1.

Exercise
Problem 1.1. Construct an atlas consisting of coordinate charts for S n , where S n =
{(x1 , ..., xn+1 )|(x1 )2 + ... + (xn+1 )2 = 1}.

Problem 1.2. Construct an atlas consisting of coordinate charts for the real projec-
tive space RPn .

Problem 1.3. Let R be the real line with the differentiable structure given by the
maximal atlas of the chart (R, ϕ = id : R → R), and let R′ be the real line with the
differentiable structure given by the maximal atlas of the chart (R, ψ : R → R), where
ψ(x) = x1/3 .
(a) Show that these two differentiable structures are distinct.
(b) Show that there is a diffeomorphism between R and R′ . (Hint: The identity map
R → R is not the desired diffeomorphism; in fact, this map is not smooth.)

Problem 1.4. Suppose M1 , ..., Mk are manifolds, define

fi : Mi → M1 × ... × Mk
p 7→ (a1 , ..., p, ..., ak ),

where aj ∈ Mj , j ̸= i are fix points. Prove that f is smooth.

Problem 1.5. Suppose M1 , ..., Mk are manifolds, prove that the projection map

πi : M1 × ... × Mk → Mi
(p1 , ..., pk ) 7→ pi

is smooth.

Problem 1.6. Suppose M, M1 , ..., Mk are manifolds and f : M → M1 × ... × Mk is

a map. Prove that f is smooth if and only if πi ◦ f is smooth.

Problem 1.7. Prove that the antipodal map of S n : α : S n → S n , x 7→ −x is smooth

and find its rank.

Problem 1.8. Let M, N be smooth manifolds, and suppose M is connected. Let

f : M → N be a smooth map. Prove that: If f∗p = 0 for every point p ∈ M , then f is
a constant map.

Problem 1.9. Find the tangent map f∗ and cotangent map f ∗ of the following maps:
(1) f : R → R2 , f (t) = (t, αt), where α is a fixed real number;
(2) f : R2 → R2 , f (x, y) = (x cos y, x sin y);
(3) f : R → R2 , f (t) = (cos 2πt, sin 2πt).
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Problem 1.10. Let S n be the unit sphere in Rn+1 . Define the map f : S n → RPn
as follows:

f x1 , · · · , xn+1 = x1 , · · · , xn+1 , ∀ x1 , · · · , xn+1 ∈ S n .




Prove that f is a smooth map, and its rank is n everywhere.

Problem 1.11. Show that the inclusion map i : S n → Rn+1 , p 7→ p is smooth and
calculate its rank.

Problem 1.12. Let the map f : R2 → R be defined by

f (x, y) = x3 + xy + y 3 + 1.

Question: Among the points p = (0, 0), p = 31 , 13 , and p = − 13 , − 13 , which ones

satisfy that f −1 (f (p)) is an embedded submanifold of R2 ?

Problem 1.13. Let M be an m-dimensional smooth manifold satisfying the second-

countability axiom, and let A, B be disjoint closed subsets of M . Prove that there exists
ψ ∈ C ∞ (M ) such that 0 ⩽ ψ ⩽ 1, ψ|A ≡ 1, and ψ|B ≡ 0.

Problem 1.14. Define f : R2 → R by

f (x, y) = x3 − 6xy + y 2 .

Find all values c ∈ R for which the level set f −1 (c) is a regular submanifold of R2 .

Problem 1.15. Let x, y, z, w be the standard coordinates on R4 . Is the solution set

of x5 + y 5 + z 5 + w5 = 1 in R4 a smooth manifold? Explain why or why not. (Assume
that the subset is given the subspace topology.)

Problem 1.16. Is the solution set of the system of equations

x3 + y 3 + z 3 = 1, z = xy,

in R3 a smooth manifold? Prove your answer.

Problem 1.17. Show that the graph Γ(f ) of a smooth function f : R2 → R,

Γ(f ) = {(x, y, f (x, y)) ∈ R3 },

is a regular submanifold of R3 .

Problem 1.18. Show that

[f X, gY ] = f X(g)Y − gY (f )X + f g[X, Y ],

where X, Y are smooth vector fields M and f, g are smooth functions on M .

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Problem 1.19. Find the integral curves of the vector field

" #
∂ ∂ x
X(x,y) = x −y = on R2 .
∂x ∂y −y
Problem 1.20. For each of the following pairs of vector fields X, Y defined on R3 ,
compute the Lie bracket [X, Y ].
(a)
∂ ∂ ∂
X=y − 2xy 2 , Y = .
∂z ∂y ∂y
(b)
∂ ∂ ∂ ∂
X=x −y , Y =y −z .
∂y ∂x ∂z ∂y
Problem 1.21. Define two vector fields
∂ ∂ ∂ ∂
X = −y +x , Y =x +y
∂x ∂y ∂x ∂y
on R2 \ {0}.
(a) Prove that [X, Y ] = 0.
∂
(b) Find a coordinate transformation (x, y) → (u, v) on R2 \ {0} such that X = ∂u
,
∂
Y = ∂v .
Problem 1.22. Consider the distribution D on R3 spanned by the vector fields
∂ ∂ ∂
X= + yz , Y = .
∂x ∂z ∂y
(a) Is D involutive?
(b) Find an integral submanifold of D through the origin (0, 0, 0).
Problem 1.23. Define two vector fields
∂ y ∂ ∂ x ∂
X= +√ , Y = +√
∂x z ∂z ∂y z ∂z
on R3 \ {z ⩽ 0}.
(a) Show that the distribution D = span{X, Y } is involutive.
(b) Find the integral surface of D passing through (0,0,1).
Problem 1.24. Suppose
∂ ∂ ∂ ∂
X= + a(x, y) , Y = + b(x, y)
∂x ∂z ∂y ∂z
are two smooth vector fields on R3 .
(a) Find the necessary and sufficient condition for the distribution D = span{X, Y } to
be completely integrable.
(b) If D is completely integrable, find the integral surface of D.
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Problem 1.25. Suppose M, N are manifolds and F : M → N is an embedding.

F (M ) is a closed subset of N . Prove that for each smooth function f on M , there is a
smooth function g on N such that f = g ◦ F .

Problem 1.26. Suppose V is a real linear space and ω 1 , ..., ω r ∈ V ∗ are linear
independent. ∀T ∈ Λs (V ∗ ), ω 1 ∧ ... ∧ ω r ∧ T = 0 if and only if there are p1 , ..., pr ∈
Λs−1 (V ∗ ), such that T = ω 1 ∧ p1 + ... + ω r ∧ pr .

Problem 1.27. Suppose M, N are manifolds and F : M → N is a smooth map.

∀p ∈ M , (U, φ, x), (V, ψ, y) are charts containing p and F (p) respectively. ψ ◦ F ◦
φ−1 (x) = y(x). Prove that
!
α
∂y
F ∗ (dy α |F (p) ) = i
dxi |p ,
∂x p
α = 1, 2, ..., m, i = 1, 2, ..., n.

Problem 1.28. Let

ω = xy dx + z dy − yz dz,
η = x dx − yz 2 dy − 2x dz.
Find: (1) dω; (2) dη; (3) dω ∧ η − ω ∧ dη;
(4) f ∗ ω and f ∗ (dω), where f : R2 → R3 is defined by
f (u, v) = (uv, u2 , 3u + v).

Problem 1.29. Denote the standard coordinates on R2 by x, y, and let

∂ ∂ ∂ ∂
X = −y +x and Y = x +y
∂x ∂y ∂x ∂y
be vector fields on R2 . Find a 1-form ω on R2 − {(0, 0)} such that ω(X) = 1 and
ω(Y ) = 0.

Problem 1.30. Suppose (U, x1 , . . . , xn ) and (V, y 1 , . . . , y n ) are two charts on M

with nonempty overlap U ∩ V . Then a C ∞ 1-form ω on U ∩ V has two different local
expressions: X X
ω= aj dxj = bi dy i .
Find a formula for aj in terms of bi .

Problem 1.31. For any smooth 1-form ω and smooth vector fields X and Y ,
dω(X, Y ) = X (ω(Y )) − Y (ω(X)) − ω([X, Y ]).

Problem 1.32. Suppose ω 1 , ..., ω r ∈ V ∗ , then

ω 1 ∧ ... ∧ ω r = r!A(ω 1 ⊗ ... ⊗ ω r ).
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Problem 1.33. In each of the following cases, M and N are smooth manifolds;
F : M → N is a smooth map; and ω is a smooth differential form on N . In each case,
compute dω and F ∗ ω, and verify by direct computation that F ∗ (dω) = d(F ∗ ω).
(a) M = N = R2 ; F (s, t) = (st, et ); ω = x dy.
√

(b) M = {(u, v) ∈ R2 : u2 + v 2 < 1} and N = R3 \ {0}; F (u, v) = u, v, 1 − u2 − v 2 ;
x dy ∧ dz + y dz ∧ dx + z dx ∧ dy
ω= .
(x2 + y 2 + z 2 )3/2
Problem 1.34. Show that covectors ω 1 , . . . , ω k on a finite-dimensional vector space
are linearly dependent if and only if ω 1 ∧ · · · ∧ ω k = 0.

Problem 1.35. (a) Let f (x, y) be a C ∞ function on R2 and assume that 0 is a

regular value of f . By the regular level set theorem, the zero set M of f (x, y) is a
one-dimensional submanifold of R2 . Construct a C ∞ nowhere-vanishing 1-form on M .
(b) Let f (x, y, z) be a C ∞ function on R3 and assume that 0 is a regular value of
f . By the regular level set theorem, the zero set M of f (x, y, z) is a two-dimensional
submanifold of R3 . Let fx , fy , fz be the partial derivatives of f with respect to x, y, z,
respectively. Show that the equalities
dx ∧ dy dy ∧ dz dz ∧ dx
= =
fz fx fy
hold on M whenever they make sense, and therefore the three 2-forms piece together
to give a C ∞ nowhere-vanishing 2-form on M .
(c) Generalize this problem to a regular level set of f (x1 , . . . , xn+1 ) in Rn+1 .

Problem 1.36. Let U = R2 \ {0}, and let

x dx + y dy
ω= .
x2 + y 2
(1) Prove that ω is closed;
(2) Prove that ω is exact.

Problem 1.37. Let U = Rn \ {0}, and let m be a fixed positive integer. Consider
the (n − 1)-th order exterior differential form on U :
n
X
ω= (−1)i+1 fi dx1 ∧ · · · ∧ dx
ci ∧ · · · ∧ dxn ,
i=1

xi m/2
m
= ( ni=1 (xi )2 ) .
P
where fi = ∥x∥ m and ∥x∥

(1) Compute dω;

(2) Determine the value of m such that dω = 0;
(3) Prove that, in the above case, ω is not an exact form.
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Problem 1.38. Define a 2-form ω on R3 by

ω = x dy ∧ dz + y dz ∧ dx + z dx ∧ dy.
(a) Compute ω in spherical coordinates (ρ, φ, θ) defined by
(x, y, z) = (ρ sin φ cos θ, ρ sin φ sin θ, ρ cos φ).
(b) Compute dω in both Cartesian and spherical coordinates and verify that both
expressions represent the same 3-form.
(c) Compute the pullback i∗ ω to S2 , using coordinates (φ, θ) on the open subset where
these coordinates are defined.
(d) Show that i∗ ω is nowhere zero.

Problem 1.39. Let f : M m → Rm+1 be an m-dimensional submanifold that is a

one-to-one immersion in Rm+1 . Prove that M m is orientable if and only if there exists
a smooth, nowhere-zero normal vector field along the submanifold (f, M ).

Problem 1.40. Prove the following:

(1) If α and β are closed differential forms, then α ∧ β is a closed differential form;
(2) If α is a closed differential form and β is an exact differential form, then α ∧ β is
an exact differential form.

Problem 1.41. Show that RP2 is non-orientable.

Problem 1.42. Let v1 , . . . , vn be any n linearly independent vectors in Rn , and let

P be the n-dimensional parallelepiped they span:
P = {t1 v1 + · · · + tn vn : 0 ⩽ ti ⩽ 1}.
Show that Vol(P ) = | det(v1 , . . . , vn )|.

Problem 1.43. Define in R3 \ {0}:

x y z
ω = 3 dy ∧ dz + 3 dz ∧ dx + 3 dx ∧ dy,
r r r
p
where r = x + y + z . Let S (r0 ) be the sphere in R3 centered at the origin O with
2 2 2 2

radius r0 . Prove that: Z

ω = 4π.
S 2 (r0 )

Problem 1.44. Define the map f : D → R3 by

f (u, v) = u, v, u2 + v 2 + 1 ,

where D = [0, 1] × [0, 1]. Let

ω = ydy ∧ dz + xzdx ∧ dz
be a 2-form on R3 . Compute the integral D f ∗ ω.
R
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Problem 1.45. Let D denote the torus of revolution in R3 obtained by revolving

the circle (r − 2)2 + z 2 = 1 around the z-axis, with its induced Riemannian metric and
with the orientation determined by the outward unit normal.
(a) Compute the surface area of D.
(b) Compute the integral over D of the function f (x, y, z) = z 2 + 1.
(c) Compute the integral over D of the 2-form ω = z dx ∧ dy.

Problem 1.46. Let M be an oriented, boundaryless embedded submanifold of di-

mension k + l + 1 in Rn . Let ω, η be k-form and l-form (respectively) defined on an
open subset of Rn that contains M . Prove that there exists a real number a such that:
Z Z
ω ∧ dη = a dω ∧ η,
M M
and determine the value of a.

Problem 1.47. Suppose M is an oriented compact smooth manifold with boundary.

Show that there does not exist a retraction of M onto its boundary. [Hint: if the
retraction is smooth, consider an orientation form on ∂M .]