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Length functional. On the unit sphere, write the position vector in spherical coordinates asIts two coordinate tangent vectors satisfy $r_{\theta }\cdot r_{\varphi }=0$, $|r_{\theta }|=1$ and $|r_{\varphi }|=\sin \theta$. Consequently the induced Riemannian metric is $d{s}^2=d{\theta }^2+{\sin }^2\theta d{\varphi }^2$. On a segment for which $\theta$ increases and $\varphi =\varphi (\theta )$,Segments where $\theta$ is not monotone require another parameter or a subdivision. Endpoint turning points can be handled by a limit.

First integral. With $F=\sqrt{1+{\sin }^2\theta ({\varphi }^{\prime }{)}^2}$, there is no explicit $\varphi$ dependence. The Euler-Lagrange equation therefore says thatis constant. For $c\ne 0$, put $k=1/|c|$ and solve:The radicand must be nonnegative along the chosen segment. The printed expression with both limits fixed at ${\theta }_1,{\theta }_2$ describes a longitude difference between endpoints; a formula for $\varphi (\theta )$ needs the variable upper limit and the additive constant shown here. The case $c=0$ gives a meridian with constant longitude. The equator is also a stationary route, although it cannot be parameterized using changing $\theta$.

Integration and geometric meaning. Put $t=\cot \theta$, so $d\theta =-dt/(1+t^2)$ andFor a nonconstant segment $k>1$, and writing $K=\sqrt{k^2-1}$, the integral becomesRearranging, and absorbing phase and sign into two constants, givesMultiplying by $\sin \theta$ shows that the corresponding Cartesian coordinates satisfy $z=Ax+By$. Thus every such stationary route lies in a plane through the sphere's center: it is a great circle, the geodesic of the sphere. The meridians and equator are the limiting or separately parameterized cases of the same description.

Rome to Singapore. Use exactly the approximate coordinates supplied in the question: $(\theta ,\varphi )=(\pi /4,\pi /12)$ at departure and $(\pi /2,7\pi /12)$ at arrival. Inserting them into the preceding relation determinesIndeed the right side is one at Rome and zero at Singapore. This corresponds to $K=1$, $k=\sqrt{2}$. In latitude $\ell =\pi /2-\theta$, the route is $\ell =\arctan [\cos (\varphi -\pi /12)]$: it starts at $45^{\circ }$ north with an initially eastward heading and then curves southward to the equator. The first-integral expression in $\theta$ has an integrable endpoint singularity at departure, where $\theta$ has a turning point; the longitude parameter is regular there.

For an explicit regular arc-length parametrization, let $a=r(\pi /4,\pi /12)$ and $b=r(\pi /2,7\pi /12)$. Their dot product is $\sin (\pi /4)\cos (\pi /2)=0$. HenceBoth $|r(s)|$ and $|r^{\prime }(s)|$ equal one. The shorter great circle arc is the global shortest path: for any unit-speed curve from $a$, its central angle $\alpha =\arccos (a\cdot r)$ satisfies $|d\alpha /ds|\le 1$ by the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality, since the tangential projection of $a$ has length $\sin \alpha$. Integrating gives length at least the endpoint angle $\pi /2$, which this route attains. For a sphere of radius $R$, the corresponding shortest distance is $\pi R/2$.

Coordinate surfaces and sketch. Adding and subtracting the defining relations gives $s=u^2+v^2$ and $x=u^2-v^2$. Since $y^2=s^2-x^2$, we have $y^2=4u^2{v}^2$. For $u^2=c>0$, eliminate $v^2$ to obtainThis is a parabolic cylinder parallel to the $z$ axis, opening towards negative $x$, with cross-sectional vertex $(c,0)$ and focus at the origin. Similarly, $v^2=d>0$ givesa parabolic cylinder opening towards positive $x$, with vertex $(-d,0)$ and the same focus. The degenerate $u^2=0$ surface is the half-plane $y=0,x\le 0$; $v^2=0$ gives $y=0,x\ge 0$. Constant $w$ gives the horizontal planes $z=w$.

Thus the requested cross-sections consist of $x=1-y^2/4$, $x=2-y^2/8$, $x=y^2/4-1$, $x=y^2/8-2$ and the two horizontal half-axes. The parabolas of the two families meet orthogonally.

Signed coordinates. Take $u\ge 0$ and choose the sign of $v$ to agree with $y$ away from $y=0$. Then the Cartesian coordinates areEvery coordinate triple gives exactly one point. For $u>0$, $v$ and $y$ have the same sign. A fixed signed $v\ne 0$ selects the upper or lower half of its parabolic cylinder; the entire cylinder corresponds to fixed $v^2$. On the cut $u=0$, the two values $v=\pm \sqrt{-x}$ represent the same point of the negative $x$ half-axis. This boundary identification is unavoidable: there $y=0$ even when $v\ne 0$, so the sign prescription is understood by approaching from either side of the cut. The interior $u>0$ gives a unique coordinate chart off that half-axis.

Orthogonality and metric. Differentiate the position vector:The pairwise dot products vanish. Their lengths give the scale factors of orthogonal coordinates and hence the Riemannian metric:These are parabolic cylindrical coordinates. The differential calculation is regular for $u^2+v^2>0$; the $z$ axis is the coordinate singularity where the two planar tangent vectors vanish.

Laplacian. Put $h=2\sqrt{u^2+v^2}$. The physical components of the gradient of a $w$-independent scalar field are ${\varphi }_u/h,{\varphi }_v/h,0$. Applying the divergence formula cancels the two equal scale factors of orthogonal coordinates inside the derivatives:Therefore, away from the coordinate singularity,

Nilpotence and eigenvalues. If $Av=\lambda v$ with $v\ne 0$, then $A^{n}v={\lambda }^{n}v$. Thus $A^n=0$ forces $\lambda =0$ for every eigenvalue. Conversely, if all $n$ complex eigenvalues, counted with algebraic multiplicity, vanish, the monic characteristic polynomial is ${\chi }_A(t)=t^n$. The Cayley-Hamilton theorem then gives $A^n=0$. HenceThis is the criterion for a nilpotent matrix.

Symmetric case. Here a symmetric matrix is understood to be real. The spectral theorem gives $A=QD{Q}^T$ with $Q$ orthogonal and $D$ real diagonal. The previous result makes every diagonal entry zero, so $A=0$. Alternatively, choose $2^r\ge n$, so $A^{2^r}=0$. For every real vector $x$,It follows that $A^{2^{r-1}}=0$. Repeat until $A=0$. This uses positivity of the quadratic form $x^T{M}^{T}Mx$. The restriction to real symmetric, or complex Hermitian matrices, matters: a complex matrix satisfying only $A^T=A$ need not have this positivity.

The parameters and powers. The first two columns of $T$ coincide, so $\det T=0$ for all $\alpha ,\beta$. The sum of its principal two-by-two determinants, each a minor of a matrix, isTogether with $\mathrm{tr}T=2+\beta$, this givesFor every eigenvalue to vanish both remaining coefficients must be zero. ThereforeDirect multiplication at these values givesIndeed the first row of $T^2$ multiplied by $T$ is $3{\mathrm{row}}_1(T)+3{\mathrm{row}}_2(T)-6{\mathrm{row}}_3(T)=0$, and the second row is its negative.

Geometry of repeated application. For any parameters the image of a linear map lies in the span of $a=(1,1,1{)}^T$ and $b=(1,\alpha ,\beta {)}^T$, since $Tx=(x_1+x_2)a+x_{3}b$. Thus it lies in a fixed plane through the origin, independently of the input. When $a,b$ are independent its normal is $a\times b=(\beta -\alpha ,1-\beta ,\alpha -1)$; if they coincide, the image is a line and is still contained in a plane.

For $\alpha =-5,\beta =-2$, put $s=x_1+x_2$ and $t=x_3$. ThenThe columns span this entire plane, so $T$ has rank two. The next two steps areThus the image of a linear map contracts from a plane to a line and then to the origin under successive applications. The line from $T^2$ is precisely the kernel of $T$.

A central force confines nonradial motion to a plane. In plane polar coordinates, the Lagrangian for $V(r)=\beta r^k$ isThe azimuth $\varphi$ is a cyclic coordinate, so $L=m{r}^2\dot{\varphi }$ is conserved angular momentum. The Lagrangian has no explicit time dependence, giving conserved energyAt fixed $L$, the radial equation of motion is $m\ddot{r}=-V_{\mathrm{eff}}^{\prime }(r)$. The effective potential packages the transverse kinetic energy as a centrifugal term alongside the actual potential energy. It gives a one-dimensional radial problem without introducing an extra physical interaction.

The disc carries mass $M_d=2M/3$ and the thin rim carries $M_r=M/3$. About the wheel's central normal axis, add the moment of inertia of a uniform disc and the thin rim's moment of inertia:Treat the wheel as a thin planar lamina, as implied by the disc-and-thin-rim model. Interpret the requested perpendicular axis as perpendicular to the wheel's original axis and tangent to the rim: if the wheel lies in the $xy$ plane, choose the tangent line $x=R,z=0$, parallel to the $y$ diameter. By rotational symmetry, the two diametral moments of inertia are equal. The perpendicular axis theorem therefore givesThe parallel axis theorem then gives the tangent-axis inertia of an axisymmetric lamina:The axis direction matters. If “perpendicular” were intended to mean perpendicular to the wheel's plane, an axis through a rim point would instead be parallel to the original wheel axis, giving $I_{\mathrm{rim},\mathrm{normal}}=I_z+M{R}^2=5M{R}^2/3$. The $4M{R}^2/3$ answer uses a tangent axis perpendicular to the original axis; the $5M{R}^2/3$ value belongs to the different, explicitly identified normal axis. Finite wheel thickness would require additional information for the in-plane moment of inertia.

Let $\mathbf{r}$ be the orbiting point mass's position relative to the attracting body, and let its velocity be $\mathbf{v}=\dot{\mathbf{r}}$. Its angular momentum isConservation of angular momentum keeps both the magnitude and direction of $\mathbf{L}$ fixed. Since $\mathbf{L}$ is perpendicular to $\mathbf{r}$, a nonradial orbit lies in a fixed plane. During a short interval $dt$, the radius vector sweeps a thin triangle of areaThus the areal velocity is constant:Equal time intervals give equal swept areas: this is Kepler's second law. In plane polar coordinates, the same statement is $L=m{r}^2\dot{\varphi }$ and $\dot{A}=r^2\dot{\varphi }/2$. The attracting body is at the relevant focus of the ellipse, not its geometric centre. The area argument needs conserved angular momentum, not specifically an ellipse; a central force provides this conservation because its torque $\mathbf{r}\times \mathbf{F}$ vanishes.

Using $J=1$ and the preceding first Piola-Kirchhoff stress tensor,Its eigenvalues are $\mu (1+\sqrt{5})/2$, $\mu (1-\sqrt{5})/2$, and zero. Because it is symmetric, its largest traction magnitude on a unit spatial normal is the largest absolute eigenvalue. Put $\phi =(1+\sqrt{5})/2$. The positive eigenvalue has the strictly largest modulus, with normalThe question asks for the plane in the reference configuration, so this spatial normal must be pulled back. Nanson's formula gives $N$ parallel to $F^{T}n$, andTherefore the required plane and maximum areEither sign of its unit normal describes the same plane. Maximizing over reference normals is equivalent to maximizing over spatial normals because the map $N\mapsto F^{-T}N/|F^{-T}N|$ is a bijection of unit normals.

We first derive the stress and energy facts used in both parts. The Cauchy traction $s=Tn$ is force per unit area in the deformed configuration. The first Piola-Kirchhoff traction $s_R=T_{R}N$ is force per unit reference area. Their force vectors are measured in the same spatial coordinates, but the area measures and the normals used to specify the surface are different.

Parametrize a reference surface by $x=x(u,v)$. Its oriented area vector is $(x_u\times x_v)dudv$. Under deformation, the two tangents become $F{x}_u,F{x}_v$. The cross-product identitytherefore proves Nanson's formula $nda=J{F}^{-T}NdA$. Equality of the physical force on corresponding surface patches now givesSince this holds for every reference normal,The first Piola-Kirchhoff stress tensor is generally not symmetric, whereas the Cauchy stress tensor is symmetric in the absence of couple stresses.

For the stated energy on orientation-preserving gradients, differentiation givesA stress-free state satisfies $F{F}^T=J^{-1}I$. Taking determinants yields $J^2=J^{-3}$, so $J=1$ and $F{F}^T=I$: precisely $F\in SO(3)$. These states are also the global energy minimizers. If $v_i>0$ are the singular values, the arithmetic-geometric mean inequality gives $|F{|}^2\ge 3J^{2/3}$, with equality only when the singular values are equal. The function $3J^{2/3}/2+J^{-1}$ decreases up to $J=1$ and increases thereafter, with minimum $5/2$. Thus $W\ge 5\mu /2$, with equality precisely at rotations. A constant shift of the energy can set this minimum to zero without changing the stress.

For the given simple shear,For a unit normal $N$, $|T_{R}N{|}^2={\mu }^2(N_1^2+N_2^2)={\mu }^2(1-N_3^2)$. Hence every reference plane whose normal lies in the $e_1,e_2$ plane is maximizing:There is a family of maximizing planes, rather than one distinguished normal.

By the spectral theorem a symmetric positive-definite matrix $C$ has $C=Q\mathrm{diag}(c_i)Q^{\mathsf{T}}$, with $Q$ orthogonal and $c_i>0$. Define $S=Q\mathrm{diag}(\sqrt{c_i})Q^{\mathsf{T}}$. It is symmetric positive-definite and $S^2=C$. For uniqueness, any symmetric positive-definite square root $T$ commutes with $C=T^2$, hence preserves each eigenspace of $C$. On its $c$-eigenspace, $T$ is symmetric positive-definite and all its eigenvalues have square $c$, so all equal $\sqrt{c}$. Therefore $T=S$, including repeated eigenspaces.

For $\det F>0$, putThen $R^{\mathsf{T}}R=I$ and $\det R=\det F/\det U>0$, so $R\in SO(3)$; also $F=RU=VR$. Any other right polar decomposition has $F^{\mathsf{T}}F=U^2$, so uniqueness of the positive root fixes $U$ and then $R$. The left factor is consequently fixed too.

The principal stretches $v_i$ are the positive eigenvalues of $U$, equivalently the singular values of $F$. For a unit vector $N={\sum }_i{c}_i{N}_i$ in an orthonormal eigenbasis of $U$,Thus $\boxed{\underset{|N|=1}{\max }|FN|=v_{\max }}$, attained precisely by the unit vectors in the eigenspace of $U$ belonging to $v_{\max }$. With a simple largest eigenvalue these are its two opposite unit eigenvectors; degeneracy allows every unit combination within that eigenspace.

For the simple shear,A line with nonzero direction $N$ keeps its length exactly whenHence $\boxed{N_2=0\text{or}2N_1+\gamma N_2=0}$, with $N_3$ arbitrary. Every segment in the cube parallel to one of these directions preserves length; there is no restriction on its starting point other than remaining in the cube.

The two in-plane stretches are $v_{\pm }=(\sqrt{4+{\gamma }^2}\pm \gamma )/2$, and the third is one. A maximizing direction for $\gamma >0$ is $N\parallel (1,v_{+},0)$, since the $C$ eigenvalue equation gives $N_2/N_1=(v_{+}^2-1)/\gamma =v_{+}$. Therefore $\boxed{N\to \pm (1,1,0)/\sqrt{2}}$ as $\gamma \downarrow 0$. At exactly zero shear all directions tie; the limit refers to the selected maximizing direction for positive shear. These are the length-preserving directions and principal directions of simple shear.

On each half-space the deformation is affine. Continuity on the separating plane makes the two affine constants equal and gives $(A-B)t=0$ for every tangent vector $t\perp N$. Decomposing any $x$ into its tangential part and $(x\cdot N)N$ givesThis is the Hadamard jump condition. Since $B=A-a\otimes N=A(I-A^{-1}a\otimes N)$, the matrix determinant lemma givesBoth determinants are positive, hence $\boxed{A^{-1}a\cdot N<1}$.

Write $a_1={\eta }_1$, $a_2={\eta }_2$, $S=a_1^2+a_2^2$ and $\Delta =a_2^2-a_1^2\ne 0$. The two proposed angles have $c=2a_1{a}_2/S$ and $s=\kappa \Delta /S$, and $c^2+s^2=1$. Therefore the displayed rotations lie in $SO(3)$. Direct multiplication givesThis is a rank-one connection for each sign. With a unit normal one may choose $N=(1,\kappa ,0)/\sqrt{2}$ and jump vector $a=\sqrt{2}\Delta (-a_2,\kappa a_1,0)/S$. The two rotations are distinct because $\Delta \ne 0$; the permitted at-most-two result therefore proves these are all solutions. Flipping both $a$ and $N$ changes no connection.

It remains to test the material plane. Because $y(0)=0$, the affine constants vanish. Let $t=(-p_2,p_1,0)$, so the plane is spanned by $t$ and $e_3$. Both deformation gradients send $e_3$ to $a_1{e}_3$. If the plane is not the twin plane, it cuts the two half-spaces; its two image halves are coplanar exactly when the in-plane vectors $Bt$ and $At$ are parallel. Put $d=(-a_2,\kappa a_1)$ and $n=(1,\kappa )$ in their two-dimensional sections. ThenIts prefactor is nonzero, so coplanarity requires $p_1=\kappa p_2$, precisely $p\parallel (1,\kappa ,0)\parallel N$. Conversely, on that twin plane $(A-B)x=0$, so the two affine maps agree and its image is a plane. Thus $\boxed{\Pi \text{ remains plane}⟺p\parallel N}$. All other allowed planes acquire a kink along their intersection with the twin. This is the planarity test across a cubic-to-tetragonal twin.

Reducing the augmented matrix givesThere is no contradictory row. Hence the system is consistent, with affine solution spaceThe three planes intersect in this common line. Their normals span a two-dimensional row space, leaving a one-dimensional common direction, the null space. More explicitly, five times the first equation minus eleven times the second plus twice the third is the zero equation, including the right-hand side; the third plane therefore contains the intersection of the first two.

A planar lamina is an ideal mass distribution confined to a plane, with surface mass density $\sigma$ and infinitesimal mass $dm=\sigma dA$. Its moment of inertia about an axis is the integral of squared perpendicular distance against this mass element. Three mutually perpendicular axes through one point, with two in the lamina's plane, obey the perpendicular axis theorem even when the density is nonuniform.

A plane is a two-dimensional affine subspace: a point $\mathbf{a}$ together with every linear combination of two linearly independent direction vectors $\mathbf{u},\mathbf{v}$,In three-dimensional Euclidean space, a Cartesian equation of a plane fixes one linear equation $\mathbf{n}\cdot \mathbf{x}=d$, with a nonzero normal vector $\mathbf{n}$. The two free directions are orthogonal to $\mathbf{n}$. A plane extends indefinitely; a rectangular patch in a drawing marks only part of it, and does not define an edge of the plane.

For example, the plane $2x-y+2z=3$ contains $\mathbf{a}=(1,1,1)$. The vectors $\mathbf{u}=(1,2,0)$ and $\mathbf{v}=(0,2,1)$ are linearly independent and satisfy $(2,-1,2)\cdot \mathbf{u}=(2,-1,2)\cdot \mathbf{v}=0$. Hence its points are exactly $(1+s,1+2s+2t,1+t)$: substitution gives $2x-y+2z=3$ for every real $s,t$, and every solution has $s=x-1$, $t=z-1$.

The description separates position from direction. A translation of the plane changes $\mathbf{a}$ and possibly $d$, while retaining its parallel directions. A plane through the origin is a linear subspace; the displayed example is not, since the zero vector fails its linear equation. This distinction matters when applying orthogonal projection: subtract an anchor point before projecting onto the direction linear subspace.

Historically, Euclid's Euclid's Elements by Euclid, Book I Definition 7, describes a plane surface through the straight lines lying on it. David E. Joyce's accompanying guide notes that this older use can include a bounded square or circular figure. That usage differs from the whole unbounded affine subspace used here.^[ref]

A plane curve is a curve contained in a plane. In algebraic geometry, one studies plane curves defined by polynomial equations. General plane curves, such as an Archimedean spiral, need not be algebraic curves.

Suppose $\mathbf{a}\ne 0$ and $\mathbf{a}\cdot \mathbf{b}=0$. The line $\mathbf{r}\times \mathbf{a}=\mathbf{b}$ has parametrization $\mathbf{r}={\mathbf{r}}_0+t\mathbf{a}$, where ${\mathbf{r}}_0=(\mathbf{a}\times \mathbf{b})/|\mathbf{a}{|}^2$. For a point $\mathbf{y}$ outside the line, a normal vector of the unique plane containing both is $\mathbf{N}=\mathbf{a}\times (\mathbf{y}-{\mathbf{r}}_0)=\mathbf{b}+\mathbf{a}\times \mathbf{y}$. Thus its equation is the one in the title. The vector triple product verifies ${\mathbf{r}}_0\times \mathbf{a}=\mathbf{b}$, and cyclic invariance of the scalar triple product verifies that every point of the line satisfies the equation. The excluded case $\mathbf{N}=0$ is exactly $\mathbf{y}$ lying on the line, when the plane is not unique.

In the usual physics convention for spherical coordinates, the polar angle is the angle between the positive $z$ axis and the position vector. For $r=\sqrt{x^2+y^2+z^2}>0$, it satisfies $\cos \theta =z/r$ with $0\le \theta \le \pi$. The north and south axes have $\theta =0$ and $\theta =\pi$, respectively; the plane $z=0$ has $\theta =\pi /2$. The angle is undefined at the origin. In plane polar coordinates, the same phrase usually denotes the oriented in-plane angle instead, so the reference axis and convention should always be stated. The azimuth supplies the other angular coordinate in three dimensions.

For unit vectors $u,v$ and a random normal $a$ with independent standard normal distribution coordinates,The Gaussian distribution is invariant under orthogonal transformations. Projecting onto the plane spanned by $u,v$ therefore gives a uniformly distributed direction. If the angle between $u,v$ is $\theta$, the sign-disagreement directions form two sectors of total angle $2\theta$ out of $2\pi$. The endpoint cases $u=v$ and $u=-v$ give probabilities zero and one directly.

Intersection of $o+\lambda r$ with the plane $n\cdot (p-a)=0$, when $n\cdot r\ne 0$. For a ray, require $\lambda \ge 0$. A zero denominator requires separate parallel or coplanar handling.

In an unsoftened plane with number surface density $n_2$ and relative speed $u$, an encounter strip has area $2udtdb$. Thus the velocity diffusion rate is $8G^2{m}^2{n}_2/u\int db/b^2$, dominated by the small-impact cutoff. Setting this cutoff to $Gm/u^2$ and requiring a change of order $u^2$ gives $t_{\mathrm{rel}}\sim u/(Gm{n}_2)$. With $u=\lambda v$, $n_2\sim N/R^2$ and $v^2\sim GNm/R$, this is of order $\lambda R/v$, independent of $N$ at fixed total mass. The point-particle, zero-thickness limit is singular; fixed softening or nonzero thickness changes it. Numerical coefficients are not controlled by extending weak kicks down to order-one deflections.

For row reduction with a parameterized right-hand side at $\tau =5$, the nonzero reduced equations areColumn 3 has no pivot element, so $x_3$ is a free variable in a linear system. Taking $x_3=t$ gives every solution:There is no further restriction on $t$. Independent substitution into the original linear system givesConversely, the two reduced equations force exactly these coordinate formulas, so no solutions have been omitted. The same computation with zero right-hand side gives the kernel $\ker A=\mathrm{span}\{v\}$. Its dimension is one. The rank-nullity theorem appears here as $2+1=3$: two pivot columns and one freely chosen coordinate account for the three unknowns.^[ref]

In general a consistent linear system has solution set $x_0+\ker A$. Subtracting $A{x}_0=b$ from $Ax=b$ proves this description in both directions. The particular solution places the affine subspace, and the kernel supplies its directions.^[ref] Over the real numbers this example is an entire line; over the rational numbers the same formula uses rational $t$. A free variable in a linear system over a finite field instead has only finitely many choices.

The pivot columns identify a different object: the original column space. Here they selectwhich form its basis, while $a_3=-7a_1+3a_2$. The corresponding reduced columns are $(1,0,0,0{)}^T$ and $(0,1,0,0{)}^T$; their linear span is a different plane. For example, every original output satisfies $y_3=y_1+y_2$, but $(1,0,0,0{)}^T$ does not. Since $E$ is an invertible matrix, column linear relations survive $EA=R$ even though the output vectors move. This is why choosing original columns at the reduced pivot positions works.