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Normal Disappear Problem

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg55302] Normal Disappear Problem
• From: "gouqizi.lvcha at gmail.com" <gouqizi.lvcha at gmail.com>
• Date: Fri, 18 Mar 2005 05:35:18 -0500 (EST)
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Hi, All:

I have the following parametric equation for an unit sphere:

x = cos(u)sin(v)
y = sin(u)sin(v)
z = cos(v)

0<=u<2*Pi ; 0<=v<=Pi

Then I use

normal = (Dx/Du, Dy/Du, Dz/Du) CROSS (Dx/Dv, Dy/Dv, Dz/Dv) to get the
normal vector.

I get the follwoing after calculation (with normalization):

normal =  [sin(v) ^2 cos(u), sin(v)^2  sin(u), cos(u)^2  cos(v) sin(v)
+  sin(u)^2  cos(v) sin(v)]

Now when u=0, v=0 , Normal = (0,0,0)! How can it be? We know the fact
that a sphere should have normal everywhere.

Rick

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: Normal Disappear Problem
    • From: DrBob <drbob@bigfoot.com>
  • Re: Normal Disappear Problem
    • From: Daniel Lichtblau <danl@wolfram.com>