Introduction to Geometry (20222)

2011

COURSEWORK

This assignment counts for 20% of your marks.

Solutions are due by 1-st April

Write solutions in the provided spaces.

STUDENTS’S NAME:

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a) Let (x1 , x2 , x3 ) be coordinates of the vector x, and (y 1 , y 2 , y 3 ) be coordinates of

the vector y in R3 .
Does the formula (x, y) = 2x1 y 1 + x2 y 2 + x1 y 3 + x3 y 1 + 2x3 y 3 define a scalar product
on R3 ? Justify your answer.

b) Vectors a, b, c, d in Euclidean space are pairwise orthogonal to each other and all
of them have non-zero length.
Prove that these vectors are linearly independent.
What can you say about a dimension of this Euclidean space?

c) Let a, b be two vectors in the Euclidean space E2 such that the length of the vector
a equals to 3, the length of the vector b equals to 5 and scalar product of these vectors
equals to 9.
Show that these vectors span E2 .
Consider the pair of vectors {x, y} such that {x, y} = {a, b}T , where transition matrix T
equals to T = T1 T2 and
µ1 1
¶ µ ¶
cos ϕ − sin ϕ
T1 = 3 4 , T2 = , ϕ is an arbitrary angle .
0 − 14 sin ϕ cos ϕ

Find lengths of the vectors x and y and their scalar product.

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a) Consider the matrix µ ¶
cos θ − sin θ
A= .
sin θ cos θ
π
Calculate the matrix A2 in the case if θ = 4.
Calculate the matrix A18 in the case if θ = π6 .
2π
Calculate the matrix A2011 − A in the case if θ = 67 .

b) Let {e1 , e2 , e3 } be an orthonormal basis in 3-dimensional Euclidean space E3 . Let

P be a linear operator acting on 3-dimensional Euclidean space E3 , such that P e1 = e2 ,
P e2 = e3 and P e3 = e1 .
Show that for arbitrary two vectors x, y ∈ E3 (x, y) = (P x, P y) where (x, y) is a
scalar product in E3 .
Find a non-zero vector f such that P f = f .
What is a geometrical meaning of this vector?

c) On the plane OXY find the horizontal line l: y = c and the point F = (0, f ) on
x2 −1
the OY axis such that for all the points M on the parabola y = 2 the distance |M F |
equals to the distance between the point M and the line l.

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a) Consider vector a = 2ex + 3ey + 6ez in E3 , where {ex , ey , ez } is an orthonormal

basis for Euclidean space E3
¡π π
¢
Show that the angle θ between vectors a and ez belongs to the interval 6 4 .
,
Find a unit vector b such that it is orthogonal to vectors a and ez , and the bases
{ex , ey , ez } and {b, ez , a} have opposite orientation.

b) In oriented Euclidean space E3 consider the following function of three vectors:

F (X, Y, Z) = (X, Y × Z) ,

where ( , ) is the scalar product and Y × Z is the vector product in E3 .

Show that F (X, X, Z) = 0 for arbitrary vectors X and Z.
Deduce that F (X, Y, Z) = −F (Y, X, Z) for arbitrary vectors X, Y, Z.
What is the geometrical meaning of the function F ?

c) Consider a triangle 4ABC in E3 , formed by the vectors a = (85, 48, −36) and
b = (84, 48, −36) attached at the point C.
Calculate the area of the triangle 4ABC.
Calculate the length of the height CM of this triangle. (CM ⊥ AB and the point M
belongs to the line AB.)
Show that the vector h = CM and the vector c = (a − b) × (a × b) are collinear
(proportional).

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∂ ∂
a) Given a vector field G = ar ∂r + b ∂ϕ in polar coordinates express it in Cartesian
coordinates (x = r cos ϕ, y = r sin ϕ).

b) Consider the function f = r2 sin 2ϕ and the vector fields A = x∂x + y∂y , B =
x∂y − y∂x .
Calculate ∂A f , ∂B f .
Calculate the value of 1-form df on the vector field 3A + 2B.
Express all answers in polar and in Cartesian coordinates.

(c) Show that for 1-form ω = 3(x2 − y 2 )dx − 6xydy there exists a function f such
that ω = df (i.e. ω is an exact 1-form).
Express the 1-form ω in polar coordinates.
∂ ∂
Calculate the value of the 1-form ω on the vector field A = r cos 3ϕ ∂r − sin 3ϕ ∂ϕ .