Appendix/Ramblings/ConcentricEllipsoidalT12Coordinates
Concentric Ellipsoidal (T12) Coordinates[edit]
Background[edit]
Building on our general introduction to Direction Cosines in the context of orthogonal curvilinear coordinate systems, and on our previous development of T3 (concentric oblate-spheroidal) and T5 (concentric elliptic) coordinate systems, here we explore the creation of a concentric ellipsoidal (T8) coordinate system. This is motivated by our desire to construct a fully analytically prescribable model of a nonuniform-density ellipsoidal configuration that is an analog to Riemann S-Type ellipsoids.
Note that, in a separate but closely related discussion, we made attempts to define this coordinate system, numbering the trials up through "T7." In this "T7" effort, we were able to define a set of three, mutually orthogonal unit vectors that should work to define a fully three-dimensional, concentric ellipsoidal coordinate system. But we were unable to figure out what coordinate function, , was associated with the third unit vector. In addition, we found the coordinate to be rather strange in that it was not oriented in a manner that resembled the classic spherical coordinate system. Here we begin by redefining the coordinate such that its associated unit vector lies parallel to the x-y plane.
The 1st coordinate and its associated unit vector are as follows:
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where,
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Generalized Prescription for 2nd Coordinate[edit]
Default[edit]
Let's adopt the following generalized prescription for the 2nd coordinate:
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in which case,
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where,
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Now, to ensure that is perpendicular to , we need,
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Henceforth, we will refer to this algebraic relation as the "One-Two Perpendicular Constraint."
Arctangent[edit]
Instead, let's try,
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Then,
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that is,
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Hence,
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And the associated unit vector is,
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which is the same as our default situation.
Necessary 3rd Coordinate[edit]
The unit vector associated with the 3rd coordinate is obtained from the cross product of the first two unit vectors. That is,
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Old Examples[edit]
T6 Coordinates[edit]
In the set that we have elsewhere referenced as T6 coordinates, we chose: a = - 1, b = q-2, c = 0. We note, first, that this set of parameter values satisfies the above-defined One-Two Perpendicular Constraint. In this case, our generalized prescription for the 2nd coordinate generates a unit vector of the form,
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where,
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And it implies a unit vector for the 3rd coordinate of the form,
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T10 Coordinates[edit]
In the set that we have elsewhere referenced as T10 coordinates, we chose: a = 1, b = q-2, c = - 2p-2. We note, first, that this set of parameter values satisfies the above-defined One-Two Perpendicular Constraint. In this case, our generalized prescription for the 2nd coordinate generates a unit vector of the form,
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where,
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And it implies a unit vector for the 3rd coordinate of the form,
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Develop 3rd-Coordinate Profile[edit]
Setup[edit]
Reflecting back on an earlier exploration, let's define the two polynomials,
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Then the 3rd unit vector may be written as,
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Guess Third Coordinate Expression[edit]
Let's see what unit vector results if we define,
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Partial Derivatives[edit]
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First, note that,
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After completing a few squares, this last expression may be rewritten as …
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Now, if we choose the superior sign throughout this expression, the above-derived One-Two Perpendicular Constraint can be satisfied by setting, . The expression then becomes,
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Alternatively, suppose
Then we have, for example,
Choosing the inferior sign then enforcing the above-derived One-Two Perpendicular Constraint by setting, , gives,
Reflecting back on the first line of the "example" derivation, we recognize that,
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Similarly, we find,
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So, if we again choose the superior sign throughout these expression, the above-derived One-Two Perpendicular Constraint can be satisfied: In the first by setting, ; and in the second by setting, . The expressions then become, respectively,
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Summary
Given,
the three relevant partial derivatives are:
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Scale Factor[edit]
Hence, the associated scale factor is,
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where,
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Direction Cosines and Unit Vector[edit]
And the associated triplet of direction cosines is:
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This means that, for our particular guess of the 3rd coordinate, the relevant unit vector is,
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Contrast[edit]
The unit vector resulting (just derived) from our guess of the third-coordinate expression should be compared with the needed unit vector as described above, namely,
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At first glance, apart from the difference in signs, the three terms inside the curly braces appear to be identical in these two separate unit-vector expressions. But they are not! Relative to the needed expression, key components of each term are squared in the guessed expression. Very close … but no cigar!
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ASIDE
Note that, implies that,
But we also know that (see, for example, immediately below),
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What about the overall leading coefficient? That is, does ? Well, given that,
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and, |
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we have,
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On the other hand,
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Dot With 1st Unit Vector[edit]
Is orthogonal to ? Let's take their dot product to see; note that, for simplicity, we will flip the sign on .
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It does not appear as though the RHS of this expression can be zero for all values of the Cartesian coordinates, (x, y, z). Hence is not orthogonal to .
See Also[edit]
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Appendices: | VisTrailsEquations | VisTrailsVariables | References | Ramblings | VisTrailsImages | myphys.lsu | ADS | |