Geometrical Properties of Vectors and Convectors

Book excerpt: This is a brief introduction to some geometrical topics including topological spaces, the metric tensor, Euclidean space, manifolds, tensors, r-forms, the orientation of a manifold and the Hodge star operator. It provides the reader who is approaching the subject for the first time with a deeper understanding of the geometrical properties of vectors and covectors. The material prepares the reader for discussions on basic concepts such as the differential of a function as a covector, metric dual, inner product, wedge product and cross product.J M Domingos received his D Phil from the University of Oxford and has now retired from the post of Professor of Physics at the University of Coimbra, Portugal.