Is it generally true that $nablatimesvecn=0$ for any surface or is this only true for a simply connected domain?
Clash Royale CLAN TAG #URR8PPP up vote 3 down vote favorite Is it generally true that $nablatimesvecn=0$ for any surface or is this only true for a simply connected domain? (see ftp://ftp.math.ucla.edu/pub/camreport/cam12-18.pdf) and discussion here (Curl of unit normal vector on a surface is zero?) I think StokeâÂÂs theorem implies that $vecncdotnablatimesvecn=0$ but this isnâÂÂt quite $nablatimesvecn=0$. In particular, it doesn't seem like the unit vector for u in toroidal coordinates $(u,v,phi)$ satisfies this (http://mathworld.wolfram.com/ToroidalCoordinates.html) Yet constant u corresponds to toroidal surfaces. So what I'm pondering is how to translate $nablatimesvecn=0$ into practice. For example, the curl in general orthogonal curvilinear coordinates is beginalign nablatimesvecf=&frac1h_2,h_3,left[fracpartialpartial x_2left(h_3,f_3right)-fracpartialpartial x_3left(h_2,f_2right)right],vece_1+frac1h_3,h_1,left[fracpartialpartial x_3left(h_1,f_1rig