Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2013/iii/paper-15/4/solution

Fix the curvature convention
To prove tensoriality, use and the connection rules. The two terms cancel, giving . Antisymmetry in gives linearity over smooth functions in the second input. Expanding the third input gives
It is therefore a smooth tensor of type . Lowering the output with gives the type Riemann curvature tensor .
For an independent pair , define sectional curvature by
Metric compatibility gives by applying to . Together with antisymmetry in , this shows that replacing the pair by multiplies both numerator and denominator by . Thus the value depends only on the plane. Define Ricci curvature by for any orthonormal basis; a trace is independent of the orthonormal basis.
For the curvature of the round unit sphere, the outward unit normal is the position vector . The tangential projection of ambient differentiation is torsion-free and has metric compatibility, so uniqueness identifies it with . Ambient differentiation satisfies and
since differentiating gives its normal component. The ambient curvature is zero. Take tangential components of to obtain
Hence
Every two-plane has sectional curvature one. Tracing the first formula gives , and consequently
Thus the sphere is an Einstein manifold. When there are no tangent two-planes, the curvature tensor is zero and the same Ricci formula gives zero. The declared slot convention fixes all signs.

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