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Cohomology Operation
In mathematics, the cohomology operation concept became central to algebraic topology, particularly homotopy theory, from the 1950s onwards, in the shape of the simple definition that if ''F'' is a functor defining a cohomology theory, then a cohomology operation should be a natural transformation from ''F'' to itself. Throughout there have been two basic points: #the operations can be studied by combinatorial means; and #the effect of the operations is to yield an interesting bicommutant theory. The origin of these studies was the work of Pontryagin, Postnikov, and Norman Steenrod, who first defined the Pontryagin square, Postnikov square, and Steenrod square operations for singular cohomology, in the case of mod 2 coefficients. The combinatorial aspect there arises as a formulation of the failure of a natural diagonal map, at cochain level. The general theory of the Steenrod algebra of operations has been brought into close relation with that of the symmetric group. In t ... [...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 invariants that classify topological spaces up to homeomorphism, though usually most classify up to 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 of algebraic topology 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 about the basic shape, or holes, of a topological space. Homology ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Symmetric Group
In abstract algebra, the symmetric group defined over any set is the group whose elements are all the bijections from the set to itself, and whose group operation is the composition of functions. In particular, the finite symmetric group \mathrm_n defined over a finite set of n symbols consists of the permutations that can be performed on the n symbols. Since there are n! (n factorial) such permutation operations, the order (number of elements) of the symmetric group \mathrm_n is n!. Although symmetric groups can be defined on infinite sets, this article focuses on the finite symmetric groups: their applications, their elements, their conjugacy classes, a finite presentation, their subgroups, their automorphism groups, and their representation theory. For the remainder of this article, "symmetric group" will mean a symmetric group on a finite set. The symmetric group is important to diverse areas of mathematics such as Galois theory, invariant theory, the repres ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homotopy
In topology, a branch of mathematics, two continuous functions from one topological space to another are called homotopic (from grc, ὁμός "same, similar" and "place") 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoneda Lemma
In mathematics, the Yoneda lemma is arguably the most important result in category theory. It is an abstract result on functors of the type ''morphisms into a fixed object''. It is a vast generalisation of Cayley's theorem from group theory (viewing a group as a miniature category with just one object and only isomorphisms). It allows the embedding of any locally small category into a category of functors (contravariant set-valued functors) defined on that category. It also clarifies how the embedded category, of representable functors and their natural transformations, relates to the other objects in the larger functor category. It is an important tool that underlies several modern developments in algebraic geometry and representation theory. It is named after Nobuo Yoneda. Generalities The Yoneda lemma suggests that instead of studying the locally small category \mathcal , one should study the category of all functors of \mathcal into \mathbf (the category of se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eilenberg–MacLane Space
In mathematics, specifically algebraic topology, an Eilenberg–MacLane space Saunders Mac Lane originally spelt his name "MacLane" (without a space), and co-published the papers establishing the notion of Eilenberg–MacLane spaces under this name. (See e.g. ) In this context it is therefore conventional to write the name without a space. is a topological space with a single nontrivial homotopy group. Let ''G'' be a group and ''n'' a positive integer. A connected topological space ''X'' is called an Eilenberg–MacLane space of type K(G,n), if it has ''n''-th homotopy group \pi_n(X) isomorphic to ''G'' and all other homotopy groups trivial. If n > 1 then ''G'' must be abelian. Such a space exists, is a CW-complex, and is unique up to a weak homotopy equivalence, therefore any such space is often just called K(G,n). The name is derived from Samuel Eilenberg and Saunders Mac Lane, who introduced such spaces in the late 1940s. As such, an Eilenberg–MacLane space is a spec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Representable Functor
In mathematics, particularly category theory, a representable functor is a certain functor from an arbitrary category into the category of sets. Such functors give representations of an abstract category in terms of known structures (i.e. sets and functions) allowing one to utilize, as much as possible, knowledge about the category of sets in other settings. From another point of view, representable functors for a category ''C'' are the functors ''given'' with ''C''. Their theory is a vast generalisation of upper sets in posets, and of Cayley's theorem in group theory. Definition Let C be a locally small category and let Set be the category of sets. For each object ''A'' of C let Hom(''A'',–) be the hom functor that maps object ''X'' to the set Hom(''A'',''X''). A functor ''F'' : C → Set is said to be representable if it is naturally isomorphic to Hom(''A'',–) for some object ''A'' of C. A representation of ''F'' is a pair (''A'', Φ) where :Φ : Hom(' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
CW Complex
A CW complex (also called cellular complex or cell complex) is a kind of a topological space that is particularly important in algebraic topology. It was introduced by J. H. C. Whitehead (open access) to meet the needs of homotopy theory. This class of spaces is broader and has some better categorical properties than simplicial complexes, but still retains a combinatorial nature that allows for computation (often with a much smaller complex). The ''C'' stands for "closure-finite", and the ''W'' for "weak" topology. Definition CW complex A CW complex is constructed by taking the union of a sequence of topological spaces\emptyset = X_ \subset X_0 \subset X_1 \subset \cdotssuch that each X_k is obtained from X_ by gluing copies of k-cells (e^k_\alpha)_\alpha, each homeomorphic to D^k, to X_ by continuous gluing maps g^k_\alpha: \partial e^k_\alpha \to X_. The maps are also called attaching maps. Each X_k is called the k-skeleton of the complex. The topology of X = \cup_ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Extraordinary Cohomology Theory
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 functions on the group of chains in homology theory. From its beginning 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 algebra. The terminology tends to hide the fact that cohomology, a contravariant theory, is more natural than homology in many applications. At a basic level, this has to do ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stable Homotopy Theory
In mathematics, stable homotopy theory is the part of homotopy theory (and thus algebraic topology) concerned with all structure and phenomena that remain after sufficiently many applications of the suspension functor. A founding result was the Freudenthal suspension theorem, which states that given any pointed space X, the homotopy groups \pi_(\Sigma^n X) stabilize for n sufficiently large. In particular, the homotopy groups of spheres \pi_(S^n) stabilize for n\ge k + 2. For example, :\langle \text_\rangle = \Z = \pi_1(S^1)\cong \pi_2(S^2)\cong \pi_3(S^3)\cong\cdots :\langle \eta \rangle = \Z = \pi_3(S^2)\to \pi_4(S^3)\cong \pi_5(S^4)\cong\cdots In the two examples above all the maps between homotopy groups are applications of the suspension functor. The first example is a standard corollary of the Hurewicz theorem, that \pi_n(S^n)\cong \Z. In the second example the Hopf map, \eta, is mapped to its suspension \Sigma\eta, which generates \pi_4(S^3)\cong \Z/2. One of the most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derived Functor
In mathematics, certain functors may be ''derived'' to obtain other functors closely related to the original ones. This operation, while fairly abstract, unifies a number of constructions throughout mathematics. Motivation It was noted in various quite different settings that a short exact sequence often gives rise to a "long exact sequence". The concept of derived functors explains and clarifies many of these observations. Suppose we are given a covariant left exact functor ''F'' : A → B between two abelian categories A and B. If 0 → ''A'' → ''B'' → ''C'' → 0 is a short exact sequence in A, then applying ''F'' yields the exact sequence 0 → ''F''(''A'') → ''F''(''B'') → ''F''(''C'') and one could ask how to continue this sequence to the right to form a long exact sequence. Strictly speaking, this question is ill-posed, since there are always numerous different ways to continue a given exact sequence to the right. But it turns out that (if A is "nice" enough) th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ext Functor
In mathematics, the Ext functors are the derived functors of the Hom functor. Along with the Tor functor, Ext is one of the core concepts of homological algebra, in which ideas from algebraic topology are used to define invariants of algebraic structures. The cohomology of groups, Lie algebras, and associative algebras can all be defined in terms of Ext. The name comes from the fact that the first Ext group Ext1 classifies extensions of one module by another. In the special case of abelian groups, Ext was introduced by Reinhold Baer (1934). It was named by Samuel Eilenberg and Saunders MacLane (1942), and applied to topology (the universal coefficient theorem for cohomology). For modules over any ring, Ext was defined by Henri Cartan and Eilenberg in their 1956 book ''Homological Algebra''. Definition Let ''R'' be a ring and let ''R''-Mod be the category of modules over ''R''. (One can take this to mean either left ''R''-modules or right ''R''-modules.) For a fixed ''R''-module ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adams Spectral Sequence
In mathematics, the Adams spectral sequence is a spectral sequence introduced by which computes the stable homotopy groups of topological spaces. Like all spectral sequences, it is a computational tool; it relates homology theory to what is now called stable homotopy theory. It is a reformulation using homological algebra, and an extension, of a technique called 'killing homotopy groups' applied by the French school of Henri Cartan and Jean-Pierre Serre. Motivation For everything below, once and for all, we fix a prime ''p''. All spaces are assumed to be CW complexes. The ordinary cohomology groups H^*(X) are understood to mean H^*(X; \Z/p\Z). The primary goal of algebraic topology is to try to understand the collection of all maps, up to homotopy, between arbitrary spaces ''X'' and ''Y''. This is extraordinarily ambitious: in particular, when ''X'' is S^n, these maps form the ''n''th homotopy group of ''Y''. A more reasonable (but still very difficult!) goal is to understand ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
