Structuring the graph of |x| so it is not a smooth manifold

In summary, the speaker is looking for a reasonable topological manifold that can describe a set which is well-behaved but not smooth in an ordinary setting. They are also searching for a canonical differential structure that would make the manifold smooth if and only if the function is smooth.
  • #1
shoescreen
15
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Hello,

I am learning about smooth manifolds through Lee's text. One thing that I have been pondering is describing manifolds such as |x| which are extremely well behaved but not smooth in an ordinary setting.

It is simple to put a smooth structure on this manifold, however that is unsatisfactory for what I am envisioning. Can you help me think of a reasonable topological manifold which describes this set, but is not smooth?

I suppose what I am really looking for is some sort of canonical differential structure to give to embeddings of R^n that when looking at graphs of real valued functions, the manifold would be smooth if and only if the function is smooth.

Standard and usual definitions apply, e.g. subspace topology, smooth means C-infinity

Thanks!
 
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  • #2
shoescreen said:
Hello,

I am learning about smooth manifolds through Lee's text. One thing that I have been pondering is describing manifolds such as |x| which are extremely well behaved but not smooth in an ordinary setting.

It is simple to put a smooth structure on this manifold, however that is unsatisfactory for what I am envisioning. Can you help me think of a reasonable topological manifold which describes this set, but is not smooth?

I suppose what I am really looking for is some sort of canonical differential structure to give to embeddings of R^n that when looking at graphs of real valued functions, the manifold would be smooth if and only if the function is smooth.

Standard and usual definitions apply, e.g. subspace topology, smooth means C-infinity

Thanks!

the embedded manifold will be smooth if at each of its points there is an open neighborhood in the ambient manifold whose intersection with the embedded manifold is diffeomorphic to an open subset of R^n.
 

1. What is a smooth manifold?

A smooth manifold is a mathematical concept that describes a topological space that is locally Euclidean, meaning that it looks like the familiar Euclidean space up close. It is a generalization of the concept of a surface in three-dimensional space.

2. How is a graph of |x| not a smooth manifold?

A graph of |x| is not a smooth manifold because it fails to meet the criteria of being locally Euclidean. At the point where x=0, the graph has a sharp bend, making it non-differentiable and violating the smoothness requirement.

3. What is the significance of structuring the graph of |x| so it is not a smooth manifold?

Structuring the graph of |x| so it is not a smooth manifold allows for the exploration of non-smooth manifolds in mathematics. It also has practical applications in computer graphics and physics, where non-smooth surfaces are commonly encountered.

4. How can the graph of |x| be modified to make it a smooth manifold?

The graph of |x| can be modified by introducing a "bump" or "dip" at the point where x=0. This can be achieved by adding a small amount of noise or curvature to the function, making it differentiable at that point and turning the graph into a smooth manifold.

5. What are some real-world examples of non-smooth manifolds?

Some real-world examples of non-smooth manifolds include mountain ranges, coastlines, and crumpled pieces of paper. These surfaces may appear smooth at a macroscopic level, but upon closer inspection, they have small irregularities and non-differentiable points that make them non-smooth manifolds.

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