Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2005/iii/paper-66/5/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 66 5 ii Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Evaluate all quantities at and assume a regular surface point, . The tangent plane passes through and is spanned by . ThusChoose the unit normal . The first fundamental form has coefficientswhile the second fundamental form has coefficientsTo derive the curvature formula, differentiate . This gives , , and . Therefore the shape operator , expressed in the tangent basis, isIts eigenvalues are the principal curvatures. Their product, the Gaussian curvature, is its determinant:Regularity ensures . Reversing changes the signs of and both principal curvatures but leaves unchanged. At a singular parameter point this quotient and the cross-product normal vector are undefined; an alternative regular chart or separate geometric analysis is required.
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