Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2012/iii/paper-56/4/a/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2012 iii Paper 56 4 a ii Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-07
Let be the tangent vector to a geodesic with affine parameter . Its geodesic equation is . For a Killing vector field , metric compatibility givesThusThis geodesic conserved quantity from a Killing vector is independent of whether the geodesic is timelike, spacelike or null. For a timelike geodesic one can use proper time; for a null geodesic choose an affine parameter. An arbitrary nonaffine tangent rescales the displayed quantity and need not make it constant.
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