Questions tagged [tangent-spaces]

This tag is for questions regarding to the tangent space, the linear space that best approximates an object at a given point. Intuitively, the tangent space $ T_p(M)$ at a point $ p$ on an $ n$-dimensional manifold $ M$ is an $ n$-dimensional hyperplane in $ {\mathbb{R}}^m$ that best approximates $ M$ around $ p$, when the hyperplane origin is translated to $ p$.

In mathematics, the tangent space of a manifold facilitates the generalization of vectors from affine spaces to general manifolds, since in the latter case one cannot simply subtract two points to obtain a vector that gives the displacement of the one point from the other.

Definition : Let $~M~$ be a manifold, $~p\in M~$. The tangent space $~T_pM~$ is the set of all linear maps $~v : C^\infty (M)\to\mathbb R~$ of the form $$v(f) = \left[\dfrac d{dt} \right]_{t=0} f(g(t))$$ for some smooth curve $~\gamma\in C^\infty (J,M)~$ with $~g(0) = p~$.

The elements $~v\in T_pM~$ are called the tangent vectors to $~M~$ at $~p~$.

For more details you may visit

$1.~$ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangent_space

$2.~$ http://www.math.toronto.edu/mgualt/courses/18-367/docs/DiffGeomNotes-8.pdf

$3.~$ https://projecteuclid.org/download/pdf_1/euclid.lnms/1215540658

$4.~$ http://planning.cs.uiuc.edu/node386.html

$5.~$ http://www.math.caltech.edu/~2014-15/3term/ma001c-an/week3.pdf

580 questions
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How to show that the tangent space as defined by velocity of curves matces intuitive tangent idea?

I'm reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangent_space Specifically, "Definition as the velocity of curves" and the definition of tangent space at a point as the set of all tangent vectors of embedded curves at that point. How do we show that the…
Ameet Sharma
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tangent distance between two handwritten digits

Suppose we have two handwritten images "3"MNIST three and "6"MNIST six. The task is to compute the tangent distance between the two. An explanation at undergraduate level is highly appreciated.
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Tangent space of a tangent space

I see the following lines in the lecture notes of my Riemannian geometry course: $x\in M, v\in T_x M, X\in T_v(T_x M), \langle X, v\rangle =0$. I get confused on the definition of “ the tangent space of a tangent space”. What’s going on here? Since…
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Tangent space of $S^1$

Compute $T_t(S^1)$ in $(\cos(t),\sin(t))$ with parametrization $f(t)=(\cos(t),\sin(t)).$ I have this: I know, $T_tf:T_t\mathbb{R}\to T_{f(t)}S^1$ now $T_tf(\left.\frac{d}{ds}\right|_{s=0}(t+sK))=\left.\frac{d}{ds}\right|_{s=0}…
eraldcoil
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