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Normal Component
In mathematics, given a vector at a point on a curve, that vector can be decomposed uniquely as a sum of two vectors, one tangent to the curve, called the tangential component of the vector, and another one perpendicular to the curve, called the normal component of the vector. Similarly, a vector at a point on a surface can be broken down the same way. More generally, given a submanifold ''N'' of a manifold ''M'', and a vector in the tangent space to ''M'' at a point of ''N'', it can be decomposed into the component tangent to ''N'' and the component normal to ''N''. Formal definition Surface More formally, let S be a surface, and x be a point on the surface. Let \mathbf be a vector at Then one can write uniquely \mathbf as a sum \mathbf = \mathbf_\parallel + \mathbf_\perp where the first vector in the sum is the tangential component and the second one is the normal component. It follows immediately that these two vectors are perpendicular to each other. To calculate the tangent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Surface Normal Tangent
A surface, as the term is most generally used, is the outermost or uppermost layer of a physical object or space. It is the portion or region of the object that can first be perceived by an observer using the senses of sight and touch, and is the portion with which other materials first interact. The surface of an object is more than "a mere geometric solid", but is "filled with, spread over by, or suffused with perceivable qualities such as color and warmth". The concept of surface has been abstracted and formalized in mathematics, specifically in geometry. Depending on the properties on which the emphasis is given, there are several inequivalent such formalizations that are all called ''surface'', sometimes with a qualifier such as algebraic surface, smooth surface or fractal surface. The concept of surface and its mathematical abstractions are both widely used in physics, engineering, computer graphics, and many other disciplines, primarily in representing the surfaces o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Split Exact Sequence
The term split exact sequence is used in two different ways by different people. Some people mean a short exact sequence that right-splits (thus corresponding to a semidirect product) and some people mean a short exact sequence that left-splits (which implies it right-splits, and corresponds to a direct product). This article takes the latter approach, but both are in common use. When reading a book or paper, it is important to note precisely which of the two meanings is in use. In mathematics, a split exact sequence is a short exact sequence in which the middle term is built out of the two outer terms in the simplest possible way. Equivalent characterizations A short exact sequence of abelian groups or of modules over a fixed ring, or more generally of objects in an abelian category :0 \to A \mathrel B \mathrel C \to 0 is called split exact if it is isomorphic to the exact sequence where the middle term is the direct sum of the outer ones: :0 \to A \mathrel A \oplus C \ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Total Derivative
In mathematics, the total derivative of a function at a point is the best linear approximation near this point of the function with respect to its arguments. Unlike partial derivatives, the total derivative approximates the function with respect to all of its arguments, not just a single one. In many situations, this is the same as considering all partial derivatives simultaneously. The term "total derivative" is primarily used when is a function of several variables, because when is a function of a single variable, the total derivative is the same as the ordinary derivative of the function. The total derivative as a linear map Let U \subseteq \R^n be an open subset. Then a function f:U \to \R^m is said to be (totally) differentiable at a point a\in U if there exists a linear transformation df_a:\R^n \to \R^m such that :\lim_ \frac=0. The linear map df_a is called the (total) derivative or (total) differential of f at a. Other notations for the total derivative inc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Critical Point (mathematics)
In mathematics, a critical point is the argument of a function where the function derivative is zero (or undefined, as specified below). The value of the function at a critical point is a . More specifically, when dealing with functions of a real variable, a critical point is a point in the domain of the function where the function derivative is equal to zero (also known as a ''stationary point'') or where the function is not differentiable. Similarly, when dealing with complex variables, a critical point is a point in the function's domain where its derivative is equal to zero (or the function is not ''holomorphic''). Likewise, for a function of several real variables, a critical point is a value in its domain where the gradient norm is equal to zero (or undefined). This sort of definition extends to differentiable maps between and a critical point being, in this case, a point where the rank of the Jacobian matrix is not maximal. It extends further to differentiable ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lagrange Multipliers
In mathematical optimization, the method of Lagrange multipliers is a strategy for finding the local maxima and minima of a function subject to equation constraints (i.e., subject to the condition that one or more equations have to be satisfied exactly by the chosen values of the variables). It is named after the mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange. Summary and rationale The basic idea is to convert a constrained problem into a form such that the derivative test of an unconstrained problem can still be applied. The relationship between the gradient of the function and gradients of the constraints rather naturally leads to a reformulation of the original problem, known as the Lagrangian function or Lagrangian. In the general case, the Lagrangian is defined as \mathcal(x, \lambda) \equiv f(x) + \langle \lambda, g(x)\rangle for functions f, g; the notation \langle \cdot, \cdot \rangle denotes an inner product. The value \lambda is called the Lagrange multiplier. In simple ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Level Surface
In mathematics, a level set of a real-valued function of real variables is a set where the function takes on a given constant value , that is: : L_c(f) = \left\~. When the number of independent variables is two, a level set is called a level curve, also known as ''contour line'' or ''isoline''; so a level curve is the set of all real-valued solutions of an equation in two variables and . When , a level set is called a level surface (or '' isosurface''); so a level surface is the set of all real-valued roots of an equation in three variables , and . For higher values of , the level set is a level hypersurface, the set of all real-valued roots of an equation in variables (a higher-dimensional hypersurface). A level set is a special case of a fiber. Alternative names Level sets show up in many applications, often under different names. For example, an implicit curve is a level curve, which is considered independently of its neighbor curves, emphasizing that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hypersurface
In geometry, a hypersurface is a generalization of the concepts of hyperplane, plane curve, and surface. A hypersurface is a manifold or an algebraic variety of dimension , which is embedded in an ambient space of dimension , generally a Euclidean space, an affine space or a projective space. Hypersurfaces share, with surfaces in a three-dimensional space, the property of being defined by a single implicit equation, at least locally (near every point), and sometimes globally. A hypersurface in a (Euclidean, affine, or projective) space of dimension two is a plane curve. In a space of dimension three, it is a surface. For example, the equation :x_1^2+x_2^2+\cdots+x_n^2-1=0 defines an algebraic hypersurface of dimension in the Euclidean space of dimension . This hypersurface is also a smooth manifold, and is called a hypersphere or an -sphere. Smooth hypersurface A hypersurface that is a smooth manifold is called a ''smooth hypersurface''. In , a smooth hypersurface is ori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Implicit Surface
In mathematics, an implicit surface is a Surface (geometry), surface in Euclidean space defined by an equation : F(x,y,z)=0. An ''implicit surface'' is the set of Zero of a function, zeros of a Function of several real variables, function of three variables. ''Implicit function, Implicit'' means that the equation is not solved for or or . The graph of a function is usually described by an equation z=f(x,y) and is called an ''explicit'' representation. The third essential description of a surface is the ''Parametric equation, parametric'' one: (x(s,t),y(s,t), z(s,t)), where the -, - and -coordinates of surface points are represented by three functions x(s,t)\, , y(s,t)\, , z(s,t) depending on common parameters s,t. Generally the change of representations is simple only when the explicit representation z=f(x,y) is given: z-f(x,y)=0 (implicit), (s,t,f(s,t)) (parametric). ''Examples'': #The Plane (geometry), plane x+2y-3z+1=0. #The Sphere (geometry), sphere x^2+y^2+z^2-4=0 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Immersion (mathematics)
In mathematics, an immersion is a differentiable function between differentiable manifolds whose differential pushforward is everywhere injective. Explicitly, is an immersion if :D_pf : T_p M \to T_N\, is an injective function at every point of (where denotes the tangent space of a manifold at a point in and is the derivative (pushforward) of the map at point ). Equivalently, is an immersion if its derivative has constant rank equal to the dimension of : :\operatorname\,D_p f = \dim M. The function itself need not be injective, only its derivative must be. Vs. embedding A related concept is that of an ''embedding''. A smooth embedding is an injective immersion that is also a topological embedding, so that is diffeomorphic to its image in . An immersion is precisely a local embedding – that is, for any point there is a neighbourhood, , of such that is an embedding, and conversely a local embedding is an immersion. For infinite dimensional manifolds, th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basis (linear Algebra)
In mathematics, a Set (mathematics), set of elements of a vector space is called a basis (: bases) if every element of can be written in a unique way as a finite linear combination of elements of . The coefficients of this linear combination are referred to as components or coordinates of the vector with respect to . The elements of a basis are called . Equivalently, a set is a basis if its elements are linearly independent and every element of is a linear combination of elements of . In other words, a basis is a linearly independent spanning set. A vector space can have several bases; however all the bases have the same number of elements, called the dimension (vector space), dimension of the vector space. This article deals mainly with finite-dimensional vector spaces. However, many of the principles are also valid for infinite-dimensional vector spaces. Basis vectors find applications in the study of crystal structures and frame of reference, frames of reference. De ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parametric Curve
In mathematics, a parametric equation expresses several quantities, such as the coordinates of a point (mathematics), point, as Function (mathematics), functions of one or several variable (mathematics), variables called parameters. In the case of a single parameter, parametric equations are commonly used to express the trajectory of a moving point, in which case, the parameter is often, but not necessarily, time, and the point describes a curve, called a parametric curve. In the case of two parameters, the point describes a Surface (mathematics), surface, called a parametric surface. In all cases, the equations are collectively called a parametric representation, or parametric system, or parameterization (also spelled parametrization, parametrisation) of the object. For example, the equations \begin x &= \cos t \\ y &= \sin t \end form a parametric representation of the unit circle, where is the parameter: A point is on the unit circle if and only if there is a value of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
