1.1. Show that
∂xi √
(i) = δij and (ii) R = xi xi ,
∂xj
where R = |R| is the distance from the origin. Hence find ∂R/∂xj in index
notation. Confirm your result by finding ∂R/∂x in x, y, z notation.
For an orthogonal coördinate system,
∂x
=0
∂y
(this is what is meant by orthogonality) and
∂x
=1.
∂x
In index notation, these results can be combined as
∂xi
= δij .
∂xj
The distance from the origin is
q √
R= x21 + x22 + x23 = xi xi .
Combining these results, we have
!
∂R ∂ √ 1 ∂xi ∂xi
= xi xi = √ xi + xi
∂xj ∂xj 2 xi xi ∂xj ∂xj
2xi δij
= √
2 xi xi
xj
= √ .
xi xi
√
In x, y, z notation, we would have R = x2 + y 2 + z 2 and hence
∂R (2x) x
= √ 2 = ,
∂x 2 x +y +z2 2 R
which agrees.
,1.2. Prove that the partial derivatives ∂ 2 f /∂x2 ; ∂ 2 f /∂x∂y; ∂ 2 f /∂y 2 of the
scalar function f (x, y) transform into the rotated coördinate system x′ , y ′
by rules similar to equations (1.15–1.17).
We first note from equation (1.43) that
∂ ∂ ∂
= cos θ + sin θ
∂x ′ ∂x ∂y
and by a similar argument
∂
= ∇.j ′
∂y ′
∂ ∂
= i.j ′ + j.j ′
∂x ∂y
∂ ∂
= − sin θ + cos θ .
∂x ∂y
We then have
∂2f
! !
∂ ∂ ∂f ∂f
= cos θ + sin θ cos θ + sin θ
∂x′ 2 ∂x ∂y ∂x ∂y
2∂ 2f 2 ∂ f
2
∂ 2f
= cos θ 2 + sin θ 2 + 2 sin θ cos θ
∂x ∂y ∂x∂y
∂2f
! !
∂ ∂ ∂f ∂f
= − sin θ + cos θ cos θ + sin θ
∂x′ ∂y ′ ∂x ∂y ∂x ∂y
∂2f ∂ 2f ∂ 2f
!
2 2
= (cos θ − sin θ) + sin θ cos θ − 2
∂x∂y ∂y 2 ∂x
∂2f
! !
∂ ∂ ∂ ∂
= − sin θ + cos θ − sin θ + cos θ
∂y ′2 ∂x ∂y ∂x ∂y
2∂ 2f 2
2 ∂ f ∂2f
= cos θ 2 + sin θ 2 − 2 sin θ cos θ
∂y ∂x ∂x∂y
and these equations are clearly of the same form as (1.15–1.17).
, 1.3. Show that the direction cosines defined in (1.19) satisfy the identity
lij lik = δjk .
Hence or otherwise, show that the product σij σij is invariant under coördinate
transformation.
For a given value of j, lij defines the components in x′i coördinates of a unit vector
in the direction of the xj -axis. It follows that
lij lik ,
is the dot product between two unit vectors defined in the x′i -system. One of these
vectors represents the xj -axis and the other the xk -axis. This dot product is unity if
the axes are identical and zero if they are not, since the three axes are orthogonal.
Hence
lij lik = δjk .
Now consider
σij′ = lip ljq σpq ,
from equation (1.22). We can write another version of the same quantity using dif-
ferent dummy indices as
σij′ = lir ljs σrs .
We need to do this because otherwise when we take the product the same index
would appear more than twice which leads to an ambiguity in terms of the summation
convention.
Taking the product of these quantities, including the implied summations, we then
have
σij′ σij′ = lip ljq lir ljs σpq σrs
and using the identity we proved above, this gives
σij′ σij′ = δpr δqs σpq σrs = σpq σpq ,
showing that the product is invariant under coördinate transformation.