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Appendix A Vector and Tensor Notation
To convert from Cartesian tensor notation to expanded notation:
1.
Supply summation signs for all repeated indices.
2.
Supply unit vectors and unit dyads for all nonrepeated indices; in each term of a
tensor equation the unit vectors must appear in the same order in the unit dyads.
3.
Replace
di
by
d/dxi.
The Gibbs notation is compact, easy to read, and devoid of any reference to a particular
coordinate system; however, one has to know the meaning of the dot and cross opera-
tions and the use of boldface symbols. The Cartesian tensor notation indicates the nature
of the operations explicitly in Cartesian coordinates, but errors in reading or writing sub-
scripts can be most aggravating. People who know both systems equally well prefer the
Gibbs notation for general discussions and for presenting results, but revert to Cartesian
tensor notation for doing proofs of identities.
Occasionally
matrix notation
is used to display the components of vectors and ten-
sors with respect to designated coordinate systems. For example, when
v,
=
jy,
vy
=
0,
v,
=
0,
Vv
can be written in two ways:
The second
"="
is not really an "equals" sign, but has to be interpreted as "may be dis-
played as." Note that this notation is somewhat dangerous since one has to infer the unit
dyads that are to be multiplied by the matrix element-in this case, 6,6,, tixsy, and so
on. If we had used cylindrical coordinates,
Vv
would be represented by the matrix
y
sin
8
cos
6
-
y
sin2
6
(A.9-2)
0
where the matrix elements are understood to be multiplied
by
6,6,
6,6e, and so on, and
then added together.
Despite the hazard of misinterpretation and the loose use of
"=,"
the matrix nota-
tion enjoys widespread use, the main reason being that the "dot" operations correspond
to standard matrix multiplication rules. For example,
Of course such matrix multiplications are meaningful only when the components are re-
ferred to the same unit vectors.