Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2021/ib/paper-3/2e/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 ib Paper 3 2E Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-25
For a geodesic triangle with interior angles , the local Gauss-Bonnet theorem isbecause its geodesic sides have zero geodesic curvature.
Triangulate a closed oriented surface into geodesic triangles, with edges and vertices. Summing the local formula, the angles around each vertex total , soSince every triangular face has three edges and every edge belongs to two faces, . Hencewhich is the global Gauss-Bonnet theorem.
For the sphere , the unit normal is . Its shape operator is, up to the conventional sign, on each tangent plane. Both principal curvatures therefore have magnitude , and the Gaussian curvature is
An octant has one eighth of the sphere's area:Thus . Its three great-circle sides meet at three right angles, soThe two sides of the local Gauss-Bonnet formula agree directly.
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