Geometry Of Differential Forms

Since the times of Gauss, Riemann, and Poincare, one of the principal goals of the study of manifolds has been to relate local analytic properties of a manifold with its global topological properties. Among the high points on this route are the Gauss-Bonnet formula, the de Rham complex, and the Hodge theorem; these results show, in particular, that the central tool in reaching the main goal of global analysis is the theory of differential forms. The book by Morita is a comprehensive introduction to differential forms. It begins with a quick introduction to the notion of differentiable manifolds and then develops basic properties of differential forms as well as fundamental results concerning them, such as the de Rham and Frobenius theorems. The second half of the book is devoted to more advanced material, including Laplacians and harmonic forms on manifolds, the concepts of vector bundles and fiber bundles, and the theory of characteristic classes. Among the less traditional topics treated is a detailed description of the Chern-Weil theory. The book can serve as a textbook for undergraduate students and for graduate students in geometry.

This text presents differential forms from a geometric perspective accessible at the undergraduate level. It begins with basic concepts such as partial differentiation and multiple integration and gently develops the entire machinery of differential forms. The subject is approached with the idea that complex concepts can be built up by analogy from simpler cases, which, being inherently geometric, often can be best understood visually. Each new concept is presented with a natural picture that students can easily grasp. Algebraic properties then follow. The book contains excellent motivation, numerous illustrations and solutions to selected problems.

Differential Forms and the Geometry of General Relativity provides readers with a coherent path to understanding relativity. Requiring little more than calculus and some linear algebra, it helps readers learn just enough differential geometry to grasp the basics of general relativity. The book contains two intertwined but distinct halves. Designed for advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate students in mathematics or physics, most of the text requires little more than familiarity with calculus and linear algebra. The first half presents an introduction to general relativity that describes some of the surprising implications of relativity without introducing more formalism than necessary. This nonstandard approach uses differential forms rather than tensor calculus and minimizes the use of "index gymnastics" as much as possible. The second half of the book takes a more detailed look at the mathematics of differential forms. It covers the theory behind the mathematics used in the first half by emphasizing a conceptual understanding instead of formal proofs. The book provides a language to describe curvature, the key geometric idea in general relativity.

Introducing the tools of modern differential geometry--exterior calculus, manifolds, vector bundles, connections--this textbook covers both classical surface theory, the modern theory of connections, and curvature. With no knowledge of topology assumed, the only prerequisites are multivariate calculus and linear algebra.

An inviting, intuitive, and visual exploration of differential geometry and forms Visual Differential Geometry and Forms fulfills two principal goals. In the first four acts, Tristan Needham puts the geometry back into differential geometry. Using 235 hand-drawn diagrams, Needham deploys Newton’s geometrical methods to provide geometrical explanations of the classical results. In the fifth act, he offers the first undergraduate introduction to differential forms that treats advanced topics in an intuitive and geometrical manner. Unique features of the first four acts include: four distinct geometrical proofs of the fundamentally important Global Gauss-Bonnet theorem, providing a stunning link between local geometry and global topology; a simple, geometrical proof of Gauss’s famous Theorema Egregium; a complete geometrical treatment of the Riemann curvature tensor of an n-manifold; and a detailed geometrical treatment of Einstein’s field equation, describing gravity as curved spacetime (General Relativity), together with its implications for gravitational waves, black holes, and cosmology. The final act elucidates such topics as the unification of all the integral theorems of vector calculus; the elegant reformulation of Maxwell’s equations of electromagnetism in terms of 2-forms; de Rham cohomology; differential geometry via Cartan’s method of moving frames; and the calculation of the Riemann tensor using curvature 2-forms. Six of the seven chapters of Act V can be read completely independently from the rest of the book. Requiring only basic calculus and geometry, Visual Differential Geometry and Forms provocatively rethinks the way this important area of mathematics should be considered and taught.

This book provides an introduction to the basic concepts in differential topology, differential geometry, and differential equations, and some of the main basic theorems in all three areas. This new edition includes new chapters, sections, examples, and exercises. From the reviews: "There are many books on the fundamentals of differential geometry, but this one is quite exceptional; this is not surprising for those who know Serge Lang's books." --EMS NEWSLETTER

This monograph is the first one to systematically present a series of local and global estimates and inequalities for differential forms, in particular the ones that satisfy the A-harmonic equations. The presentation focuses on the Hardy-Littlewood, Poincare, Cacciooli, imbedded and reverse Holder inequalities. Integral estimates for operators, such as homotopy operator, the Laplace-Beltrami operator, and the gradient operator are discussed next. Additionally, some related topics such as BMO inequalities, Lipschitz classes, Orlicz spaces and inequalities in Carnot groups are discussed in the concluding chapter. An abundance of bibliographical references and historical material supplement the text throughout. This rigorous presentation requires a familiarity with topics such as differential forms, topology and Sobolev space theory. It will serve as an invaluable reference for researchers, instructors and graduate students in analysis and partial differential equations and could be used as additional material for specific courses in these fields.

Requiring little more than calculus and some linear algebra, this book provides readers with a coherent path to understanding relativity. It helps readers learn just enough differential geometry to grasp the basics of general relativity. The first half of the book describes some of the surprising implications of relativity without introducing more formalism than necessary. The second half takes a more detailed look at the mathematics of differential forms, showing how they are used to describe key geometric ideas in general relativity.