1 MATH 1

1 Math
1.1 Vector algebra
x̂ ŷ ẑ
a⇥b = ax ay az
b x b y bz
= x̂ (ay bz az by ) ŷ (ax bz az bx ) + ẑ (ax by a y bx )

ax ay az
a · (b ⇥ c) = b x b y bz
cx cy cz
= a · x̂ (by cz bz cy ) a · ŷ (bx cz bz cx ) + a · ẑ (bx cy by cx )
= a · [x̂ (by cz bz cy ) ŷ (bx cz bz cx ) + ẑ (bx cy by cx )]
x̂ ŷ ẑ
= a · bx by bz
cx cy cz

x̂ ŷ ẑ
a⇥a = ax ay az
ax ay az
(
= az((
ay(
x̂ (( az(a(y) ax(
ŷ (( az(
az(( ax(
ax ) + ẑ (( a(
ay(
ay(( x)
= x̂ · 0 ŷ · 0 + ẑ · 0
= 0

a⇥b = a⇥c a 6= 0

Does this mean that b = c? Not necessarily. For example take b = c + a.

a ⇥ b = a ⇥ (c + a) = a ⇥ c + a ⇥ a = a ⇥ c
Now a ⇥ b = a ⇥ c where b 6= c

a·b = a·c a 6= 0

Does this mean that b = c? No,

1 MATH 2

a = x̂
b = ŷ
c = ẑ
a·b = x̂ · ŷ = 0
a·c = x̂ · ẑ = 0
Thus a · b = a · c, where b 6= c.

Given vectors a, b, c and a · (b ⇥ c) 6= 0

b⇥c
a0 =
a · (b ⇥ c)
Show that:
a0 · a = 1
a0 · b = 0
a0 · c = 0

b⇥c
a0 · a = a·(b⇥c) ·a
a·(b⇥c)
= a·(b⇥c)
= 1
b⇥c
a0 · b = a·(b⇥c) ·b
b·(b⇥c)
= a·(b⇥c)
0
= a·(b⇥c)
= 0
b⇥c
a0 · c = a·(b⇥c) ·c
c·(b⇥c)
= a·(b⇥c)
0
= a·(b⇥c)
= 0

Kronecker/Levi-Civita notation:
p
permutations ( 1)
8
>
<1 if (i, j) is (1, 2)
"ij = 1 if (i, j) is (2, 1)
>
:
0 if i = j
 
"11 "12 0 1
=
"21 "22 1 0
1 MATH 3

8
>
<1 even amount of permutations
"ijk = 1 odd amount of permutations
>
:
0 repeating numbers
2 32 32 3
"111 "121 "131 "112 "122 "132 "113 "123 "133
4 "211 "221 "231 5 4 "212 "222 "232 5 4 "213 "223 "233 5
"311 "321 "331 "312 "322 "332 "313 "323 "333
2 32 32 3
0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
4 0 0 1 54 0 0 0 54 1 0 0 5
0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Thus:
2 3
⇥ ⇤ b1
a·b = a 1 a 2 a 2 · 4 b2 5
b3
= a 1 b1 + a 2 b2 + a 3 b 3
= ij ai bj

x̂ ŷ ẑ
a⇥b = ax ay az
b x by b z
e1 e2 e3
= a1 a2 a3
b1 b2 b3
= e1 (a2 b3 a3 b2 ) e2 (a1 b3 a3 b1 ) + e3 (a1 b2 a 2 b1 )
=
1 MATH 4

Kronecker delta symbol:

(
1 if i = j
ij =
0 otherwise
1 MATH 5

"ijk "ilm = "ijk "ilm

=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
= jl km jm kl

P3 P3 P3 P3 P3
"ijk "ilm = i=1 j=1 k=1 l=1 m=1 "ijk "ilm

P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3 P3
f or : i = 1 = j=1 k=1 l=1 m=1 "1jk "1lm + j=1 k=1 l=1 m=1 "1jk "1lm + j=1 k=1 l=1 m=1 "1jk "1lm
P3 P3 P3
= k=1 "11k + k=1 "12k + k=1 "13k
= "111 + "112 + "113 + "121 + "122 + "123 + "131 + "132 + "133
= 0+0+0+0+0+1+0 1+0
= 0
=
=
= jl km jm kl
1 MATH 6

P3 P3 P3
"ijk aj bk = i=1 j=1 k=1 "ijk aj bk

P3 P3
f or : i = 1 = k=1 "1jk aP
j bk
Pj=13 3 P3
= k=1 "11k a1 bk + k=1 "12k a2 bk + k=1 "13k a3 bk
= "111 a1 b1 + "112 a1 b2 + "113 a1 b3 + "121 a2 b1 + "122 a2 b2 + "123 a2 b3 + "131 a3 b1 + "132 a3 b2 + "133 a3 b3
= 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + a 2 b3 + 0 a 3 b 2 + 0
= a 2 b3 a 3 b2
P3 P3
f or : i = 2 = k=1 "2jk aP
j bk
Pj=1
3 3 P3
= " a
k=1 21k 1 k b + k=1 "22k a2 bk + k=1 "23k a3 bk
= "211 a1 b1 + "212 a1 b2 + "213 a1 b3 + "221 a2 b1 + "222 a2 b2 + "223 a2 b3 + "231 a3 b1 + "232 a3 b2 + "233 a3 b3
= 0 + 0 a 1 b3 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + a 3 b1 + 0 + 0
= a 1 b3 + a 3 b1
P3 P3
f or : i = 3 = k=1 "3jk aP
j bk
Pj=13 3 P3
= " a
k=1 31k 1 kb + k=1 "32k a2 bk + k=1 "33k a3 bk
= "311 a1 b1 + "312 a1 b2 + "313 a1 b3 + "321 a2 b1 + "322 a2 b2 + "323 a2 b3 + "331 a3 b1 + "332 a3 b2 + "333 a3 b3
= 0 + a 1 b2 + 0 a 2 b 1 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0
= a 1 b2 a 2 b1

= x̂ (a2 b3 a3 b2 ) + ŷ ( a1 b3 + a3 b1 ) + ẑ (a1 b2 a2 b1 )
= x̂ (a2 b3 a3 b2 ) ŷ (a1 b3 a3 b1 ) + ẑ (a1 b2 a2 b1 )
x̂ ŷ ẑ
= ax ay az
bx b y b z
= a⇥b
1 MATH 7

Show that a ⇥ (b ⇥ c) = (a · c) b (a · b) c.
Rename: u = b ⇥ c = "klm bl cm .
Given: "ijk "ilm = jl km jm kl thus rename: "kij "klm = il jm im jl .

a ⇥ (b ⇥ c) =
a⇥u = "ijk aj uk
= "ijk aj "klm bl cm
= "ijk "klm aj bl cm
"kij "klm aj bl cm
= ( il jm im jl ) aj bl cm
=
=