Cayley's ruled cubic surface 1970-01-01
Cayley's ruled cubic surface is a notable example in algebraic geometry, particularly relating to cubic surfaces. It is defined as the set of points in projective 3-dimensional space \(\mathbb{P}^3\) that can be expressed as a cubic equation, which is a homogeneous polynomial of degree three in three variables.
Center of curvature 1970-01-01
The center of curvature is a concept used primarily in geometry and optics, particularly in the context of curved surfaces and circular arcs. 1. **Definition**: The center of curvature of a curve at a given point is the center of the osculating circle at that point. The osculating circle is the circle that best approximates the curve near that point. It has the same tangent and curvature as the curve at that point.
Chern's conjecture (affine geometry) 1970-01-01
Chern's conjecture in the context of affine geometry is a statement related to the existence of certain geometric structures and their properties. Specifically, it deals with the curvature of affine connections on manifolds. Chern, a prominent mathematician, formulated this conjecture in the realm of differential geometry, particularly focusing on affine differential geometry. Affine geometry studies properties that are invariant under affine transformations (i.e., transformations that preserve points, straight lines, and planes).
Chern's conjecture for hypersurfaces in spheres 1970-01-01
Chern's conjecture for hypersurfaces in spheres relates to the behavior of certain types of complex manifolds, particularly in the context of algebraic geometry and differential geometry. More specifically, it postulates a relationship between the curvature of a hypersurface and the topology of the manifold it resides in. In the case of hypersurfaces in spheres, the conjecture suggests that there exists a relationship between the total curvature of a hypersurface and the degree of the hypersurface when embedded in a sphere.
Chern–Simons form 1970-01-01
The Chern–Simons form is a mathematical construct that arises in differential geometry and theoretical physics, particularly in the study of gauge theories and topology. It is named after the mathematicians Shiing-Shen Chern and James Simons. In essence, the Chern–Simons form is a differential form associated with a connection on a principal bundle, and it helps in the definition of topological invariants of manifolds, notably in the context of 3-manifolds.
Chern–Weil homomorphism 1970-01-01
The Chern–Weil homomorphism is a fundamental concept in differential geometry and algebraic topology that establishes a connection between characteristic classes of vector bundles and differential forms on manifolds. It provides a way to compute characteristic classes, which are topological invariants that classify vector bundles over a manifold, by using the curvature of connections on those bundles.
Clairaut's relation (differential geometry) 1970-01-01
Clairaut's relation, also known as Clairaut's theorem, is a fundamental result in differential geometry that relates the curvature of a surface to the derivatives of the surface's height function. Specifically, it applies to surfaces of revolution, which are surfaces generated by rotating a curve about an axis.
Classification of manifolds 1970-01-01
The classification of manifolds is a branch of differential topology and geometry that seeks to categorize manifolds based on their intrinsic properties. This classification can take several forms, depending on the type of manifolds being studied (e.g., differentiable manifolds, topological manifolds, etc.) and the dimension of the manifolds in question.
Clifford analysis 1970-01-01
Clifford analysis is a branch of mathematical analysis that extends classical complex analysis to higher-dimensional spaces using the framework of Clifford algebras. It focuses on functions that operate in spaces equipped with a geometric structure defined by Clifford algebras, which generalize the concept of complex numbers to higher dimensions. In Clifford analysis, the primary objects of interest are functions that are defined on domains in Euclidean spaces and take values in a Clifford algebra.
Closed geodesic 1970-01-01
A **closed geodesic** is a type of curve on a manifold that has several important properties in differential geometry and topology. Here are the key characteristics: 1. **Geodesic**: A geodesic is a curve that locally minimizes distance and is a generalization of the concept of a "straight line" to curved spaces. It can be defined as a curve whose tangent vector is parallel transported along the curve itself.
Closed manifold 1970-01-01
A **closed manifold** is a type of manifold that is both compact and without boundary. More specifically, a manifold \( M \) is called closed if it satisfies the following conditions: 1. **Compact**: This means that the manifold is a bounded space that is also complete, meaning that every open cover of the manifold has a finite subcover. In simple terms, a compact manifold is one that is "finite" in a sense and can be covered by a finite number of open sets.
Cocurvature 1970-01-01
Cocurvature is a concept used in differential geometry and general relativity, particularly in the study of geometrical properties of manifolds. It is often related to the understanding of how a curvature of a surface or an entity behaves with respect to different directions. In general, curvature refers to the way a geometric object deviates from being flat.
Coframe 1970-01-01
A coframe refers to a mathematical construct in differential geometry and is often used in the context of differentiable manifolds. Specifically, a coframe is a set of differential one-forms that provide a dual basis to a frame, which is a set of tangent vectors. Here's a more detailed breakdown: 1. **Frame**: Given a manifold, a frame at a point is essentially a set of linearly independent tangent vectors that span the tangent space at that point.
Complex hyperbolic space 1970-01-01
Complex hyperbolic space, often denoted as \(\mathbb{H}^{n}_{\mathbb{C}}\), is a complex manifold that serves as a model of a non-Euclidean geometry. It can be thought of as the complex analogue of hyperbolic space in real geometry and plays a significant role in several areas of mathematics, including geometry, topology, and complex analysis.
Complex manifold 1970-01-01
A complex manifold is a type of manifold that, in addition to being a manifold in the topological sense, has a structure that allows for the use of complex numbers in its local coordinates. More formally, a complex manifold is defined as follows: 1. **Manifold Structure**: A complex manifold \( M \) is a topological space that is locally homeomorphic to open subsets of \( \mathbb{C}^n \) (for some integer \( n \)).
Conformal Killing vector field 1970-01-01
A **Conformal Killing vector field** is a special type of vector field that characterizes the symmetry properties of a geometric structure in a conformal manner. Specifically, a vector field \( V \) on a Riemannian (or pseudo-Riemannian) manifold is called a conformal Killing vector field if it satisfies a particular condition related to the metric of the manifold.
Conformal geometry 1970-01-01
Conformal geometry is a branch of differential geometry that studies geometric structures that are invariant under conformal transformations. A conformal transformation is a map between two geometric spaces that preserves angles but not necessarily lengths. This means that while the shapes of small figures are preserved up to a scaling factor, their sizes may change. In formal terms, a conformal structure on a manifold is an equivalence class of Riemannian metrics where two metrics are considered equivalent if they differ by a positive smooth function.
Connection (affine bundle) 1970-01-01
In the context of differential geometry, a connection on an affine bundle is a mathematical structure that allows for the definition of parallel transport and differentiation of sections along paths in the manifold. ### Affine Bundles An affine bundle is a fiber bundle whose fibers are affine spaces.
Connection (composite bundle) 1970-01-01
In the context of differential geometry and mathematical physics, a **connection** (often referred to as a **connection on a bundle**) is a way to "connect" points in a fiber bundle, allowing for a definition of parallel transport, differentiation of sections of the bundle, and the curvature associated with the connection. ### Composite Bundle A **composite bundle** is a specific structure in the theory of fiber bundles that combines two or more fiber bundles in a certain way.
Connection (fibred manifold) 1970-01-01
In differential geometry, a connection on a fibred manifold is a mathematical structure that allows one to compare and analyze the tangent spaces of the fibers of the manifold, where each fiber can be thought of as a submanifold of the total manifold. Connections are critical for defining concepts such as parallel transport, curvature, and differentiation of sections of vector bundles.