Friday, 21 April 2017

Comparison of curves by curvatures (II)

The definition of the mean curvature is the average of the principal curvatures. But it is also the average of the normal curvatures in two orthogonal directions, that is, 
H(p)=12(κn(θ)+κn(θ+π2)),  ()
where κn(θ) is the normal curvature in the direction that makes an angle θ with a fix direction of the tangent plane.

Suppose again  S1 and S2  two surfaces with pS1S2, TpS1=TpS2 and N1(p)=N2(p), where Ni are the orientation in each surface Si. Take all normal sections through p, that is, the intersection of the planes formed by Ni(p) and the tangent vectors. The set of these planes in both surfaces is the same because N1(p)=N2(p). Fix vTpSi and Πv the corresponding normal section. This plane meets Si in two curves αvi. We are computing the normal curvature with respect to the normal (of the curve) coincides with Ni(p) at p and this normal curvature is the curvature of the curve

Suppose that S1 lies above S2 around p. Then for each vTpSi, the curve αv1 lies above αv2 at p. But we know by the theory of curves that the curvature of αv1 is greater or equal to the one of αv2 at p. Thus, all normal curvatures of S1 at p are greater or equal to the ones of S2 at p. We state this remarkable result:

Theorem. Suppose S1 and S2 two surfaces tangent at a point p and that the orientations of the surfaces coincide at p, that is, N1(p)=N2(p). If S1 lies above S2 around p, then for avery vTpSi, we have the inequality
κ1n(v)κ2n(v).


As a consequence,  it is immediate from (*) 

Corollary. Suppose S1 and S2 two surfaces tangent at a point p and that the orientations of the surfaces coincide at p, that is, N1(p)=N2(p). If S1 lies above S2 around p, then H1(p)H2(p).

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