Paper 2, Section II, G

Differential Geometry
Part II, 2016

If an embedded surface SR3S \subset \mathbf{R}^{3} contains a line LL, show that the Gaussian curvature is non-positive at each point of LL. Give an example where the Gaussian curvature is zero at each point of LL.

Consider the helicoid SS given as the image of R2\mathbf{R}^{2} in R3\mathbf{R}^{3} under the map

ϕ(u,v)=(sinhvcosu,sinhvsinu,u).\phi(u, v)=(\sinh v \cos u, \sinh v \sin u, u) .

What is the image of the corresponding Gauss map? Show that the Gaussian curvature at a point ϕ(u,v)S\phi(u, v) \in S is given by 1/cosh4v-1 / \cosh ^{4} v, and hence is strictly negative everywhere. Show moreover that there is a line in SS passing through any point of SS.

[General results concerning the first and second fundamental forms on an oriented embedded surface SR3S \subset \mathbf{R}^{3} and the Gauss map may be used without proof in this question.]