What Are the 18 Spherical Connection Coefficients?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the determination of the 18 spherical connection coefficients, denoted as \Gamma_{ij}^{k}, essential for calculations in spherical coordinates. While there are 27 potential coefficients derived from the combinations of indices i, j, and k, only 18 are non-zero due to specific properties of spherical coordinates. Participants clarified the confusion regarding the number of coefficients, confirming that the remaining 9 coefficients are indeed zero.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of spherical coordinates and their mathematical properties
  • Familiarity with tensor notation and connection coefficients
  • Basic knowledge of differential geometry
  • Experience with mathematical calculations involving indices
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation of spherical connection coefficients in detail
  • Learn about the implications of zero coefficients in tensor calculus
  • Explore applications of connection coefficients in general relativity
  • Investigate the differences between spherical and Cartesian coordinate systems
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Mathematicians, physicists, and students studying differential geometry or general relativity who need to understand the computation and significance of spherical connection coefficients.

egreg
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I have to determine the 18 connection coefficients [tex]\Gamma_{ij}^{k}[/tex] for spherical coordinates.

I know how to calculate said coefficients, but I'm not sure what all 18 are. Can anyone clarify what the possible combinations could be?
 
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egreg said:
I have to determine the 18 connection coefficients [tex]\Gamma_{ij}^{k}[/tex] for spherical coordinates.

I know how to calculate said coefficients, but I'm not sure what all 18 are. Can anyone clarify what the possible combinations could be?

I'm not exactly sure what you are asking here. Are you asking for the answers to compare to or are you confused as to why there are only 18 coefficients?

Assuming the latter, there are actually [itex]3\times3\times3=27[/itex] coefficients since [itex]i[/itex], [itex]j[/itex] and [itex]k[/itex] each can have 3 different values (one for each coordinate)...its just that some of them turn out to be zero.
 
Last edited:
You interpreted my question correctly. Thank you for clearing that up! I'll work them out now and post my solutions.
 

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