Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2024 / iii / Paper 115 / 1 / a / Solution

The equivalent formulations of orientability of a smooth manifold are:

A positive chart orients its coordinate frame. Conversely, smoothly oriented frames determine local positive coordinate volume forms. A partition of unity subordinate to an oriented atlas glues these positive forms: at each point they are positive multiples of one another, so their weighted sum cannot vanish. Finally, a nowhere-zero top form $\omega$ declares $(v_1,\dots ,v_n)$ positive exactly when $\omega (v_1,\dots ,v_n)>0$. These constructions are inverse at the level of orientations.