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Exercises 1 Continuum Mechanics

This document contains 15 exercises involving proofs of properties related to tensor algebra and continuum mechanics. The exercises cover topics like: (1) Proving identities involving cross and dot products of vectors and tensors (2) Properties of transpose, symmetric, and skew-symmetric tensors (3) Relationships between second-order tensors and their cofactors, determinants, eigenvalues and eigenvectors (4) Uniqueness of decomposing a second-order tensor into symmetric and skew-symmetric parts The exercises are from a NPTEL online course on continuum mechanics and are intended to help students practice and understand foundational concepts in tensor algebra.

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337 views2 pages

Exercises 1 Continuum Mechanics

This document contains 15 exercises involving proofs of properties related to tensor algebra and continuum mechanics. The exercises cover topics like: (1) Proving identities involving cross and dot products of vectors and tensors (2) Properties of transpose, symmetric, and skew-symmetric tensors (3) Relationships between second-order tensors and their cofactors, determinants, eigenvalues and eigenvectors (4) Uniqueness of decomposing a second-order tensor into symmetric and skew-symmetric parts The exercises are from a NPTEL online course on continuum mechanics and are intended to help students practice and understand foundational concepts in tensor algebra.

Uploaded by

ankur
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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NPTEL Mechanical Engineering Continuum Mechanics

Module-1: Tensor Algebra


Exercises
(1) Prove the following:
(i) (a b) (c d) = (a c)(b d) (a d)(b c).
(ii) (a b) (c d) = (d (a b))c (c (a b))d.
(iii) (a b) (a c) = (a a)(b c).
(2) Prove the following:
(i) (a b)T = (b a).
(ii) (a b)(c d) = (b c)a d.
(iii) (a b) : (c d) = (a c)(b d).
(iv) T (a b) = (T a) b.
(v) (a b)T = a (T T b).
(vi) T : (a b) = a (T b).
(3) If S and W are symmetric and skewsymmetric tensors, respectively, and T is an
arbitrary second-order tensor then show that

1
T + TT ,
2 

1
T
T
W : T = W : T = W :
T T
,
2
S : W = 0.

S : T = S : TT = S :

(4) Prove the following:


(i) R : (ST ) = (S T R) : T = (RT T ) : S = (T RT ) : S T .
(ii) If S : W = 0 holds for every symmetric tensor S, then show that W is a skewsymmetric tensor.
(iii) If S : W = 0 holds for every skewsymmetric tensor W , then show that S is a
symmetric tensor.
(5) Let T be a second-order tensor. Then show that Tmi mjk +Tmj imk +Tmk ijm = Tmm ijk .
(6) If W and w are skewsymmetric tensor and its axial vector, respectively, then show
that
(i) cof W = w w,
(ii) W (u v) = (W u) v + u (W v), u, v V.
(iii) cof (I W ) = I W + cof W .
(iv) det (I W ) = 1 + w w.
(7) If W is skewsymmetric tensor the show that Q = (I W )1 (I + W ) is an orthogonal
tensor.
Joint initiative of IITs and IISc Funded by MHRD

NPTEL Mechanical Engineering Continuum Mechanics


(8) If Q is rotation tensor then show that W = (I Q)(I + Q)1 is a skewsymmetric
tensor.
(9) If Q is improper orthogonal tensor, i.e., det (Q) = -1, then show that I + Q is not
an invertible tensor.
(10) Let u, v and v be linearly independent vectors, i.e., [u, v, v] 6= 0. Then prove that
(i) u v, v w and w u are also linearly independent,
(ii) (u v) w + (v w) u + (w u) v = [u, v, v]I.
(11) Let R and S be second-order tensors. Then show that
det(R + S) = det R + cof R : S + R : cof S + det S,
cof(R + S) = cof R + cof S + ((tr R)(tr S) tr(RS)) I (tr R)S T (tr S)RT
+(RS)T + (SR)T .
(12) Let T be a second-order tensor. Then show that


cof T = T 2 (tr T )T +

i
1h
(tr T )2 tr(T 2 ) I
2

2

(13) Let {u, v, w} be orthonormal basis to the vector space V. Then find the eigenvalues
and also linearly independent eigenvectors of a second-order tensor S = u u.
(14) Let p be a non-zero vector and S be a symmetric second-order tensor. Then show
that p is a eigenvector of S if and only if p p commutes with S.
(15) Let Ts and Tss be symmetric and skewsymmetric parts of a second-order tensor T ,
respectively. Then show that the additive decomposition of second-order tensor T =
Ts + Tss is unique.

Joint initiative of IITs and IISc Funded by MHRD

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