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Frenet Frame: Mathematics 146 - Introduction To Differential Geometry

The document discusses the Frenet frame, which provides an orthonormal basis for the tangent space of a curve at each point. For a curve parametrized by arclength, its Frenet frame consists of the unit tangent vector T, principal normal vector N, and binormal vector B. The derivatives of these vectors are related by the Frenet formulas, involving the curvature κ and torsion τ of the curve. As an example, the curvature and torsion of a helix are calculated.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
40 views12 pages

Frenet Frame: Mathematics 146 - Introduction To Differential Geometry

The document discusses the Frenet frame, which provides an orthonormal basis for the tangent space of a curve at each point. For a curve parametrized by arclength, its Frenet frame consists of the unit tangent vector T, principal normal vector N, and binormal vector B. The derivatives of these vectors are related by the Frenet formulas, involving the curvature κ and torsion τ of the curve. As an example, the curvature and torsion of a helix are calculated.
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
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Frenet Frame

Mathematics 146 - Introduction to Differential Geometry

Institute of Mathematics
University of the Philippines-Diliman

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A Useful Lemma
Lemma
Let f , g : I → R3 be differentiable with f (t ) · g (t ) = c , for all t ∈ I , for
some c ∈ R. Then

f 0 (t ) · g (t ) = − f (t ) · g 0 (t ).

In particular, || f || is constant if and only if f (t ) · f 0 (t ) = 0, for all t .

Proof. By the product rule of differentiation on f (t ) · g (t ) = c ,


f 0 (t ) · g (t ) + f (t ) · g 0 (t ) = 0,
which now gives
f 0 (t ) · g (t ) = − f (t ) · g 0 (t ).
In particular, if || f || is constant then || f (t )||2 = f (t ) · f (t ) = k , for
some positive constant k . It then ¡follows that f (t ) · f 0 (t ) = 0.
0
Conversely, if f (t ) · f 0 (t ) = 0 then f (t ) · f (t ) (t ) = 2 f (t ) · f 0 (t ) = 0,
¢

which further implies that || f (t )||2 = f (t ) · f (t ) is constant. 2


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Frenet Frame
Let α : [0, L] → R3 be a regular curve parametrized by arclength.
Then α0 (s 0 ) is tangent to the curve at the point α(s 0 ), ∀s 0 ∈ [0, L].
Moreover, ||α0 (s)|| = 1 for all s , i.e, α0 (s) is a unit vector function.
This derivative is called the unit tangent vector to the curve, which
is denoted by T ~ (s). That is,
~ (s) = α0 (s).
T
~ has constant length, then T
Since T ~ 0 (s) is orthogonal to T
~ (s).
~ 0 ~ ~
Assuming that T (s) 6= 0, the vector N defined by
~ 0 (s)
T
~ (s) =
N
~ 0 (s)||
||T
is called the principal normal vector to the curve. Furthermore, the
cross-product of the unit tangent and principal normal vectors is
called the binormal vector of the curve, denoted by B~ (s). We write
~ (s) = T
B ~ (s) × N
~ (s).

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Frenet Frame
~, N
The three vectors T ~ and B~ are mutually orthogonal. Why?
~ ~
Moreover, T and N are both unit vectors and are perpendicular,
~ is also unit. Why?
and so, the binormal vector B
Frenet Frame
For an arclength parametrized regular curve α, the three mutually
~, N
orthogonal unit vectors T ~ and B
~ defined by

~ 0 (s)
T
~ (s) = α0 (s)
T ~ (s) =
N ~ (s) = T
B ~ (s) × N
~ (s)
~ 0 (s)||
||T

form a right-handed orthonormal basis for R3 chosen at each point


on the curve called the Frenet-Serret frame or simply Frenet frame
of α.
Remark: A regular curve parametrized by arclength is called
biregular if α00 (s) 6=~0. Geometrically, a biregular curve is one that
has a defined Frenet frame at every point on the curve.
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Example 1. Calculate the Frenet frame of the helix
³ ³s´ ³ s ´ ³ s ´´
α(s) = a cos , a sin ,b ,
c c c
p
where a ∈ R+ , b ∈ R\{0}, and let c = a 2 + b 2 .
Solution. Differentiating α with respect to arclength, we get
1³ ³s´ ³s´ ´
~ (s) = α0 (s) =
T −a sin , a cos ,b .
c c c
Now, it follows that
1 ³ ³s´ ³s´ ´ a
~ 0 (s) =
T −a cos , −a sin ~ 0 (s)|| = .
, 0 and ||T
c 2 c c c2
Thus,
~ 0 (s)
T ³ ³s´ ³s´ ´
~ (s) =
N = − cos , − sin ,0 .
~ 0 (s)||
||T c c
Finally,
1³ ³s´ ³s´ ´
~ (s) = T
B ~ (s) × N
~ (s) = b sin , −b cos ,a .
c c c
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Frenet frame of a helix with b > 0

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Torsion and the Frenet formulas
Definition
Let α be a biregular curve parametrized by arclength with Frenet
frame {T~ (s), N
~ (s), B
~ (s)}. The quantity τ given by

~ 0 (s) · B
τ(s) = N ~ (s)

is called the torsion of α.


Since the Frenet frame is an orthonormal basis for R3 , each of the
~ 0, N
the derivatives T ~ 0 , and B
~ 0 must be a linear combination of T
~,
~ ~
N , and B .
Frenet Formulas
~ 0 (s) = κ(s)N
T ~ (s)
~ 0 (s) = −κ(s)T
N ~ (s) + τ(s)B
~ (s)
~ 0 (s) = −τ(s)N
B ~ (s)
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The Frenet formulas can be remembered easily using the following
matrix equation:

~ 0 (s) ~ 
  
T 0 κ(s) 0 T (s)
~ 0   ~ 
N (s) = −κ(s) 0 τ(s) N (s)

~ 0 (s)
B 0 −τ(s) 0 ~ (s)
B

Note that the 3 × 3 coefficient matrix on the right-hand side is


skew-symmetric.

Remark. By definition, the curvature κ is always nonnegative while


the torsion τ has a sign (can be negative, zero, or positive).

Example 2. Use the Frenet formulas to deduce that the curvature


and torsion, respectively, of a helix described in Example 1 are
a b
κ(s) = and τ(s) = 2 .
c2 c

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Some observations:
1 For a helix, the curvature and torsion are constants.
2 The curvature is positive (since a > 0) while the torsion can be
positive or negative (depending on b ). In particular, the
torsion is positive if b > 0, i.e., the helix is right-handed
(twisted counterclockwise), and negative when b < 0, i.e., the
helix is left-handed (twisted clockwise).
3 For a fix a > 0, as b → 0, the helix becomes almost planar and
τ(s) → 0. On the other hand, as b → +∞, the helix twists
extremely slowly and looks more like a straight line on the
cylinder, but still, τ(s) → 0.

For a fixed a > 0, what is the torsion of the most twisted helix?
1
The largest possible torsion of a helix of radius a is 2a which
happens when b = a . That is, when the slope of the helix is 1.

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Non-unit Speed Curves
Let α : I → R3 be a biregular curve, possibly of non-unit speed. The
unit tangent, principal normal and binormal vectors of α are given
by
α0 (t ) ~ 0 (t )
T
~ (t ) =
T ~ (t ) =
N ~ (t ) = T
B ~ (t ) × N
~ (t ).
||α0 (t )|| ~ 0 (t )||
||T
Recall that any regular curve can be parametrized using arclength
via the relation Z t
s(t ) = ||α0 (u)|| d u,
t0
which implies that s 0 (t ) = ||α0 (t )||. Then by Chain Rule,
~ 0 (t ) = T
T ~ 0 (s) s 0 (t ) = T
~ 0 (s)||α0 (t )||
~ 0 (t )|| = ||T
||T ~ 0 (s)|| ||α0 (t )|| = κ(s)||α0 (t )||.

Hence, the curvature is given by


~ 0 (t )||
||T
κ(t ) = κ(s) = .
||α0 (t )|| 10 / 12
Identities for non-unit speed curves
In a similar manner, by Chain Rule,
~ 0 (t ) = B
B ~ 0 (s)s 0 (t ) = B
~ 0 (s)||α0 (t )||.

~ (s) = N
Letting N ~ (φ(s)) = N
~ (t ), B
~ (s) = B
~ (φ(s)) = B
~ (t ), τ(s) = τ(t ),
and using the third Frenet formula, we get
~ 0 (t )
B ~ (t ) · B
N ~ 0 (t )
~ (t ) =
−τ(t )N or τ(t ) = − .
||α0 (t )|| ||α0 (t )||

Summary
α0 (t ) ~ 0 (t )
T
~ (t ) =
T ~ (t ) =
N ~ (t ) = T
B ~ (t ) × N
~ (t )
||α0 (t )|| ~ 0 (t )||
||T
~ 0 (t )||
||T ~ (t ) · B
N ~ 0 (t )
curvature: κ(t ) = torsion: τ(t ) = −
||α0 (t )|| ||α0 (t )||
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HOMEWORK

Calculate the Frenet apparatus, i.e., the vectors T ~ (t ), N


~ (t ), and
~
B (t ), curvature κ(t ), and torsion τ(t ), of the curve

α(t ) = (cosh t , sinh t , t ) .

NOT to be submitted: Show that for a regular curve α, not


necessarily of unit-speed, the curvature and torsion are given by

||α0 (t ) × α00 (t )|| α0 (t ) · α00 (t ) × α000 (t )


¡ ¢
κ(t ) = and τ(t ) = .
||α0 (t )||3 ||α0 (t ) × α00 (t )||2

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