up to now wikipedia is useless...
2007-05-04 07:51:58 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
the context here is a wormhole
2007-05-04 08:04:03 · update #1
In Euclidean space (ds)^2 = (dx)^2 + (dy)^2 + (dz)^2.
In first year calculus, you use this, or a simular formula for calculating arc lengths by solving for S. In space which is warped by mass (for example), the expression is different..
(ds)^2 = g_ij ds^i Ds^j
where g_ij is the metric tensor, which gives you the means to measure the distance between points in space.
in ds^i and ds^j, the i and j are not powers but are superscripts. The notational choices here, on Yahoo are limited.
2007-05-04 11:09:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on the context. Sometimes, ds² is the symbol for a differential area, as in integration over an area.
2007-05-04 07:55:59 · answer #2 · answered by morningfoxnorth 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It usually means the second differential with respect to distance and usually that means distance on a curve (length).
2007-05-04 08:03:34 · answer #3 · answered by Gene 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋