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EM2019 Pset 1 VectorsForms

This document provides references and problems for an assignment on vectors and differential forms for a classical electrodynamics graduate course. It lists 6 good references on differential forms and provides 4 problems to work on regarding index notation with the Levi-Civita tensor, exercises with the wedge product, exercises with the exterior derivative, and the generalized Stokes' theorem. It concludes by asking students to provide feedback on the assignment.

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Sarthak
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97 views

EM2019 Pset 1 VectorsForms

This document provides references and problems for an assignment on vectors and differential forms for a classical electrodynamics graduate course. It lists 6 good references on differential forms and provides 4 problems to work on regarding index notation with the Levi-Civita tensor, exercises with the wedge product, exercises with the exterior derivative, and the generalized Stokes' theorem. It concludes by asking students to provide feedback on the assignment.

Uploaded by

Sarthak
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ICTS graduate course : Classical Electrodynamics

R.Loganayagam(ICTS)
Assignment 1 : Vectors and Differential Forms

10th Jan 2018

Good reference for differential forms are

• Introduction to differential forms by Donu Arapura


https://www.math.purdue.edu/˜dvb/preprints/diffforms.pdf

• Vector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms by John H. Hubbard and
Barbara Burke Hubbard (See Chapter 6)
https://archive.org/details/HubbardJ.H.HubbardB.B.VectorCalculusLinearAlgebraAndDiffere

• A Geometric Approach to Differential Forms by David Bachman


(free access via ICTS)
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-0-8176-8304-7

• Differential Forms. A complement to vector calculus by Steven H. Weintraub

• Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach by Harold M. Edwards


(free access via ICTS)
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-0-8176-8412-9

• Differential Forms, A Heuristic Introduction by M. Schreiber


(free access via ICTS)
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-1-4612-9940-0

• Differential Forms with Applications to the Physical Sciences by Harley Flanders

from which many of the problems below are taken from. Many modern texts on General
relativity cover differential forms.

1
1. Index notation and Levi-Civita tensor :

(a) Use Einstein summation convention to evaluate the following expressions

δii , δ ij ijk , ijk mjk , ijk ijk .

(b) Given B i = ijk ∂j Ak , evaluate ijk B k .


(c) Prove the following using index notation
~ × (A
∇ ~ × B)
~ = A(
~ ∇~ · B)
~ − B(
~ ∇~ · A)
~ − (A~ · ∇)
~ B~ + (B ~ · ∇)
~ A~
~ A
∇( ~ · B)
~ =A~ × (∇~ × B)
~ +B ~ × (∇~ × A)
~ + (A ~ · ∇)
~ B ~ + (B~ · ∇)
~ A~
~ × (∇
∇ ~ × A)
~ = ∇(
~ ∇~ · A)
~ −∇ ~.
~ 2A

2. Exercises in Wedge product :

(a) By writing out the components explicitly, show the following identities for vec-
tors/forms in R3 :
(A~ · d~`) ∧ (B
~ · d~`) = (A~ × B)
~ · d~a

(A~ · d~`) ∧ (B~ · d~`) ∧ (C


~ · d~`) = (A
~ × B)
~ ·C ~ d∀

Use these relations along with

d~` = ds ês + sdφ êφ + dz êz = dr êr + rdθ êθ + r sin θdφ êφ

to compute d~a and d∀ in cylindrical and spherical co-ordinates.


(b) Compute the following wedge products

(dx + dy − dz) ∧ (dx + dy + dz),


(1)
[(x − y)dx + (x + y)dy + zdz] ∧ [(x − y)dx + (x + y)dy]

(c) If ω is a 2-form on R4 such that ω ∧ ω = 0, then ω can be written as the wedge


product of two 1-forms.

3. Exercises in exterior derivative :

(a) Consider a p-form given by


1
Ω≡ Ωi i ...i dxi1 ∧ dxi2 ∧ . . . ∧ dxip
p! 1 2 p
where without loss of generality, one can take Ωi1 i2 ...ip to be completely anti-
symmetric in its indices. Then show that its exterior derivative is given by
1
dΩ ≡ (dΩ)i1 i2 ...ip ip+1 dxi1 ∧ dxi2 ∧ . . . ∧ dxip ∧ dxip+1
(p + 1)!

2
where
(dΩ)i1 i2 ...ip ip+1 ≡ ∂i1 Ωi2 ...ip+1 + (−1)p ∂i2 Ωi3 ...ip+1 i1 + (−1)2p ∂i3 Ωi4 ...ip+1 i1 i2
2 (2)
+ . . . + (−1)(p−1)p ∂ip Ωip+1 i1 i2 ...ip−1 + (−1)p ∂ip+1 Ωi1 i2 ...ip

(b) Prove that (dΩ)i1 i2 ...ip ip+1 is completely anti-symmetric under the exchange of
indices.

4. Generalised Stokes’ theorem :

(a) Calculate Z  x3 
x3 dx + + xy 2 dy
C 3
where C is the anti-clockwise circle of radius 2, centered about the origin.
(b) Let S be the can-shaped surface in R3 whose side is the cylinder of radius 1
(centered on the z-axis), and whose top and bottom are in the planes z =
1
R and z = 0, respectively. Use the generalised Stokes’ Theorem to calculate
z 2 dx ∧ dy.
S
~ · d~`) = (∇
(c) Use the generalised Stokes’ theorem relations d(A ~ × A)
~ · d~a as well as
~ ·d~a) = (∇·
d(B ~ B)d∀
~ to compute the formula for curl and divergence in spherical
and cylindrical co-ordinates.

Assignment feedback : Please take time give your feedback on this assignment

1. Time taken to finish the assignment :

2. Make up an exam question on the topic of the assignment :

3. How many other students you collaborated with ?

4. How much was the class useful for solving the problems of the assignment ?

5. Was assignment useful to understand topics covered in the class ?

6. How much useful were the tutorials/tutor for the last assignment ?

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