What are some recommended resources for practicing problems on smooth manifolds?

In summary, the conversation discusses various books on smooth manifold theory, including Lee's Intro to Smooth Manifolds and Tu's An Introduction to Manifolds. The conversation also mentions other books such as Spivak, Lang, Warner, Milnor's Topology from the Differentiable Viewpoint, and Differentiable Forms in Algebraic Topology. The speaker is looking for a website with different problems from Lee's book or another book with similar material. The conversation also notes that Milnor's book has good problems and is highly esteemed, while Differentiable Forms in Algebraic Topology is a challenging but excellent book.
  • #1
ForMyThunder
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Right now, I'm reading through Lee's Intro to Smooth Manifolds and I was wondering if there is a website somewhere that has problems different from the book. Or if there is another book out there that covers about the same material as Lee's that would be good to.

Thanks in advance.
 
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  • #2
There are many many books about smooth manifold theory. Just browse amazon.com.

The book An Introduction to Manifolds by Tu is actually even more gentle than Lee. Less gentle but still good are Spivak, Lang, Warner just to name a few.
 
  • #3
ForMyThunder said:
Right now, I'm reading through Lee's Intro to Smooth Manifolds and I was wondering if there is a website somewhere that has problems different from the book. Or if there is another book out there that covers about the same material as Lee's that would be good to.

Thanks in advance.

A good companion book is Milnor's Topology from the Differentiable Viewpoint. a short intense book. Many methematicians esteem it. It has good problems at the end.

Differentiable Forms in Algebraic Topology is a hard book but incredibly good.
 

1. What is a smooth manifold?

A smooth manifold is a mathematical space that can be locally approximated by a Euclidean space, such as a plane or a curve. It is a generalization of the concept of a manifold, which is a space that is locally similar to a Euclidean space but may have more complicated global structure.

2. Why are smooth manifolds important?

Smooth manifolds are important in mathematics because they provide a framework for studying and understanding more complicated geometric objects, such as curves and surfaces. They also have applications in physics, where they are used to describe the space-time continuum in general relativity.

3. How do you define a smooth function on a manifold?

A smooth function on a manifold is a function that is defined on the manifold and is differentiable to all orders. This means that the function has continuous derivatives of all orders, making it a very well-behaved function on the manifold.

4. What are some common problems on smooth manifolds?

Some common problems on smooth manifolds include determining the curvature of the manifold, finding geodesics (the shortest paths between points) on the manifold, and studying the topology of the manifold (i.e. the properties that are preserved under continuous deformations).

5. How are smooth manifolds related to differential geometry?

Smooth manifolds are a foundational concept in differential geometry, which is the study of geometric objects using calculus and analysis techniques. Smooth manifolds provide the framework for understanding and analyzing more complicated geometric structures, making them an important tool in differential geometry.

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