Question about theorem 2.2.1 in Wald's General Relativity

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on theorem 2.2.1 from Wald's General Relativity, specifically regarding the dimension of the tangent space at a point on an n-dimensional manifold. The theorem states that the dimension of the tangent space V_p at point p is equal to n. The proof involves constructing a basis of V_p using n linearly independent tangent vectors derived from a chart mapping. A participant sought clarification on the mapping from the space of smooth functions to real numbers, which was resolved through a chain rule argument.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of n-dimensional manifolds
  • Familiarity with tangent spaces and their dimensions
  • Knowledge of smooth functions and differentiability
  • Basic principles of differential geometry
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the concept of tangent spaces in differential geometry
  • Explore the construction of bases for vector spaces
  • Learn about the chain rule in the context of differentiable mappings
  • Review Wald's General Relativity, focusing on the first few chapters
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Students and researchers in mathematics and physics, particularly those studying differential geometry and general relativity, will benefit from this discussion.

CJ2116
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Hi everyone, first of all I have been a lurker here for years and have benefited greatly from many of the discussions in the math and physics sections. Thanks, I have received a lot of helpful information from these forums!

I have been working through Wald's General Relativity book and I am having trouble following the reasoning behind one part of a theorem. From page 15, the theorem and part of the proof is (For those who don't have the book):

Let M be an n-dimensional manifold. Let p \in M and let V_p denote the tangent space at p. Then dim V_p=n

Proof We shall show that dim V_p=n by constructing a basis of V_p, i.e. by finding n linearly independent tangent vectors that span V_p. Let \psi : O \rightarrow U\subset R^n be a chart with p\in O. If f\in \mathfrak{F}, then by definition f\circ \psi^{-1}:U\rightarrow R is C^{\infty}. For \mu=1,...,n define X_{\mu}:\mathfrak{F}\rightarrow R by
$$X_{\mu}(f)=\frac{\partial}{\partial x^{\mu}}(f\circ \psi^{-1})\bigg|_{\psi (p)}$$
$$\vdots$$

I can't seem to figure out how the term \frac{\partial}{\partial x^{\mu}}(f\circ \psi^{-1})\bigg|_{\psi (p)} is a mapping from \mathfrak{F}\rightarrow R. f\circ \psi^{-1} was defined to be a mapping from U\rightarrow R. In other words, I don't see why these last two terms should be equal. I think I am missing something obvious here. Is there maybe some sort of chain rule argument?

Thanks, any pointer in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!
 
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You have f o \ \psi^{-1}(\psi(p)) = f(p).
 
Last edited:
Wow, that was more embarrassingly obvious than I thought!:blushing:

Thanks for the reply!
 
Don't worry. It is easy to drown in all those formalities ;)
 

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