If the oriented coordinate tangent vectors meet at a constant angle with cosine , the first fundamental form has . The geodesic coordinate grid identities reduce to and . Since positive definiteness gives , both derivatives vanish. Thus and locally. Changing coordinates to and gives the constant metric . It is locally Euclidean after a linear change of coordinates, hence has zero Gaussian curvature.
// Target: geometry-and-topology.bigb
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ib Paper 4 12G ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
The angle between the oriented coordinate tangent vectors satisfies . The constant-angle assumption therefore gives for a constant . The first fundamental form is positive definite, so and hence . Substitution into the geodesic coordinate grid identities from part (i) givesEliminating either derivative yields and . Since and , this provesIf the angle is understood between unoriented curves, its constancy initially fixes ; continuity fixes the sign on each connected chart when this quantity is nonzero, and the zero case already has . Thus the same conclusion holds. In fact constant-angle geodesic coordinate grids are locally flat, although only the displayed derivatives are needed here.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 ib Paper 4 12G i Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
The coordinate curves are assumed to be geodesics as geometric curves; use their arc-length parametrization in the geodesic equations. On , choose increasing arc length , so and . The transverse equation becomesThus . On , similarly , , and the transverse equation gives . Hence the geodesic coordinate grid identities are