[Math] Simplify Triple Sum — Einstein Summation Notation

summation

Schaum's Outline to Tensor Calculus — Chapter 1, Solved problem 1.5 —
Use the summation convention to write and state the value of $n$ necessary in:
$$g^{\LARGE{1}}_{11} + g^{\LARGE{1}}_{12} + g^{\LARGE{1}}_{21} + g^{\LARGE{1}}_{22} + g^{\LARGE{2}}_{11} + g^{\LARGE{2}}_{12} + g^{\LARGE{2}}_{21} + g^{\LARGE{2}}_{22} $$.

My solution. The game plan is just to simplify each of the three indices one at at time in any of the $3 x 2 x 1$ orders. Say I start with the superscript — I'd get $ \forall \, {\LARGE{i}} \in \{1,2\} \, g^i_{11} + g^i_{12} + g^i_{21} + g^i_{22} $.
Then say I pick the second subscript — subsequently $ \forall \, i, k \in \{1,2\} \, g^i_{1k} + g^i_{2k} $.
The ultimate subscript — subsequently $ \forall \, i,j, k \in \{1,2\} \, g^i_{jk} $.

Their solution:

Set $c_i=1$ for each $i$ ($n=2$). Then the expression may be written
\begin{align*}
g_{11}^i c_i + g_{12}^i c_i + g_{21}^i c_i + g_{22}^i c_i
&= (g_{11}^i + g_{12}^i + g_{21}^i + g_{22}^i)\,c_i \\
&= (g_{jk}^i c_j c_k) c_i = g_{jk}^i c_i c_j c_k.
\end{align*}

Does their final answer look like mine? But why did they "set $c_i = 1 \, \forall \, i \in \{1,2\}"?$

Best Answer

Your solution is equivalent to

$$\sum_{i,j,k=1}^2g^i_{jk} $$

and no summation convention (I think it is a way to say "Einstein convention on repeated indices") appears, as pointed out by @Raskolnikov.

The aim of the exercise is to arrive at an expression with "repeated indices", i.e. an expression in which you use the summation convention. To do so, one needs to have no free index (like yours $i$, $j$ and $k$) and to contract-or produce pairs of- all indices.

It is clear that the starting expression has 3 indices: so 3 summations, or contractions are needed. The textbook begins to produce a summation considering at first the above index, called $i$. This is done introducing the vector

$$c=(c_1,c_2)=(1,1)$$

and realizing the sum $\sum_{i=1}^2 g^i_{j,k}$ (which, once again, uses no summation convention) as

$$g^1_{j,k}+g^2_{j,k}=\sum_{i=1}^2 g^i_{j,k}=g^i_{j,k}c_i,$$

for any $j,k$. On the rightmost r.h.s. of the above expression we use the Einstein convention, summing over $i$, the only repeated index. Please note that the length of $c$ is equal to $2$, i.e. the cardinality of the set $\{1,2\}$ of all the possible values for $i$.

We are left with 2 indices, so 2 more summations are needed. We repeat the above lines to produce the summation w.r.t. to $j$ through

$$g^i_{1,k}c_i+g^i_{2,k}c_i=\sum_{j=1}^2 g^i_{j,k}c_i=g^i_{j,k}c_ic_j,$$

for any $k$. Repeating the same trick with $k$, the only free index remaining, we arrive at

$$\sum_{k=1}^2g^i_{j,k}c_ic_j=g^i_{j,k}c_ic_jc_k,$$

and

$$\sum_{i,j,k=1}^2g^i_{jk}=g^i_{j,k}c_ic_jc_k.~~~(1) $$

On the r.h.s. of $(1)$ we have all repeated indices and we are done.

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