Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2004/iii/paper-59/1/c/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 59 1 c Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
For a tangential covector, the projected derivative is . Its second derivative isExpanding by the product rule, the derivative of the first inner projector gives . This contribution cancels on antisymmetrizing , because is symmetric.
The derivative of the second inner projector gives . Differentiating tangentiality, , rewrites it asThe remaining term is the projected four-dimensional curvature commutator. Using the curvature convention of the question,and replacing the tangential by , we obtainSince this holds for every tangential covector, the Gauss equation follows:The signs use a timelike unit normal and the specified commutator convention; reversing a curvature convention without changing the commutator would change the comparison.
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