MAT4033 Differential Geometry: Home

One of the most widely used texts in its field, this volume introduces the differential geometry of curves and surfaces in both local and global aspects. The presentation departs from the traditional approach with its more extensive use of elementary linear algebra and its emphasis on basic geometrical facts rather than machinery or random details. Many examples and exercises enhance the clear, well-written exposition, along with hints and answers to some of the problems.
The treatment begins with a chapter on curves, followed by explorations of regular surfaces, the geometry of the Gauss map, the intrinsic geometry of surfaces, and global differential geometry. Suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students of mathematics, this text's prerequisites include an undergraduate course in linear algebra and some familiarity with the calculus of several variables. For this second edition, the author has corrected, revised, and updated the entire volume.

This text is intended for an advanced undergraduate (having taken linear algebra and multivariable calculus). It provides the necessary background for a more abstract course in differential geometry. The inclusion of diagrams is done without sacrificing the rigor of the material. nbsp; For all readers interested in differential geometry.

From the preface: Many years have passed since the first edition. However, the encouragements of various readers and friends have persuaded us to write this third edition. During these years, Riemannian Geometry has undergone many dramatic developments. Here is not the place to relate them. The reader can consult for instance the recent book [Br5]. of our "mentor" Marcel Berger. However, Riemannian Geometry is not only a fascinating field in itself. It has proved to be a precious tool in other parts of mathematics. In this respect, we can quote the major breakthroughs in four-dimensional topology which occurred in the eighties and the nineties of the last century (see for instance [L2]). These have been followed, quite recently, by a possibly successful approach to the Poincaré conjecture. In another direction, Geometric Group Theory, a very active field nowadays (cf. [Gr6]), borrows many ideas from Riemannian or metric geometry. But let us stop hogging the limelight. This is justa textbook. We hope that our point of view of working intrinsically with manifolds as early as possible, and testing every new notion on a series of recurrent examples (see the introduction to the first edition for a detailed description), can be useful both to beginners and to mathematicians from other fields, wanting to acquire some feeling for the subject.

Clear and comprehensive, this examination of minimal surfaces features twelve sections that discuss parametric and non-parametric surfaces, surfaces that minimize area, isothermal parameters on surfaces, Bernstein's theorem, minimal surfaces with boundary, and many other topics. This edition features substantial revisions and additions to the original work, including the uses of minimal surfaces to settle important conjectures in relativity and topology. Other enlargements include updated work on Plateau's problem and isoperimetric inequalities as well as a new appendix, supplementary references, and expanded indexes.