
A differentiable manifold is a type of manifold that is locally similar enough to a linear space to allow one to do calculus. Any manifold can be described by a collection of charts, also known as an atlas. One may then apply ideas from calculus while working within the individual charts, since each chart lies within a linear space to which the usual rules of calculus apply. If the charts are suitably compatible (namely, the transition from one chart to another is differentiable), then computations done in one chart are valid in any other differentiable chart. Note that a differentiable manifold as it stands does not have any metric structure or any notion of orthogonality. The addition of metric (or pseudo-metric) structure corresponds to the linear space mentioned above actually being Euclidean space (or pseudo-Euclidean space). More formally, a differentiable manifold is a topological manifold with a globally defined differential structure. Any topological manifold can be given a differential structure locally by using the homeomorphisms in its atlas and the standard differential structure on a linear space. To induce a global differential structure on the local coordinate systems induced by the homeomorphisms, their composition on chart intersections in the atlas must be differentiable functions on the corresponding linear space. In other words, where the domains of charts overlap, the coordinates defined by each chart are required to be differentiable with respect to the coordinates defined by every chart in the atlas. The maps that relate the coordinates defined by the various charts to one another are called transition maps. Differentiability means different things in different contexts including: continuously differentiable, k times differentiable, and holomorphic. Furthermore, the ability to induce such a differential structure on an abstract space allows one to extend the definition of differentiability to spaces without global coordinate systems.
This text investigates the foundational principles of differentiable manifolds and the extension of calculus to spaces lacking global coordinate systems. The authors, Louis Auslander and Robert E. MacKenzie, provide a rigorous mathematical framework for understanding how local linear approximations allow for the application of calculus on abstract topological spaces. By defining the requirements for compatible charts and transition maps, the text establishes the necessary conditions for a globally defined differential structure.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts recognize this work as a classic introductory text for students transitioning into advanced geometry. Readers frequently note the high level of mathematical rigor and the density of the prose, which requires a strong background in linear algebra and topology.
Page Count:
232
Publication Date:
1963-01-01
Publisher:
McGraw-Hill Book Company Inc., 1963.
ISBN-10:
0070024901
ISBN-13:
9780070024908
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