How Do You Structure a Paraboloid as a Smooth Manifold?

In summary, the conversation is about trying to solve a problem involving giving a paraboloid structure of a smooth manifold. The person is unsure about what is meant by "structure" and asks for help. They share their attempts at solving it but are feeling lost. Eventually, they figure out the solution by setting local coordinates and realizing that the manifold is 2-dimensional. They ask for confirmation on their answer.
  • #1
franznietzsche
1,504
6
i am trying to solve this problem:

Give the paraboloid [tex] y_{3}=(y_{1})^2+(y_{2})^2 [/tex] the structure of a smooth manifold.

But i am unsure what it means by structure. Can anyone give me some help here?
 
Last edited:
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  • #2
i kept trying to solve it on my own, but all i was able to get was:

[tex]
x^1(y_{1},y_{2},y_{3})=\pm\sqrt{y_{3}-(y_{2})^2}
[/tex]

[tex]
x^2(y_{1},y_{2},y_{3})=\pm\sqrt{y_{3}-(y_{1})^2}
[/tex]

[tex]
x^3(y_{1},y_{2},y_{3})=(y_{1})^2 + (y_{2})^2
[/tex]

is that the answer? I'm feeling very lost here.

edit:

Ok i think i figured it out...

i set the local coordinates [tex] x^1,x^2 [/tex] to lie in the[tex] y^1;y^3,y^2;y^3 [/tex] planes respectively. thus from the above I get:

[tex]
x^1(y_{1},0,y_{3})=\pm\sqrt{y_{3}}
[/tex]

[tex]
x^2(0,y_{2},y_{3})=\pm\sqrt{y_{3}}
[/tex]

I also realized that the manifold is 2-dimensional (being embedded in [tex] E_{3} [/tex]) so there is no [tex] x^3 [/tex] coordinate.


If anyone can give any confirmation on this answer i would greatly appreciate it.
 
Last edited:
  • #3


Sure, I can help you with this problem. To give the paraboloid the structure of a smooth manifold, we need to define a smooth atlas on it. A smooth atlas is a collection of charts that cover the entire manifold and have smooth transition functions between them.

To start, we need to define the topological structure of the paraboloid. Since the paraboloid is a subset of Euclidean space, we can use the standard topology on it. This means that open sets on the paraboloid are defined as the intersection of open sets in Euclidean space with the paraboloid.

Next, we need to define charts on the paraboloid. A chart is a map from an open set on the manifold to an open set in Euclidean space. For the paraboloid, we can use the following two charts:

Chart 1: U = {(y1, y2) | y1 > 0} --> R^2
f(y1, y2) = (y1, y2)

Chart 2: V = {(y1, y2) | y1 < 0} --> R^2
g(y1, y2) = (y1, y2)

Notice that the charts cover the entire paraboloid and their domains overlap on the boundary (y1 = 0).

Finally, we need to define the transition functions between the charts. Since the charts overlap on the boundary, we can use the identity function as the transition function between them. This means that h = g o f^-1 = (y1, y2) on the overlap region.

With these charts and transition functions, we have defined a smooth atlas on the paraboloid. This gives the paraboloid the structure of a smooth manifold. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
 

1. What is a smooth manifold?

A smooth manifold is a mathematical concept used in geometry and topology to describe a space that is locally Euclidean. This means that at each point on the manifold, there is a neighborhood that is topologically equivalent to an open subset of Euclidean space. The smoothness refers to the fact that the manifold can be described by smooth functions, meaning that it has no sharp or discontinuous edges.

2. Why are smooth manifolds important?

Smooth manifolds are important in mathematics because they provide a way to generalize the concept of a smooth surface in three-dimensional space to higher dimensions. They are also a fundamental tool in many areas of physics, including general relativity and quantum mechanics, where they are used to describe the geometry of spacetime.

3. How are smooth manifolds different from other types of manifolds?

There are many different types of manifolds, but the key difference between smooth manifolds and other types is the requirement of smoothness. While smooth manifolds can be described by smooth functions, other types such as topological manifolds or piecewise linear manifolds may not have this property. This means that smooth manifolds have a more rigid structure and can be studied using powerful tools from differential geometry.

4. How do you define smooth functions on a manifold?

Smooth functions on a manifold are defined using charts, which are local coordinate systems that allow us to describe points on the manifold using numbers. A function is considered smooth if it is continuous and all of its derivatives exist and are also continuous when expressed in terms of the local coordinates. This definition ensures that the function is well-behaved and can be used to describe the geometry of the manifold.

5. Can smooth manifolds have non-integer dimensions?

Yes, smooth manifolds can have non-integer dimensions. This is because the concept of dimension for a manifold is more flexible than in traditional geometry. In fact, there are many examples of smooth manifolds with non-integer dimensions, such as fractals and certain types of algebraic varieties. These manifolds are important for studying complex systems that cannot be described by traditional integer dimensions.

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