METRIC TENSOR - INVERSE AND RAISING AND LOWERING
INDICES
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Post date: 30 Jan 2021.
The inverse metric tensor g ij is defined so that
g ij gjk = δ i k (1)
ijIfthe metric
−1
tensor is viewed as a matrix, then this is equivalent to saying
g = [gij ] . The transformation property of g ij can be worked out by
direct calculation, using the transformation of gij and the fact that δ i k is
invariant.
g 0ij gjk
0
= δik (2)
∂xl ∂xm
= g 0ij glm (3)
∂x0j ∂x0k
We can try the transformation
∂x0i ∂x0j ab
g 0ij = g (4)
∂xa ∂xb
Substituting, we get
∂x0i ∂x0j ab ∂xl ∂xm
g 0ij gjk
0
= g glm (5)
∂xa ∂xb ∂x0j ∂x0k
∂x0i ∂xm
= a g ab δ l b 0k glm (6)
∂x ∂x
∂x0i al ∂xm
= ag glm (7)
∂x ∂x0k
∂x0i ∂xm
= a 0k δ am (8)
∂x ∂x
∂x0i ∂xm
= m 0k (9)
∂x ∂x
= δik (10)
1
METRIC TENSOR - INVERSE AND RAISING AND LOWERING INDICES 2
0j l l
On line 2 we used ∂x ∂x
∂xb ∂x0j
∂x
= ∂x l al a
b = δ b and on line 4 we used g glm = δ m .
Thus g ij is a rank-2 contravariant tensor, and is the inverse of gij which is a
rank-2 covariant tensor. Since the matrix inverse is unique (basic fact from
matrix algebra), we can use the standard techniques of matrix algebra to
calculate the inverse.
In rectangular coordinates, g ij = gij since the metric is diagonal with all
diagonal elements equal to 1. In polar coordinates in 2-d,
1 0
gij = (11)
0 r2
so the inverse is
ij 1 0
g = (12)
0 r−2
A contravariant vector v i can be lowered (converted to a covariant vector)
by multiplying by gij :
vi = gij v i (13)
The covariant vector can be converted back into a contravariant vector by
raising its index:
g ij vj = g ij gjk v k (14)
= δik vk (15)
= vi (16)
If we start with a vector v i in rectangular coordinates, we can convert it
to polar coordinates:
v r = v x cos θ + v y sin θ (17)
sin θ cos θ
v θ = −v x + vy (18)
r r
We can lower these components by multiplying by gij
vr = v x cos θ + v y sin θ (19)
2 x sin θ y cos θ
vθ = r −v +v (20)
r r
x y
= −rv sin θ + rv cos θ (21)
METRIC TENSOR - INVERSE AND RAISING AND LOWERING INDICES 3
The magnitude is found by combining the covariant and contravariant vec-
tors (which can also be viewed as a one-form operating on a vector, or vice
versa):
v i vi = v r vr + v θ vθ (22)
= (v x cos θ + v y sin θ)2 + (−v x sin θ + v y cos θ)2 (23)
= (v x )2 + (v y )2 (24)
(No implied sum on the RHS in line 1.)
The same result can be obtained by using the appropriate form of the
metric on either the vector or one-form version. Using the vector, we have:
v 2 = gij v i v j (25)
= grr v r v r + gθθ v θ v θ (26)
2
x y x sin θ
2 2 y cos θ
= (v cos θ + v sin θ) + r −v +v (27)
r r
= (v x )2 + (v y )2 (28)
Using the one-form, we have
v 2 = g ij vi vj (29)
= g rr vr vr + g θθ vθ vθ (30)
1
= (v x cos θ + v y sin θ)2 + 2
(−rv x sin θ + rv y cos θ)2 (31)
r
= (v x )2 + (v y )2 (32)
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