In this note I prove the following result:—

Theorem. A compact, orientable, Riemannian manifold Mn, with positive definite metric and zero Ricci curvature, is flat if the first Betti number R1 exceeds n — 4.

In this statement of the theorem it is assumed that the dimensions of Mn are not less than four. If this is not the case, the result is still valid but appears as a purely local result and is true for a metric of arbitrary signature.

The differential operation known as Lie derivation was introduced by W. Slebodzinski in 1931, and since then it has been used by numerous investigators in applications in pure and applied mathematics and also in physics. A recent monograph by Kentaro Yano (2) devoted to the theory and application of Lie derivatives gives some idea of the wide range of its uses. However, in this monograph, as indeed in other treatments of the subject, the Lie derivative of a tensor field is defined by means of a formula involving partial derivatives of the given tensor field. It is then proved that the Lie derivative is a differential invariant, i.e. it is independent of a transformation from one allowable coordinate system to another. Sometimes some geometrical motivation is given in explanation of the formula, but this is seldom very satisfying.

Let Mm (r, f) denote the mean-value of a real-valued integrable function f over a geodesic sphere with centre m and radius r in an n-dimensional Riemannian manifold M. We obtain an expansion of Mm (r, f) in powers of r, thereby generalizing Pizzetti's formula valid in euclidean space. From this expansion we prove that the property

for every harmonic function near m, characterizes Einstein spaces. We define super-Einstein spaces and prove that they are characterized by the property

This is a contribution to the general problem of determining the extent to which the geometry of a riemannian manifold is determined by properties of its geodesic spheres. In particular we show that total umbilicity of geodesic spheres determines riemannian manifolds of constant sectional curvature; quasi-umbilicity of geodesic spheres determines Kähler and nearly-Kähler manifolds of constant holomorphic sectional curvature; and the condition that geodesic spheres have only two different principal curvatures, one having multiplicity 3, determines manifolds locally isometric to the quaternionic projective spaces. The use of Jacobi vector fields leads to a unified treatment of these different cases.

This Association came into existence nearly one hundred years ago with the prime object of improving the teaching of geometry and although its field of interest has widened considerably the teaching of geometry remains a very important issue. Of course, the question “Whither Geometry?” is rather meaningless unless one specifies whether one is talking about geometry as taught to primary, junior or secondary school levels, to Colleges of Education and the Polytechnics, to undergraduates and postgraduates at University, or geometry as understood by professional research mathematicians. Moreover the motivation for studying geometry may well be quite different at these different levels. I shall try to deal with the question as it affects all these various levels of mathematics.