Differential Forms and Applications

by Manfredo P. Do Carmo

An application of differential forms for the study of some local and global aspects of the differential geometry of surfaces. Differential forms are introduced in a simple way that will make them attractive to "users" of mathematics. A brief and elementary introduction to differentiable manifolds is given so that the main theorem, namely Stokes' theorem, can be presented in its natural setting. The applications consist in developing the method of moving frames expounded by E. Cartan to study the local differential geometry of immersed surfaces in R3 as well as the intrinsic geometry of surfaces. This is then collated in the last chapter to present Chern's proof of the Gauss-Bonnet theorem for compact surfaces.

Genres: Mathematics

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 1994

About the author

Manfredo Perdigão do Carmo (15 August 1928, Maceió – 30 April 2018, Rio de Janeiro) was a Brazilian mathematician. He spent most of his career at IMPA and is seen as the doyen of differential geometry in Brazil.

Reviews

[Ezra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to read.

[Máximo Chávez santos]

information