Confused about indices of the Ricci tensor

Question

In an intro to GR book the Ricci tensor is given as:

$$R_{\mu\nu}=\partial_{\lambda}\Gamma_{\mu \nu}^{\lambda}-\Gamma_{\lambda \sigma}^{\lambda}\Gamma_{\mu \nu}^{\sigma}-[\partial_{\nu}\Gamma_{\mu \lambda}^{\lambda}+\Gamma_{\nu \sigma}^{\lambda}\Gamma_{\mu \lambda}^{\sigma}]$$

I have gotten to the point where I can work out a given Christoffel symbol, but I am still having trouble working out the above tensor as a whole (just algebraically speaking). If I'm not mistaken, $R_{\mu\nu}$ should end up a $\mu$x$\nu$ (i.e. 4x4) matrix just like the energy-momentum tensor on the other side of the field equations. In the above rendering $\sigma$ is clearly a dummy index to be summed over, and I can see how $\lambda$ is also a dummy index in the first term. But the $\lambda$s in the other terms seem to be free indices, which would then introduce incompatible dimensions in the matrix operations. I appreciate it if someone can point out the error of my ways.

Answer 1

Every term contains one $\lambda$ in the superscript and one in the subscript, so you sum over those. The only indices which don't appear in both superscript and subscript in the same term are $\mu$ and $\nu$.

Example:

$$\Gamma_{\lambda\sigma}^\lambda\Gamma_{\mu\nu}^\sigma = \Gamma_{00}^0\Gamma_{\mu\nu}^0 + \Gamma_{01}^0\Gamma_{\mu\nu}^1 + \cdots + \Gamma_{10}^1\Gamma_{\mu\nu}^0 + \cdots$$