Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2015/ia/paper-3/12a/c/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 ia Paper 3 12A c ii Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
False. Tests against symmetric second-rank tensors see only the symmetric part , because the Frobenius inner product of a symmetric matrix and an antisymmetric matrix is zero:An arbitrary basis-dependent antisymmetric part is invisible to these tests. For example, prescribein one basis, and in another rotated basis, choosing antisymmetric arrays in every remaining basis. Every contraction with any symmetric second-rank tensor is the invariant scalar zero. But an invertible rotation cannot transform this nonzero matrix to zero, so the array is not a Cartesian second-rank tensor. This is the blindness of symmetric contraction tests to antisymmetric arrays.
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