How to show the second fundamental form of a flat minimal surface is zero?

229 Views Asked by At

The surface is flat if its Guassian curvature vanishes everywhere. The surface is minimal if ist mean curvature vanishes everywhere. Therefore, for a function f(x,y), its corresponding surface's Gaussian curvature and mean curvature are both 0.

My question is how to show its second fundamental form Ldu^2 + 2Mdudv + Ndv^2 = 0?

1

There are 1 best solutions below

0
On

HINT:

If you meant $r(u,v)$ then due to orthogonality between normal N and tangent vectors we have

$$ N \cdot r_1=0 $$

Differentiate w.r.t. $u$ we have by Chain Rule $ \; N\cdot r_{11} + N_1 \cdot r_{1} =0 $

and since $ (N_1, r_1) $ are orthogonal their dot product vanishes leaving $ (r_{11}\cdot N) =L=0$. Differentiation w.r.t. $v$ leaves $M=0$.

Similarly $ N \cdot r_2=0 $, again differentiate w.r.t $v$ in $ N\cdot r_{22} +N_2\cdot r_{2} $ second term vanishes leaving the first term $ (M= r_{22}\cdot N=0 )$ so that

$$ L du^2+ 2 M du dv + N dv^2 =0 ;\ $$

Moreover in the plane i.e., principal scalar curvatures are all zero

$$ \{ k_1k_2=0, k_1+k_2=0\} \to \{k_1=0,k_2=0\} .$$