Adarsh Mishra

March 12, 2024

1 PROBLEM 1
A geodesic is a line that represents the shortest path between any two points when the path is restricted
to a particular surface. Find the geodesic on a sphere.

◦
SOLUTION The element of length on the surface of a sphere of radius ρ is given (see Equation
F. 15 with dr = 0 ) by

1/2
ds = ρ dθ2 + sin2 θdϕ2
The distance s between points 1 and 2 is therefore
" 2 #1/2
Z 2
dθ 2
s=ρ + sin θ dϕ
1 dϕ

and, if s is to be a minimum, f is identified as

1/2
f = θ′2 + sin2 θ

where θ′ ≡ dθ/dϕ. Because ∂f /∂ϕ = 0, we may use the second form of the Euler equation (Equation
6.40), which yields

1/2 ∂
1/2
θ′2 + sin2 θ − θ′ · ′
θ′2 + sin2 θ = constant ≡ a
∂θ
Differentiating and multiplying through by f , we have

1/2
sin2 θ = a θ′2 + sin2 θ

This may be solved for dϕ/dθ = θ′−1 , with the result

dϕ a csc2 θ
= 1/2
dθ (1 − a2 csc2 θ)

Solving for ϕ, we obtain  

cot θ −1
ϕ = sin +α
β


where α is the constant of integration and β 2 ≡ 1 − a2 /a2 . Rewriting Equation 6.47 produces

cot θ = β sin(ϕ − α)

To interpret this result, we convert the equation to rectangular coordinates by multiplying through
by ρ sin θ to obtain, on expanding sin(ϕ − α),

(β cos α)ρ sin θ sin ϕ − (β sin α)ρ sin θ cos ϕ = ρ cos θ

Because α and β are constants, we may write them as

β cos α ≡ A, β sin α ≡ B

1
 Then Equation becomes

A(ρ sin θ sin ϕ) − B(ρ sin θ cos ϕ) = (ρ cos θ)

The quantities in the parentheses are just the expressions for y, x, and z, respec tively, in spherical
coordinates ; therefore Equatior may be written as

Ay − Bx = z

which is the equation of a plane passing through the center of the sphere. Hence the geodesic on a
sphere is the path that the plane forms at the intersection with the surface of the sphere-a great circle.
Note that the great circle is the maximum as well as the minimum ”straight-line” distance between
two points on the surface of a sphere.