Curvilinear coordinates

Abstract

This chapter presents a discussion on curvilinear coordinates in line with the introduction on Cartesian coordinates in Chapter 1. First, the chapter introduces a new system C of curvilinear coordinates xⁱ = xⁱ(Xj) (also sometimes referred to as Gaussian coordinates), which are nonlinearly related to Cartesian coordinates. It then introduces the components of the covariant derivative, before considering parallel transport in a system of curvilinear coordinates. Next, the chapter shows how connection coefficients of the covariant derivative as well as the Euclidean metric can be related to each other. Finally, this chapter turns to the kinematics of a point particle as well as the divergence and Laplacian of a vector and the Levi-Civita symbol and the volume element.