What Are the Best Books on Differential Geometry with Proofs and Exercises?

AI Thread Summary
Recommendations for books on differential geometry focus on those that include proofs, examples, and exercises, suitable for undergraduate study. Key suggestions include Shifrin's notes, which are praised for their clarity, and do Carmo's work, noted for its coverage of basic curves and surfaces. Spivak's volumes are recommended for those willing to tackle some topology, while Barrett O'Neil's "Elementary Differential Geometry" is highlighted for its problem sets. The Schaum's Outline series is also suggested for additional practice problems. It's emphasized that understanding notation is crucial, and having multiple resources can aid comprehension, especially for those approaching the subject from a physics perspective.
WittyName
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
As the title says. Can anyone recommend me some good books for differential geometry(preferably ones with proofs and examples/exercises)?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
WittyName said:
As the title says. Can anyone recommend me some good books for differential geometry(preferably ones with proofs and examples/exercises)?

What level should the books be?? Undergrad, grad? Do you know topology, analysis, linear algebra,...??
 
jedishrfu said:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486667219/?tag=pfamazon01-20

or take your pic:



and an ebook to get started right away:

http://samizdat.mines.edu/difgeom/Shr3b.pdf
Thanks i'll be sure to check them out.

micromass said:
What level should the books be?? Undergrad, grad? Do you know topology, analysis, linear algebra,...??
It's an undergrad course but i want to do some preliminary reading. Yes to both analysis and linear algebra, but no to topology.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Last edited by a moderator:
I also like do Carmo for the basic curves and surfaces stuff. Once you learn a little topology (not much) you should check out Spivak (especially Volumes 1 and 2). Spivak's differential geometry books are awesome.
 
The book by Do Carmo was pretty good. I used it as a supplement in my differential geometry course in college, although it was a little bit advanced for me because it was the first time that I had ever seen any of the material.

A great introductory book is Barrett O'Neil's Elementary Differential Geometry. It has a lot of worked problems and solutions in the back so you can check yourself.

For more problems, try the Schaum's Outline of Differential Geometry

There isn't a perfect overlap of content and notation between these books, but I found that it was more than enough to do well in differential geometry. One thing to remember (which I learned the hard way!) is that 80% of the difficulty is understanding notation! So, the more resources, the better.
 
  • #10
If you're coming at this from a physicist's point of view, both Nakahara's and Chris Isham's books on differential geometry are great. (Google is your friend, etc.)
 

Similar threads

Replies
14
Views
1K
Replies
0
Views
2K
Replies
11
Views
3K
Replies
14
Views
4K
Replies
6
Views
3K
Replies
10
Views
2K
Replies
6
Views
2K
Replies
7
Views
5K
Back
Top