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In three-dimensional Euclidean space, a rank-three tensor invariant under every proper rotation is a scalar multiple of the Levi-Civita symbol. The distinction between proper rotations and all orthogonal transformations matters: $R_{ia}{R}_{jb}{R}_{kc}{ϵ}_{abc}=(\det R){ϵ}_{ijk}$. A polar tensor of odd rank invariant under every orthogonal transformation must vanish, since the transformation $R=-I$ changes its sign. A nonzero invariant rank-three object under reflections is instead a pseudotensor, whose transformation law includes the extra determinant factor.

Let $R$ be an orthogonal matrix describing a Cartesian change of coordinates, with transformed vector components $v_i^{\prime }=R_{ia}{v}_a$ and $w_j^{\prime }=R_{jb}{w}_b$. Their outer product transforms aswhich is the transformation law of a second-order Cartesian tensor. Here “rank two” counts tensor indices, not the rank of a matrix; a nonzero outer product has matrix rank one.

For an isotropic second-rank tensor, invariance means $RT{R}^T=T$ for every proper rotation matrix. The half-turn matrices $\mathrm{diag}(1,-1,-1)$, $\mathrm{diag}(-1,1,-1)$ and $\mathrm{diag}(-1,-1,1)$ force all off-diagonal entries to vanish. Quarter-turns around coordinate axes then force the three diagonal entries to be equal. Conversely $RI{R}^T=I$, so the most general second-rank isotropic tensor isSince $v{w}^T$ has matrix rank at most one, it cannot equal a nonzero scalar multiple of the three-dimensional identity. Thus its isotropy forces $v{w}^T=0$. If $v\ne 0$, a nonzero component $v_i$ makes the entire $i$th row vanish only when $w=0$; the converse is immediate. The required choices are exactlyFor the Levi-Civita symbol, multilinearity and antisymmetry of the determinant givefor every $R\in SO(3)$. This proves the rotation invariance of the Levi-Civita symbol, hence its third-rank isotropy. The convention is invariance under proper rotations: under an orthogonal reflection $\det R=-1$, the sign reverses. Thus it is a pseudotensor if transformations of both orientations are included.

In Cartesian coordinates a rank-$r$ tensor is an array whose components transform under a change of orthonormal axes by one rotation matrix factor per index:An isotropic tensor has unchanged components under every proper rotation. The Levi-Civita symbol obeysfor $Q\in SO(3)$, proving rotation invariance of the Levi-Civita symbol. Under an orthogonal transformation of determinant $-1$ its sign reverses; including such transformations requires the pseudotensor distinction. Here isotropy is with respect to proper rotations.

Contract the determinant identity with ${ϵ}_{ijk}$. Since ${ϵ}_{ijk}{ϵ}_{ijk}=3!=6$, one obtainsEvery index on the right is contracted, so the tensor component transformation law leaves no free rotation factor: the determinant is a scalar. Equivalently, $A^{\prime }=QA{Q}^T$ gives $\det A^{\prime }=(\det Q{)}^2\det A=\det A$.

For the matrix inverse, defineThis is the cofactor matrix. To verify the inverse formula rather than just recognize it, contract with $A_{ib}$ and use the determinant identity again:Here the contraction of two Levi-Civita symbols gives ${ϵ}_{ajk}{ϵ}_{ijk}=2{\delta }_{ai}$. Therefore $A{C}^T=(\det A)I$ and, when $\det A\ne 0$,These are the Levi-Civita formulas for a three-dimensional determinant and inverse.

Now differentiate the cubic determinant formula with respect to the individual entry $A_{ab}$. The three differentiated factors give equal contributions: exchanging two paired indices changes the sign of both epsilon symbols, leaving their product unchanged. ThusSubstituting the inverse expression proves the entrywise derivative of the determinant:The cofactor version remains valid for singular matrices; only the inverse version requires invertibility.

For the time-dependent Jacobian matrix, the stated smooth expansion impliesApplying the chain rule and the entrywise determinant derivative gives Jacobi's formula near $t=0$:At zero, $C=I$, so ${{\partial }_t\det A|}_0={\sum }_a{\partial }_a{u}_a=\nabla \cdot u$. A Taylor expansion therefore yieldsThe Jacobian determinant measures local volume change, so this establishes volume preservation to first order. An arbitrary family specified only through its first-order expansion need not preserve volume exactly at higher orders.

For a constant orthogonal Cartesian coordinate change $x_i^{\prime }=Q_{ij}{x}_j$, the tensor component transformation law givesRepeated indices are summed. Each index of an ordinary Cartesian tensor contributes one factor of $Q$. A pseudotensor would have an additional determinant factor under an orientation-reversing transformation; the rules here concern ordinary tensors.

An order-$n$ Cartesian tensor has $3^n$ components whose values in two orthonormal Cartesian frames satisfywith repeated indices summed as in Einstein notation. It is an isotropic tensor when its components are unchanged by every proper rotation, $R\in SO(3)$.

For rank two, a half-turn about any coordinate axis changes the sign of each component having exactly one index along that axis. Invariance therefore makes every off-diagonal component zero. Quarter-turns interchanging two coordinate axes then require $T_{11}=T_{22}=T_{33}$. Thus, without assuming symmetry in advance,Conversely, the Kronecker delta is invariant because $R_{ik}{R}_{jk}={\delta }_{ij}$, so every tensor of this form is isotropic.

For rank three the general proper-rotation invariant form iswhere ${ϵ}_{ijk}$ is the Levi-Civita symbol. The convention matters: the isotropic rank-three tensor and reflections distinction says that invariance of a polar tensor under all $R\in O(3)$ would force $b=0$. A nonzero ${ϵ}_{ijk}$ is invariant under proper rotations, and is a pseudotensor under the full orthogonal group. The shell integrals below are invariant under reflections as well, so their odd moments vanish.

A pseudotensor has an additional determinant factor under an orthogonal transformation. Thus its rank-three transformation law isThe contracted expression $L_{ia}{L}_{jb}{L}_{kc}{ϵ}_{abc}$ is fully antisymmetric in $i,j,k$, so it equals a scalar multiple of ${ϵ}_{ijk}$. For $(i,j,k)=(1,2,3)$ it is precisely the determinant expansion of $L$, fixing that scalar to $\det L$. ThereforeThe Levi-Civita symbol consequently has the same numerical entries in every orthonormal frame when interpreted as a pseudotensor. With an ordinary rank-three tensor transformation law alone it would instead acquire a minus sign under an orientation-reversing transformation.

Under an orthogonal matrix $R$, the Levi-Civita symbol satisfiesUse this twice, and use $R_{mc}{R}_{mf}={\delta }_{cf}$ for the contracted index. It follows thatTherefore $\boxed{T_{ijkl}^{\prime }=R_{ia}{R}_{jb}{R}_{kc}{R}_{ld}{T}_{abcd}=T_{ijkl}}$: it is a fourth-rank isotropic tensor. Although a single alternating symbol is a pseudotensor under reflections, the two determinant factors multiply to one, so this product is an ordinary tensor even for improper orthogonal transformations.

For a Cartesian coordinate change $x_i^{\prime }=R_{ij}{x}_j$ with $R$ an orthogonal matrix, a rank-$n$ tensor obeyswith repeated indices summed according to Einstein notation. A tensor is isotropic if $T_{i_1\cdots i_n}^{\prime }=T_{i_1\cdots i_n}$ for every proper rotation matrix $R$. Under proper rotations the Levi-Civita symbol is an isotropic third-rank tensor; if reflections are included, it is a pseudotensor. The convention using proper rotations is the one relevant to the rank-three classification here.

The determinant transformation formula for the Levi-Civita symbol shows that it is invariant under every proper rotation matrix, for which $\det R=1$. Under an orthogonal reflection its sign reverses. This distinguishes proper-rotation isotropy from the pseudotensor transformation convention when both orientations are included.