MethodMath
DT
May 16, 2026

How to compute the Gaussian curvature of a surface defined by a parametric equation?

I'm studying differential geometry and I need to compute the Gaussian curvature of a parametric surface r(u,v)\mathbf{r}(u, v).

Given the first fundamental form:

E=ruru,F=rurv,G=rvrvE = \mathbf{r}_u \cdot \mathbf{r}_u, \quad F = \mathbf{r}_u \cdot \mathbf{r}_v, \quad G = \mathbf{r}_v \cdot \mathbf{r}_v

And the second fundamental form:

L=ruun,M=ruvn,N=rvvnL = \mathbf{r}_{uu} \cdot \mathbf{n}, \quad M = \mathbf{r}_{uv} \cdot \mathbf{n}, \quad N = \mathbf{r}_{vv} \cdot \mathbf{n}

The Gaussian curvature is:

K=LNM2EGF2K = \frac{LN - M^2}{EG - F^2}

Can someone walk through this computation for a specific surface like a torus or a helicoid?

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