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Cohomology
In mathematics, specifically in homology theory and algebraic topology, cohomology is a general term for a sequence of abelian groups, usually one associated with a topological space, often defined from a cochain complex. Cohomology can be viewed as a method of assigning richer algebraic invariants to a space than homology. Some versions of cohomology arise by dualizing the construction of homology. In other words, cochains are function (mathematics), functions on the group of chain (algebraic topology), chains in homology theory. From its start in topology, this idea became a dominant method in the mathematics of the second half of the twentieth century. From the initial idea of homology as a method of constructing algebraic invariants of topological spaces, the range of applications of homology and cohomology theories has spread throughout geometry and abstract algebra, algebra. The terminology tends to hide the fact that cohomology, a Covariance and contravariance of functors, c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cup Product
In mathematics, specifically in algebraic topology, the cup product is a method of adjoining two cocycles of degree p and q to form a composite cocycle of degree p+q. This defines an associative (and distributive) graded commutative product operation in cohomology, turning the cohomology of a space X into a graded ring, H^*(X), called the cohomology ring. The cup product was introduced in work of J. W. Alexander, Eduard Čech and Hassler Whitney from 1935–1938, and, in full generality, by Samuel Eilenberg in 1944. Definition In singular cohomology, the cup product is a construction giving a product on the graded cohomology ring H^*(X) of a topological space X. The construction starts with a product of cochains: if \alpha^p is a p-cochain and \beta^q is a q-cochain, then :(\alpha^p \smile \beta^q)(\sigma) = \alpha^p(\sigma \circ \iota_) \cdot \beta^q(\sigma \circ \iota_) where \sigma is a singular (p+q)- simplex and \iota_S , S \subset \ is the canonical embeddi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homology Theory
In mathematics, the term homology, originally introduced in algebraic topology, has three primary, closely-related usages. The most direct usage of the term is to take the ''homology of a chain complex'', resulting in a sequence of abelian groups called ''homology groups.'' This operation, in turn, allows one to associate various named ''homologies'' or ''homology theories'' to various other types of mathematical objects. Lastly, since there are many homology theories for topological spaces that produce the same answer, one also often speaks of the ''homology of a topological space''. (This latter notion of homology admits more intuitive descriptions for 1- or 2-dimensional topological spaces, and is sometimes referenced in popular mathematics.) There is also a related notion of the cohomology of a cochain complex, giving rise to various cohomology theories, in addition to the notion of the cohomology of a topological space. Homology of chain complexes To take the homology o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Algebraic Topology
Algebraic topology is a branch of mathematics that uses tools from abstract algebra to study topological spaces. The basic goal is to find algebraic invariant (mathematics), invariants that classification theorem, classify topological spaces up to homeomorphism, though usually most classify up to Homotopy#Homotopy equivalence and null-homotopy, homotopy equivalence. Although algebraic topology primarily uses algebra to study topological problems, using topology to solve algebraic problems is sometimes also possible. Algebraic topology, for example, allows for a convenient proof that any subgroup of a free group is again a free group. Main branches Below are some of the main areas studied in algebraic topology: Homotopy groups In mathematics, homotopy groups are used in algebraic topology to classify topological spaces. The first and simplest homotopy group is the fundamental group, which records information about loops in a space. Intuitively, homotopy groups record information ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pullback (cohomology)
In algebraic topology, given a continuous map ''f'': ''X'' → ''Y'' of topological spaces and a ring ''R'', the pullback along ''f'' on cohomology theory is a grade-preserving ''R''-algebra homomorphism: :f^*: H^*(Y; R) \to H^*(X; R) from the cohomology ring of ''Y'' with coefficients in ''R'' to that of ''X''. The use of the superscript is meant to indicate its contravariant nature: it reverses the direction of the map. For example, if ''X'', ''Y'' are manifolds, ''R'' the field of real numbers, and the cohomology is de Rham cohomology, then the pullback is induced by the pullback of differential forms. The homotopy invariance of cohomology states that if two maps ''f'', ''g'': ''X'' → ''Y'' are homotopic to each other, then they determine the same pullback: ''f''* = ''g''*. In contrast, a pushforward for de Rham cohomology for example is given by integration-along-fibers. Definition from chain complexes We first review the definition of the cohomology of the dual of a c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Singular Homology
In algebraic topology, singular homology refers to the study of a certain set of algebraic invariants of a topological space X, the so-called homology groups H_n(X). Intuitively, singular homology counts, for each dimension n, the n-dimensional holes of a space. Singular homology is a particular example of a homology theory, which has now grown to be a rather broad collection of theories. Of the various theories, it is perhaps one of the simpler ones to understand, being built on fairly concrete constructions (see also the related theory simplicial homology). In brief, singular homology is constructed by taking maps of the simplex, standard -simplex to a topological space, and composing them into Free abelian group#Integer functions and formal sums, formal sums, called singular chains. The boundary operation – mapping each n-dimensional simplex to its (n-1)-dimensional boundary operator, boundary – induces the singular chain complex. The singular homology is then ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Singular Chain Complex
In algebraic topology, singular homology refers to the study of a certain set of algebraic invariants of a topological space X, the so-called homology groups H_n(X). Intuitively, singular homology counts, for each dimension n, the n-dimensional holes of a space. Singular homology is a particular example of a homology theory, which has now grown to be a rather broad collection of theories. Of the various theories, it is perhaps one of the simpler ones to understand, being built on fairly concrete constructions (see also the related theory simplicial homology). In brief, singular homology is constructed by taking maps of the standard -simplex to a topological space, and composing them into formal sums, called singular chains. The boundary operation – mapping each n-dimensional simplex to its (n-1)-dimensional boundary – induces the singular chain complex. The singular homology is then the homology of the chain complex. The resulting homology groups are the sam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homotopic
In topology, two continuous functions from one topological space to another are called homotopic (from and ) if one can be "continuously deformed" into the other, such a deformation being called a homotopy ( ; ) between the two functions. A notable use of homotopy is the definition of homotopy groups and cohomotopy groups, important invariants in algebraic topology. In practice, there are technical difficulties in using homotopies with certain spaces. Algebraic topologists work with compactly generated spaces, CW complexes, or spectra. Formal definition Formally, a homotopy between two continuous functions ''f'' and ''g'' from a topological space ''X'' to a topological space ''Y'' is defined to be a continuous function H: X \times ,1\to Y from the product of the space ''X'' with the unit interval , 1to ''Y'' such that H(x,0) = f(x) and H(x,1) = g(x) for all x \in X. If we think of the second parameter of ''H'' as time then ''H'' describes a ''continuous d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cochain Complex
In mathematics, a chain complex is an algebraic structure that consists of a sequence of abelian groups (or modules) and a sequence of homomorphisms between consecutive groups such that the image of each homomorphism is contained in the kernel of the next. Associated to a chain complex is its homology, which is (loosely speaking) a measure of the failure of a chain complex to be exact. A cochain complex is similar to a chain complex, except that its homomorphisms are in the opposite direction. The homology of a cochain complex is called its cohomology. In algebraic topology, the singular chain complex of a topological space X is constructed using continuous maps from a simplex to X, and the homomorphisms of the chain complex capture how these maps restrict to the boundary of the simplex. The homology of this chain complex is called the singular homology of X, and is a commonly used invariant of a topological space. Chain complexes are studied in homological algebra, but ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ring (mathematics)
In mathematics, a ring is an algebraic structure consisting of a set with two binary operations called ''addition'' and ''multiplication'', which obey the same basic laws as addition and multiplication of integers, except that multiplication in a ring does not need to be commutative. Ring elements may be numbers such as integers or complex numbers, but they may also be non-numerical objects such as polynomials, square matrices, functions, and power series. A ''ring'' may be defined as a set that is endowed with two binary operations called ''addition'' and ''multiplication'' such that the ring is an abelian group with respect to the addition operator, and the multiplication operator is associative, is distributive over the addition operation, and has a multiplicative identity element. (Some authors apply the term ''ring'' to a further generalization, often called a '' rng'', that omits the requirement for a multiplicative identity, and instead call the structure defi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commutative Ring
In mathematics, a commutative ring is a Ring (mathematics), ring in which the multiplication operation is commutative. The study of commutative rings is called commutative algebra. Complementarily, noncommutative algebra is the study of ring properties that are not specific to commutative rings. This distinction results from the high number of fundamental properties of commutative rings that do not extend to noncommutative rings. Commutative rings appear in the following chain of subclass (set theory), class inclusions: Definition and first examples Definition A ''ring'' is a Set (mathematics), set R equipped with two binary operations, i.e. operations combining any two elements of the ring to a third. They are called ''addition'' and ''multiplication'' and commonly denoted by "+" and "\cdot"; e.g. a+b and a \cdot b. To form a ring these two operations have to satisfy a number of properties: the ring has to be an abelian group under addition as well as a monoid under m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Graded-commutative Ring
In algebra, a graded-commutative ring (also called a skew-commutative ring) is a graded ring that is commutative in the graded sense; that is, homogeneous elements ''x'', ''y'' satisfy :xy = (-1)^ yx, where , ''x'', and , ''y'', denote the degrees of ''x'' and ''y''. A commutative (non-graded) ring, with trivial grading, is a basic example. For a nontrivial example, an exterior algebra is generally not a commutative ring but is a ''graded''-commutative ring. A cup product on cohomology satisfies the skew-commutative relation; hence, a cohomology ring is graded-commutative. In fact, many examples of graded-commutative rings come from algebraic topology and homological algebra. References * David Eisenbud, ''Commutative Algebra. With a view toward algebraic geometry'', Graduate Texts in Mathematics, vol 150, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1995. * See also * DG algebra * graded-symmetric algebra *alternating algebra In mathematics, an alternating algebra is a -graded algeb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geometry
Geometry (; ) is a branch of mathematics concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. Geometry is, along with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is called a ''List of geometers, geometer''. Until the 19th century, geometry was almost exclusively devoted to Euclidean geometry, which includes the notions of point (geometry), point, line (geometry), line, plane (geometry), plane, distance, angle, surface (mathematics), surface, and curve, as fundamental concepts. Originally developed to model the physical world, geometry has applications in almost all sciences, and also in art, architecture, and other activities that are related to graphics. Geometry also has applications in areas of mathematics that are apparently unrelated. For example, methods of algebraic geometry are fundamental in Wiles's proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, Wiles's proof of Fermat's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
