Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Metrics
- 3 Geodesics
- 4 The Geometry of Curved Spaces
- 5 Einstein’s Field Equations
- 6 Solutions of Einstein’s Equations in Empty Space
- 7 Cosmology and the Big Bang
- Appendix A Tensors of Type (p, q)
- Appendix B The Riemann Tensor
- Appendix C The Energy-Momentum Tensor
- Appendix D The Schwarzschild Metric
- Appendix E Robertson-Walker Space-Time
- References
- Index
4 - The Geometry of Curved Spaces
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 June 2023
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Metrics
- 3 Geodesics
- 4 The Geometry of Curved Spaces
- 5 Einstein’s Field Equations
- 6 Solutions of Einstein’s Equations in Empty Space
- 7 Cosmology and the Big Bang
- Appendix A Tensors of Type (p, q)
- Appendix B The Riemann Tensor
- Appendix C The Energy-Momentum Tensor
- Appendix D The Schwarzschild Metric
- Appendix E Robertson-Walker Space-Time
- References
- Index
Summary
The mathematics required to analyse higher dimensional curved spaces and space-times is developed in this chapter. General coordinate transformations, tangent spaces, vectors and tensors are described. Lie derivatives and covariant derivatives are motivated and defined. The concepts of parallel transport and a connection is introduced and the relation between the Levi-Civita connection and geodesics is elucidated. Christoffel symbols the Riemann tensor are defined as well as the Ricci tensor, the Ricci scalar and the Einstein tensor, and their algebraic and differential properties are described (though technical details of the derivationa of the Rimeann tensor are let to an appendix).
Keywords
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Einstein's General Theory of RelativityA Concise Introduction, pp. 85 - 118Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023