Math 4223 Midterm Exam — Fall 2012

1 (30 points) Let C be the intersection of the plane x + y + z = 1 with the sphere

S2 = {(x, y, z) ∈ R3 | x2 + y 2 + z 2 = 1}

Show that C is a regular curve.

2 (20 points) Let A be a non-empty subset of Rn . Recall that A × A = {(a1 , a2 ) | a1 , a2 ∈ A}. Let d:
A → A × A be the diagonal map which sends a ∈ A to (a, a) ∈ A × A. By shrinking the target of d from
A × A to its image ∆ := {(a, a) | a ∈ A}, we get the map d: ¯ A → ∆.
1) Show that d is a smooth map.
2) Show that d¯ is invertible and its inverse is also smooth.
3 (30 points) Show that
Σ = {(x, y, z) ∈ R3 | x2 − y 2 = z 2 , z > 0}
is a regular surface. Please work out the local canonical form of Σ at p = (1, 1, 0).
4 (20 points) Let Σ be the regular surface x2 + y 2 = 1 (a cylinder) and f : R → Σ be the smooth map
sending t to (cos t, sin t, t).
1) Describe T Σf (0) as a subspace of R3 .
2) Describe the linear map df0 : R → T Σf (0) .
 Solutions
3
1. After a suitable rotation of R , while the sphere stays the same, the plane becomes z = √1 , so the
3
curve C becomes a curve given by equations
1 2
z = √ , x2 + y 2 = .
3 3
q
Therefore, C is just a circle with radius 23 , so it is a regular curve.
2. 1) d is smooth because it has a smooth extension:
d
A
 −→ A×A
 
y y
Rn −→ R × Rn = R2n .
n

where the downarrows are inclusion maps and the horizontal arrows are diagonal maps.
2) d¯ is invertible because it is one-to-one and onto. d¯−1 is smooth because it has a smooth extension:

d¯−1
∆
 −→ A

 
y y
p1
Rn × Rn −→ Rn .

where the downarrows are inclusion maps and p1 is the projection map.
3. Let f (x, y, z) = x2 −y 2 −z 2 be a real-valued function on the open set of R3 consisting of points (x, y, z)
with z > 0. Since df(x,y,z) = (2x, −2y, −2z) 6= (0, 0, 0) because z > 0, we conclude that Σ = f −1 (0),
being non-empty, must be a regular surface.
To find the local canonical form, let us first do the translation of R3 : x → x + 1, y → y + 1, z → z so
that p → (0, 0, 0). Then the equation x2 − y 2 = z 2 becomes

(x + 1)2 − (y + 1)2 = z 2 . (1)

The tangent plane of Σ at p then becomes x − y = 0. Next, we do the rotation of R3 : x → y+z

√ , y →
2
y−z
√ ,
2
√ √ 2
z → −x to turn equation (1) into the following equation ( 2y + 2) 2z = x or equivalently
1 1 2
z= √ x + o(x2 + y 2 ).
2 2

In summary, locally around point (1, 1, 0), up to a rigid motion of R3 , the regular surface is the graph
of a smooth function of the form
1 1
z = √ x2 + o(x2 + y 2 ).
2 2
√
2
4. 1) Note that f (0) = (1, 0, 0). Near the point f (0), Σ can be parametrized
 by φ(u, v) = ( 1 − u , u, v)
0 0
with φ(0, 0) = f (0). So, T Σf (0) = Image dφ̂(0,0) = Col J φ̂(0,0) = Col 1 0 = 0 × R2 .
    0 1
− sin t 0
2) df0 (v) = J fˆ0 (v) = v  cos t  |t=0 = v  ∈ T Σf (0) .
1 v