Understanding the Metric Tensor in General Relativity

[Ragnar]

How do we derive the metric tensor?

 

[robphy]

What structure do you have to start with?

 

[HallsofIvy]

The metric tensor of what?

 

[AlphaNumeric]

The derivation of things like the Schwarzschild metric in relativity is found by solving R_{ab}=0 for a static, spherically symmetric space-time with T_{ab}=0. It's essentially solving the Einstein Field Equations for certain conditions (as all black hole metric's are).

Deriving the existence of the notion of a metric is much more indepth. Finding the Schwarzschild metric is already assuming all the machinary of (Pseudo)Riemannian manifolds etc. Actually developing all that machinary from more basic ideas like norms and tangent spaces is much more involved.

As others have said, what precisely are you referring to, because the answer would differ a lot!