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GM Tutorial Week 4 Problems

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GM Tutorial Week 4 Problems

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faraxe1409
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MA134 Geometry and Motion: Week 4 Tutorial

Material Covered: Week 3 was a local maximum in terms of technical complexity of the material.
First we introduced the cross product of vectors e × f. We briefly touched on the triple product.
Then we used it to define the curvature κ, the torsion τ and the Frenet-Serret frame (T, N, B)
(unit tangent, unit normal, unit binormal) for a parametrised curve f(t). The formulas for them
are the easiest and most intuitive in an arc-length parametrisation f arc (s):

T0 (s)
T(s) = f0arc (s), N(s) = , B ( s ) = T ( s ) × N ( s ),
kT0 (s)k

κ (s) = T0 (s) = f0arc (s) × f00arc (s) , τ (s) = −N(s) • B0 (s).


The formulas in an arbitrary parametrisation were also given that week but a general parametri-
sation is less intuitive for the Frenet-Serret frame and the formulas are harder.
Learning outcomes:
• appreciate ubiquity of the cross product,
• develop intuition about the curvature: 1/κ is the radius of the osculating circle; κ = 0 if
and only if the curve is a line,
• develop intuition about the torsion: τ = 0 if and only if the curve is planar.
Exercises:

1) Consider four points A = (2, 1, 1), B = (4, 4, 2), C = (3, 5, 3), D = (1, 2, 3).
−→ −→
(a) Compute the cross product v := AB × AC.
(b) Compute the area of the triangle ABC.
(c) Find an equation of the plane ABC.
(d) Compute the volume of the tetrahedron ABCD.

2) We consider the sinusoid curve y = sin( ax ), where a is a positive real number.


(a) Parametrise the curve. Draw the curve. Can you identify the points with the minimal
curvature and the maximal curvature?
(b) Compute the curvature at each point. Is your guess in (a) confirmed? You may find the
following formula useful:
kf0 (t) × f00 (t)k
κ (t) = .
kf0 (t)k3

(c) Compute the Frenet-Serret frame at a point ( x, y) of the sinusoid.


(d) Write a vector v = (b, c) in the Frenet-Serret frame at ( x, y).

1
3) Consider an arc-length parametrised 3D curve f(s) = f arc (s).
(a) State the Frenet-Serret differential equations.
(b) Prove that f(s) is planar (e.g., lies in a plane) if and only if τ = 0 (at every point). You
may assume that the Frenet-Serret frame is defined at every point.
(c) Can you use the same method as in (b) to prove that f(s) is a straight line if and only if
κ = 0 (at every point). (A more general version of this problem appears as Problem 4 in
practice sheet 3.)

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