Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2015/iii/paper-55/1/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 55 1 i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
Use signature , the positive spatial metric , and a future-directed unit normal , so . This fixes the sign of the normal to agree with the specified . The negative normal covector printed in the source would instead give ; its orientation and the displayed derivative cannot both be retained. Use the operational negative-expansion convention for the extrinsic curvature of a spatial hypersurface, , which is the convention giving the requested expanding-universe sign. With this future normal and signature it equals ; the source's identity instead uses its past-pointing normal.
For the scalar-field matter projections, put and . Decomposing the scalar gradient into normal and tangent parts gives . Contracting the Klein-Gordon scalar stress-energy tensor with the normal and the spatial projection tensor therefore yieldsIn particular, the positive spatial metric raises the indices in ; raising them with the four-metric would reverse that spatial sign. These quantities are the energy density, momentum density and spatial stress in the normal frame.
For the homogeneous Spatially flat FLRW metric, , and . Consequently , , , , andThe intrinsic Ricci scalar is zero and . The Hamiltonian constraint thus gives the scalar-field Friedmann equation:The momentum constraint is identically satisfied, since its homogeneous spatial derivatives and vanish. The scalar equation reduces to . Substituting and multiplying by gives the background inflaton equation of motion:No derivation of the supplied gravitational constraints is needed.
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