A DIAGONAL METRIC WORKSHEET

Consider the following general diagonal metric:

ds2 = A(dx0)2 + B(dx1)2 + C(dx2)2 + D(dx3)2

where dx0, dx1, dx2, and dx3 are completely arbitrary coordinates and A, B, C, and D are arbitrary functions of
any or all of the coordinates. This worksheet (adapted from results listed in Rindler, Essential Relativity, 2/e,
a
Springer-Verlag, 1977) allows you to quickly calculate the components of Cno
and Rno /+ R a nao for any specific special case of such a metric. In this worksheet, I use the following shorthand notation:
2A
22 B

A0 / 0 , B12 / 1 2 , and so on.
2x
2x 2x
To use this worksheet, start by crossing out each tabulated term that is zero for the specific metric in question.
For the remaining terms, write the terms value in the space above that term. For the Ricci tensor components,
you can then gather the terms in the space provided at the bottom. To adapt this worksheet to smaller dimensional spaces or spacetimes, treat the metric components corresponding to any nonexistent coordinates as if they
had the value 1 and the remaining metric components as being independent of the nonexistent coordinates.

CHRISTOFFEL SYMBOLS

0
C00
=

1
2A

A0

0
C100 = C01
=

0
C11
=

1
2A

B0

0
C22
=

1
2A

C0

0
C33
=

1
C11
=

1
2B

B1

1
1
C12
= C21
=

1
1
C01
= C10
=

1
C00
=

1
2B

1
2C

1
2D

A3

A1

1
C22
=- 21B C1

1
2C

C0

C122 = C221 =

1
2D

D0

C133 = C331 =

3
C11
=- 21D B3

C200 = C002 =

1
2A

1
2A

A2

1
2C

C1

C222 =

1
2C

1
2B

B2

D1

3
C22
=- 21D C3

RICCI TENSOR COMPONENTS (following three pages)

C113 = C311 =

C322 = C223 =

C2

C233 = C332 =

1
2A

A3

1
2B

B3

1
=0
other Cno

1
2C

2
=0
other Cno

2
C33
=- 21C D2

1
2D

C300 = C003 =

0
=0
other Cno

D0

1
C33
=- 21B D1

2
C11
=- 21C B2

A2

C033 = C330 =

3
C00
=

B0

A1

C022 = C220 =

2
C00
=

1
2B

1
2A

1
2D

D2

C333 =

1
2D

D3

3
=0
other Cno

C3

R00 = 0

1
2B

A11

1
2C

A22

1
2D

A33

B00

1
2C

C00

1
2D

D00

1
2B

1
4B 2

B 20

1
4C 2

C 20

1
4D 2

D 20

1
4AB

A0 B0

1
4AC

A0 C0

1
4AD

A0 D0

1
4BA

A1 A1

1
4B 2

A1 B1

1
4BC

A1 C1

1
4BD

A1 D1

1
4CA

A2 A2

1
4CB

A2 B2

1
4C 2

A2 C2

1
4CD

A2 D2

1
4DA

A3 A3

1
4DB

A3 B3

1
4DC

A3 C3

1
4D 2

A3 D3

B00

1
2C

B22

1
2D

B33

A11

1
2C

C11

1
2D

D11

1
4C 2

C 21

1
4D 2

D 21

1
4AC

B0 C0

1
4AD

B0 D0

1
4BC

B1 C1

1
4BD

B1 D1

R00 =

R11 =

1
2A

1
2A

1
4A 2

A 21

1
4A 2

B0 A0

1
4BA

B1 A1

1
4CA

B2 A2

1
4CB

B2 B2

1
4C 2

B2 C 2

1
4CD

B2 D2

1
4DA

B3 A3

1
4DB

B3 B3

1
4DC

B3 C3

1
4D 2

B3 D3

R11 =

1
4AB

B0 B0

R22 =

C00

1
2B

C11

1
2D

C33

A22

1
2B

B22

1
2D

D22

1
4D 2

D 22

C0 C0

1
4AD

C0 D0

C1 C1

1
4BD

C1 D1

1
4CD

C2 D2

C3 C3

1
4D 2

C3 D3

1
2A

1
2A

1
4A 2

A 22

1
4B 2

B 22

1
4A 2

C0 A0

1
4AB

C 0 B0

1
4BA

C1 A1

1
4B 2

C 1 B1

1
4BC

1
4CA

C2 A2

1
4CB

C2 B2

1
4DA

C3 A3

1
4DB

C3 B3

1
4DC

D00

1
2B

D11

1
2C

D22

A33

1
2B

B33

1
2C

C33

0
0

1
4AC

R22 =

R33 =

1
2A

1
2A

1
4A 2

A 23

1
4B 2

B 23

1
4C 2

C 23

1
4A 2

D0 A0

1
4AB

D0 B0

1
4AC

D0 C0

1
4AD

D0 D0

1
4BA

D1 A1

1
4B 2

D1 B1

1
4BC

D1 C1

1
4BD

D1 D1

1
4CA

D2 A2

1
4CB

D2 B2

1
4C 2

D2 C2

1
4CD

D2 D2

1
4DA

D3 A3

1
4DB

D3 B3

1
4DC

D3 C3

R33 =

R01 = 1
4AC

1
2D

A1 C0

1
4AD

1
2B

1
2D

1
4AD

1
2C

1
4AC

1
2D

1
4BD

1
2C

1
4BC

1
2B

1
4CB

1
2C

C01

D01
A1 D0

1
4C 2

C0 C1

1
4D 2

D0 D1

1
4BC

B0 C1

1
4BD

B0 D1

1
4B 2

B0 B2

1
4D 2

D0 D2

1
4CB

C 0 B2

1
4CD

C0 D2

1
4B 2

B0 B3

1
4C 2

C0 C3

1
4DB

D0 B3

1
4DC

D0 C3

1
4A 2

A1 A2

1
4D 2

D1 D2

1
4CA

C1 A2

1
4CD

C1 D2

1
4A 2

A1 A3

1
4C 2

C1 C3

1
4DA

D1 A3

1
4DC

1
4A 2

A2 A3

1
4B 2

B2 B3

1
4DA

D2 A3

1
4DB

D 2 B3

R01 =
R02 = +

1
4AB

B02

A2 B0

D02
A2 D0

R02 =
R03 = +

1
4AB

1
2B

B03

A3 B0

C03
A3 C0

R03 =
R12 = +

1
4BA

1
2A

A12

B2 A1

D12
B2 D1

R12 =
R13 = +

1
4BA

1
2A

A13

B3 A1

C13
B3 C 1

D1 C3

R13 =
R23 = +
R23 =

1
4CA

1
2A

A23

C3 A2

B23
C3 B2