GR—Problem Sheet 1

(equivalence principle; Euclidean tensors)

Daniel Bedingham
(Dated: November 29, 2018)

1. According to the equivalence principle, an observer inside a lift cannot tell the differ-
ence between being in a fixed position in the earth’s gravitational field and being in
outer space undergoing an acceleration g. If a stationary lift on earth is 3m wide and
a light signal starts horizontally from one wall, how far will the beam have fallen when
in reaches the opposite wall? If the beam is reflected by parallel mirrors on opposite
walls, how far will it have fallen from its starting position after 1000 return trips?

2. Let c = a × b be the cross product of a and b. In index notation

ci = ijk aj bk .

Show that c is orthogonal to a and b and show that the magnitude of c is given by

|c| = |a||b| sin θ,

where θ is the angle between a and b. (Hint: use the  − δ identity.)

3. If φ is a scalar field and A and B are vector fields, use index notation and the  − δ
identity to prove that

(a) ∇ × (φA) = φ(∇ × A) − A × (∇φ)

(b) ∇ · (A × B) = B · (∇ × A) − A · (∇ × B)

(c) ∇ × (∇ × A) = ∇(∇ · A) − ∇2 A

(d) ∇ · (∇ × A) = 0.

4. Starting with the formula for the determinant of a 3 × 3 matrix

ijk det A = Ail Ajm Akn lmn ,

prove the multiplicative law for determinants, i.e., that if A = BC, where B and C
are 3 × 3 matrices, then det A = det B det C.