Why is the Christoffel symbol not a tensor?
Table of Contents
Why is the Christoffel symbol not a tensor?
The Christoffel symbol does not transform as a tensor, but rather as an object in the jet bundle. More precisely, the Christoffel symbols can be considered as functions on the jet bundle of the frame bundle of M, independent of any local coordinate system.
Are the Christoffel symbols the components of a tensor?
It is important to note, however, the Christoffel symbol is not a tensor. Its elements do not transform like the elements of a tensor.
Are Christoffel symbols vectors?
The part of the covariant derivative that keeps track of changes arising from change of basis is the Christoffel symbols. They encode how much the basis vectors change as we move along the direction of the basis vectors themselves.
What is the symbol for a tensor?
We use the symbol ⊗ to denote the tensor product of any two tensors, e.g., ˜P ⊗ T = ˜P ⊗ A ⊗ B is a tensor of rank (2, 1). The second way to change the rank of a tensor is by contraction, which reduces the rank of a (m, n) tensor to (m − 1,n − 1).
Is the connection a tensor?
This is why we are not so careful about index placement on the connection coefficients; they are not a tensor, and therefore you should try not to raise and lower their indices. There is no way to “derive” these properties; we are simply demanding that they be true as part of the definition of a covariant derivative.
Is affine connection a tensor?
On any manifold of positive dimension there are infinitely many affine connections. If the manifold is further endowed with a metric tensor then there is a natural choice of affine connection, called the Levi-Civita connection. The main invariants of an affine connection are its torsion and its curvature.
What are tensor quantities?
A tensor quantity is a physical quantity that is neither vector or scalar. Each point space in a tensor field has its own tensor. A stress on a material, such as a bridge building beam, is an example. The quantity of stress is a tensor quantity.
What is Christoffel equation?
2.1. Christoffel equation. The stiffness tensor is a fundamental property of a material. It generalizes Hooke’s law in three dimensions, relating strains and stresses in the elastic regime. (1) σ i j = ∑ n m C i j n m ϵ n m where is the stress tensor and is the strain tensor.
Which of the following is Christoffel symbol of first kind?
[i j, k] = [j i, k] . Also, by definition, gij = gji. 3] [i j, k] are the Christoffel symbols of the first kind.