All Questions
63 questions
70
votes
4
answers
11k
views
$C^1$ isometric embedding of flat torus into $\mathbb{R}^3$
I read (in a paper by Emil Saucan) that the flat torus may be isometrically embedded
in $\mathbb{R}^3$ with a $C^1$ map by the Kuiper extension of the Nash Embedding Theorem,
a claim repeated in this ...
- 151k
64
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Shortest closed curve to inspect a sphere
Let $S$ be a sphere in $\mathbb{R}^3$. Let $C$ be a closed curve in $\mathbb{R}^3$ disjoint from and
exterior to $S$
which has the property that every point $x$ on $S$ is visible to some point $y$ of $...
- 151k
36
votes
10
answers
6k
views
Determining a surface in $\mathbb{R}^3$ by its Gaussian curvature
A curve in the plane is determined, up to orientation-preserving
Euclidean
motions, by its curvature function, $\kappa(s)$.
Here is one of my favorite examples, from
Alfred Gray's book,
Modern ...
- 151k
28
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Probing a manifold with geodesics
Supposed you stand at a point $p \in M$ on a smooth 2-manifold $M$
embedded in $\mathbb{R}^3$.
You do not know anything about $M$.
You shoot off a geodesic $\gamma$ in some direction $u$,
and learn ...
- 151k
26
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why is the half-torus rigid?
The half-torus surface that results from slicing a torus like a bagel,
depicted below (left), is isometrically rigid.
I know this from a remark of Alexandrov in
Mathematics: Its ...
- 151k
24
votes
5
answers
4k
views
Weitzenböck Identities
I asked this question at Maths Stack Exchange, but I haven't received any replies yet (I'm not sure how long I should wait before it is acceptable to ask here, assuming there is such a period of time)....
- 19.3k
24
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Non-regular Connected Hausdorff Banach Manifold
After reading this MO post, I am wondering:
Is every (connected) Hausdorff Banach manifold a regular space?
Though unjustified, page 53 of this paper nonchalantly states: "Note that a Hausdorff ...
- 7,831
22
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why doesn't this construction of the tangent space work for non-Riemannian metric manifolds?
In the 1957 paper, On the differentiability of isometries, Richard S. Palais gives a way to construct the tangent spaces of a Riemannian manifold using only its metric space structure (Theorem, p.1).
...
- 2,680
19
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Does this Banach manifold admit a Riemannian metric?
First, the question; after, the motivation.
Consider 27.6 (pdf pp. 262-263) in The convenient setting of global analysis (AMS, 1997), and, in particular, the example given at the end of it, which ...
- 7,831
17
votes
5
answers
883
views
Rigidity of convex polyhedrons in $\mathbb R^3$ with faces removed
Take a convex polyhedron $P$ in $\mathbb R^3$ and remove all the faces, i.e. leave only the edges. Call this graph $E$. Let us now try to continuously deform $E$ in $\mathbb R^3$ so that all the edges ...
- 14.3k
17
votes
1
answer
526
views
Is $\partial X$ a sphere for $X$ a complete CAT$(0)$ space?
Let $X$ be a complete CAT$(0)$ metric space, and $\partial X$ its boundary.
One way to define $\partial X$ is as the equivalence class of geodesic rays
$\gamma(t), \gamma'(t)$
that remain within a ...
- 151k
16
votes
2
answers
2k
views
There are two points on the Earth's surface that ... ?
At every moment in time, there are two points on the Earth's surface that have the same $\lbrace x, y, z, ... \rbrace$...?
What is the strongest, most impressive statement one can make here? The ...
- 151k
15
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Geodesics in $\mathbb{R}^2 \times \mathbb{S}^1$ under "segment" metric
Represent the position of a unit-length, oriented segment $s$ in the plane
by the location $a$ of its basepoint and
an orientation $\theta$: $s = (a,\theta)$. So $s$ can be
viewed as a point in $\...
- 151k
15
votes
3
answers
4k
views
About MF Atiyah and R Bott's 1983 paper
I am a theoretical physics major student working on string theory. I want to understand the work of MF Atiyah and R Bott, "The Yang-Mills equations over riemann surfaces" . What kinds of mathematical ...
- 395
15
votes
0
answers
382
views
Has Cheeger's 'de Rham cohomology' of metric measure spaces been studied beyond its definition?
In J. Cheeger's 'Differentiability of Lipschitz Functions on Metric Measure Spaces' (Geometric and Functional Analysis, 1999, Vol. 9 pp 428-517, see here), a 'de Rham cohomology group' $H_{dR}^1(Z,\mu)...
user14166
14
votes
4
answers
963
views
Steiner's inequality reference request
I remember seeing somewhere that for every connected compact set $\Omega$ in $\mathbb{R}^2$ with piecewise $C^1$ boundary we have
$$A(\Omega_r)\leq A(\Omega)+L(\partial \Omega)r+ \pi r^2,$$
where
$$\...
- 295
14
votes
3
answers
963
views
Conjugate points on cut locus
Let $M$ be a Riemannian with nonempty boundary $\partial M$.
Define multiplicity of $x\in M$ as the number of minimizing geodesics from $x$ to $\partial M$.
The following fact seems to be standard:
...
- 45k
14
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Egg-ovoid rolling down an inclined plane
I am seeking a mathematical analysis of an egg-ovoid rolling down an inclined plane,
for pedagogical reasons.
It is well-known folk lore that the shape of an egg prevents it from rolling away from
...
- 151k
11
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What is the minimum-curvature curve interpolating a given set of points in the plane?
We are given a set $X$ of $n\ge 3$ points in $\mathbb{R}^2$, belonging to the boundary of the convex hull of $X$ itself. Let $\Gamma(X)$ be the set of all convex, simple closed curves in $\mathbb{R}^2$...
- 1,677
10
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Curves of constant curvature on an ellipsoid
It is not difficult to see that the curves of constant geodesic curvature on a geometric sphere
are all circles: simple, closed curves that are geometric circles lying in a plane:
&...
- 151k
9
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Oloid and sphericon: rolling develops entire surface
Wikipedia says that,
"The oloid is one of the only known objects, along with some members of the sphericon family, that while rolling, develops its entire surface."
Below are illustrations of ...
- 151k
8
votes
1
answer
682
views
Geometry of convex sets in Riemannian manifolds
Let $M$ be a smooth Riemannian manifold without boundary. Let $X\subset M$ be a closed subset which is a smooth submanifold with boundary, $\dim X=\dim M$. Assume that $X$ is locally convex, i.e. any ...
- 21.8k
8
votes
1
answer
400
views
Multidimensional gluing theorem for Riemannian manifolds
I would like to understand whether the following multidimensional (partial) generalization of the A.D. Alexandrov gluing theorem is true and, if yes, whether there is a reference.
(The original ...
- 21.8k
8
votes
1
answer
787
views
The rain hull and the rain ridge
Rain falls steadily on an island, a 2-manifold $M$, which you may
assume, as you prefer,
is: (a) smooth, or (b) a PL-manifold, or perhaps even
(c) a
triangulated irregular network (TIN).
After a time,...
- 151k
8
votes
1
answer
911
views
Avoiding mean-curvature flow dumbbell neck-pinch by inflating a surface
It is well known that
Grayson's dumbbell neck-pinch1,2 separates
into disconnected pieces under
mean curvature flow:
Image ...
- 151k
7
votes
1
answer
483
views
Furthest distance half the diameter?
Let $S$ be the surface of a convex body, polyhedral or smooth,
embedded in $\mathbb{R}^3$.
For a point $x \in S$, let $F(x)$ be the set of furthest points
from $x$, measured by shortest paths on the ...
- 151k
7
votes
2
answers
787
views
Shortest paths on linked tori
I will make this question specific at first, and general later.
Suppose we have two linked tori, $T_1$ and $T_2$,
each of radii $(2,1)$, meaning that each torus is the result of sweeping
a circle of ...
- 151k
7
votes
1
answer
815
views
Rolling a convex body: Geodesics vs. rolling curves
What are the curves of contact on a convex body $B$ rolling down an inclined plane?
Assume $B$ is smooth, and there is sufficient friction to prevent slippage.
Certainly, one can develop a geodesic ...
- 151k
7
votes
2
answers
358
views
Cone unfolding of space curves
There is a natural length-preserving operation which transforms any rectifiable space curve $\gamma\colon [a,b]\to R^n$ into a planar curve $\tilde\gamma \colon [a,b]\to R^2$. This operation, which ...
- 7,149
6
votes
2
answers
381
views
Sources for Alexandrov surfaces
There are two distinct notions in differential geometry associated
with A. D. Alexandrov: (1) Alexandrov spaces of courvature bounded
from below; (2) Alexandrov surfaces of bounded total curvature (...
- 16.6k
6
votes
1
answer
207
views
Coarse embeddings and Gromov products in (Gromov) hyperbolic spaces
I am new into geometric group theory and I have recently started reading the book "Sur les Groupes Hyperboliques d’après Mikhael Gromov" by Ghys and de la Harpe. The following inequality ...
- 101
6
votes
2
answers
317
views
Quasi-isometric embedding of graphs in non-compact riemannian surfaces
Given a complete riemannian surface $(S,m)$, where $S$ is homeomorphic to $\mathbb{R}^2$, I would like to find a weighted graph $G$ (which means a graph with real non-negative weights on the edges), ...
- 935
5
votes
4
answers
954
views
literature on geometrical viewpoint on calculus of variations for physics
What is a good reference for a geometrical viewpoint on the calculus of variations for physics, using differential forms etc. to derive Yang-Mills equations and other topics of the standard model?
...
- 921
5
votes
1
answer
906
views
Boundaries of relatively hyperbolic groups
When the interior of an n-manifold $M$ has a pinched negative curvature metric of finite volume, then its fundamental group $\Gamma=\pi_1M$ is relatively hyperbolic relative to the parabolic groups $\...
- 10.4k
5
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Relationship between the focal locus and the cut locus
I am seeking
clarification of
the relationship between the
focal locus
and the
cut locus
of a curve $C$ in $\mathbb{R}^2$, and
of a surface $S$ in $\mathbb{R}^3$.
Essentially my question is,
Under ...
- 151k
5
votes
1
answer
530
views
Geodesic distance on $\mathrm{SO}(n)$
$\DeclareMathOperator\SO{SO}$Recently I came across this old MSE post or this paper (w.o. proof) discussing the geodesic distance on $\SO(n)$ when it is equipped with the left-invariant Riemannian ...
- 364
5
votes
1
answer
328
views
Is a space with p-norm a Finsler manifold?
Suppose $\mathbb{R}^n$ is equipped with the p-norm $\left\Vert x \right\Vert_p$. Let $x\in \mathbb{R}^n$ and let $y$ be in a neighborhood of $x$. The distance between $x$ and $y$ can be defined as $\...
- 51
5
votes
1
answer
636
views
analogues of Cayley plane as homogenous spaces
The Cayley projective plane $\mathbb{OP}^2$ can be defined as a homogenous space $\mathrm{F_4/Spin(9)}$, where $\mathrm{F_4}$ is the compact exceptional simple Lie group. The other possible approach ...
- 8,597
5
votes
1
answer
155
views
Variants of the Bonk-Schramm embedding
Recently I heard about the following embedding theorem of Bonk and Schramm: every Gromov hyperbolic geodesic metric space with "bounded growth" is roughly similar to a convex subset of $\...
5
votes
0
answers
78
views
Is there a generalization of the Diameter Sphere Theorem to orbifolds?
The Diameter Sphere Theorem of Grove and Shiohama asserts that if $M$ is a compact Riemannian manifold with sectional curvature bounded from bellow by 1 and diameter greater than $\pi/2$, then $M$ is ...
- 51
5
votes
0
answers
272
views
When do surfaces in $\mathbb{R}^4$ intersect all their translations in one direction?
I am looking for research or references on the following problem.
Let $S$ be a smoothly embedded connected surface in $\mathbb{R}^4$, with or without boundary. Fix some axis in $\mathbb{R}^4$, let $d ...
- 1,763
5
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Reach of manifold vs. $C^k$-manifold
The reach $\tau_M$ of a manifold $M$ is the largest number such that any point at distance less than $\tau_M$ from $M$ has a unique nearest point on $M$.
This concept seems quite related to the local ...
- 151k
5
votes
0
answers
391
views
Gage-Grayson-Hamilton curve-shortening flow, at an angle
The Gage-Grayson-Hamilton curve-shortening flows along the normal to the curve:
&...
- 151k
5
votes
0
answers
1k
views
"The famous Lusternik-Schnirelmann Theorem of the Three Closed Geodesics"
The title is a quote from p.256 of Wilhelm Klingenberg's 1995
Riemannian Geometry (Google Books link):
Every surface homeomorphic to a sphere $\mathbb{S}^2$ has three distinct, simple, closed ...
- 151k
5
votes
0
answers
350
views
Areas dominated by two points on a surface: Equal?
Let $S$ be a smooth compact surface in $\mathbb{R}^3$, with two distinct, distinguished points
$a,b \in S$. Let $R(a)$ be all the points of $S$ closer to $a$ than to $b$, and $R(b)$ all the
points of ...
- 151k
4
votes
4
answers
589
views
Measures of the complexity of a metric
I am seeking a measure of the "complexity" of a surface $S$,
a quantity that reflects how widely the metric varies from spot to
spot. I am primarily interested in surfaces topologically
equivalent to ...
- 151k
4
votes
0
answers
186
views
Ends of a negatively curved Riemannian manifold
Let $M$ be a complete Riemannian manifold. Let us use the standard definition of "end", for example, as in this article. If $M$ has non-negative Ricci curvature, it is well-known that it has ...
- 41
3
votes
1
answer
704
views
Bishop-Gromov volume comparison on manifolds with negligible negative Ricci curvature
Let us consider a complete Riemannian manifold $M$ of dimension $n$ with $Ric \geq 0$. Then the Bishop-Gromov volume comparison theorem says that for any $p \in M$, the function
$$ \frac{\text{Vol}(B(...
- 31
3
votes
1
answer
205
views
Reference: Finsler Derivative?
On the wikipedia page "Generalizations of derivative" the author mentions: " in Finsler geometry, one studies spaces which look locally like Banach spaces. Thus one might want a derivative with some ...
- 5,405