Asymptotic Geodesic Line of Curvature look like?

How could we show that a curve CSC \subset S on a smooth, orientable surface is both an asymptotic curve and a geodesic if and only if C is a segment of a straight line?

\Rightarrow NTS: If CC is both asymptotic and a geodesic, then it is a straight line.

By definition, asymptotic curve of a regular surface is such that, the tangent line of C at each point of the curve is an asymptotic direction, and along asymptotic directions the normal curvature is zero. Hence kn=0k_n = 0. The relationship of normal, geodesic, and usual curvature of CC gives: (kn)2+(kg)2=k2.(k_n)^2 + (k_g)^2=k^2. And since we have kn=0k_n=0, kg=k.\mid k_g \mid = k.

Additionally, a curve is geodesic if and only if kg=0k_g = 0 at each point of the curve. So k=0k=0. Since the usual curvature of curve C is zero at all points, if we let α(s)\alpha(s) be a regular parametrisation of C, we have that α(s)0\vert \alpha ''(s) \vert \equiv 0. Then by integration, α(s)=bs+c\alpha(s) = bs + c, so the curve is a (segment of) a straight line.

\Leftarrow NTS: If CC is a straight line, then it is both an asymptotic curve and a geodesic.

If CC is a straight line, the usual curvature of CC is zero, hence k=0k=0. From the relation (kn)2+(kg)2=k2(k_n)^2+(k_g)^2=k^2, we see that (kn)20(k_n)^2 \geq 0, and (kg)20(k_g)^2 \geq 0, so knk_n and kgk_g must both be zero. Therefore, C is both asymptotic and a geodesic line of curvature.

Therefore, we conclude that CSC \subset S is asymptotic and geodesic curve if and only if (C) is a (segment of) a straight line.

#Geometry

Note by Bright Glow
3 years, 1 month ago

No vote yet
1 vote

  Easy Math Editor

This discussion board is a place to discuss our Daily Challenges and the math and science related to those challenges. Explanations are more than just a solution — they should explain the steps and thinking strategies that you used to obtain the solution. Comments should further the discussion of math and science.

When posting on Brilliant:

  • Use the emojis to react to an explanation, whether you're congratulating a job well done , or just really confused .
  • Ask specific questions about the challenge or the steps in somebody's explanation. Well-posed questions can add a lot to the discussion, but posting "I don't understand!" doesn't help anyone.
  • Try to contribute something new to the discussion, whether it is an extension, generalization or other idea related to the challenge.
  • Stay on topic — we're all here to learn more about math and science, not to hear about your favorite get-rich-quick scheme or current world events.

MarkdownAppears as
*italics* or _italics_ italics
**bold** or __bold__ bold

- bulleted
- list

  • bulleted
  • list

1. numbered
2. list

  1. numbered
  2. list
Note: you must add a full line of space before and after lists for them to show up correctly
paragraph 1

paragraph 2

paragraph 1

paragraph 2

[example link](https://brilliant.org)example link
> This is a quote
This is a quote
    # I indented these lines
    # 4 spaces, and now they show
    # up as a code block.

    print "hello world"
# I indented these lines
# 4 spaces, and now they show
# up as a code block.

print "hello world"
MathAppears as
Remember to wrap math in \( ... \) or \[ ... \] to ensure proper formatting.
2 \times 3 2×3 2 \times 3
2^{34} 234 2^{34}
a_{i-1} ai1 a_{i-1}
\frac{2}{3} 23 \frac{2}{3}
\sqrt{2} 2 \sqrt{2}
\sum_{i=1}^3 i=13 \sum_{i=1}^3
\sin \theta sinθ \sin \theta
\boxed{123} 123 \boxed{123}

Comments

There are no comments in this discussion.

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...