The geometry of surfaces in 4-space from a contact viewpoint (Q1900023): Difference between revisions

Given a surface \(M\) in \(\mathbb{R}^4\) and a point \(x \in M\), let \(\gamma_\theta\) be the curve defined as the intersection of \(M\) with the hyperplane composed of the normal plane at \(x\) and the line in the tangent plane with direction \(\theta\). When \(\theta\) moves, the curvature vector at \(x\) of the curve \(\gamma_\theta\) lying in the normal plane draws a closed curve, which is called the curvature ellipse. When this ellipse is degenerate, the point \(x\) is called an inflection point. The authors investigate the geometry of surfaces in \(\mathbb{R}^4\), in particular, the curvature ellipse relying on the study of the singularities of the height function, i.e., the study of contacts of \(M\) with hyperplanes. In the end they prove that, generically, any embedded convex 2-sphere in \(\mathbb{R}^4\) has inflection points.