Definition
Limits and colimits in a category are defined by means of diagrams in . Formally, aLimits
Let be a diagram of shape in a category . A cone to is an object of together with a family of morphisms indexed by the objects of , such that for every morphism in , we have . A limit of the diagram is a cone to such that for every other cone to there exists a ''unique'' morphism such that for all in . One says that the cone factors through the cone with the unique factorization . The morphism is sometimes called the mediating morphism. Limits are also referred to as ''Colimits
The dual notions of limits and cones are colimits and co-cones. Although it is straightforward to obtain the definitions of these by inverting all morphisms in the above definitions, we will explicitly state them here: AVariations
Limits and colimits can also be defined for collections of objects and morphisms without the use of diagrams. The definitions are the same (note that in definitions above we never needed to use composition of morphisms in ). This variation, however, adds no new information. Any collection of objects and morphisms defines a (possibly large) directed graph . If we let be the free category generated by , there is a universal diagram whose image contains . The limit (or colimit) of this diagram is the same as the limit (or colimit) of the original collection of objects and morphisms. Weak limit and weak colimits are defined like limits and colimits, except that the uniqueness property of the mediating morphism is dropped.Examples
Limits
The definition of limits is general enough to subsume several constructions useful in practical settings. In the following we will consider the limit (''L'', ''φ'') of a diagram ''F'' : ''J'' → ''C''. * Terminal objects. If ''J'' is the empty category there is only one diagram of shape ''J'': the empty one (similar to the empty function in set theory). A cone to the empty diagram is essentially just an object of ''C''. The limit of ''F'' is any object that is uniquely factored through by every other object. This is just the definition of a ''terminal object''. * Products. If ''J'' is a discrete category then a diagram ''F'' is essentially nothing but aColimits
Examples of colimits are given by the dual versions of the examples above: * Initial objects are colimits of empty diagrams. * Coproducts are colimits of diagrams indexed by discrete categories. **Copowers are colimits of constant diagrams from discrete categories. * Coequalizers are colimits of a parallel pair of morphisms. ** Cokernels are coequalizers of a morphism and a parallel zero morphism. * Pushouts are colimits of a pair of morphisms with common domain. * Direct limits are colimits of diagrams indexed by directed sets.Properties
Existence of limits
A given diagram ''F'' : ''J'' → ''C'' may or may not have a limit (or colimit) in ''C''. Indeed, there may not even be a cone to ''F'', let alone a universal cone. A category ''C'' is said to have limits of shape ''J'' if every diagram of shape ''J'' has a limit in ''C''. Specifically, a category ''C'' is said to *have products if it has limits of shape ''J'' for every ''small'' discrete category ''J'' (it need not have large products), *have equalizers if it has limits of shape (i.e. every parallel pair of morphisms has an equalizer), *have pullbacks if it has limits of shape (i.e. every pair of morphisms with common codomain has a pullback). A complete category is a category that has all small limits (i.e. all limits of shape ''J'' for every small category ''J''). One can also make the dual definitions. A category has colimits of shape ''J'' if every diagram of shape ''J'' has a colimit in ''C''. A cocomplete category is one that has all small colimits. The existence theorem for limits states that if a category ''C'' has equalizers and all products indexed by the classes Ob(''J'') and Hom(''J''), then ''C'' has all limits of shape ''J''. In this case, the limit of a diagram ''F'' : ''J'' → ''C'' can be constructed as the equalizer of the two morphisms : given (in component form) by : There is a dual existence theorem for colimits in terms of coequalizers and coproducts. Both of these theorems give sufficient and necessary conditions for the existence of all (co)limits of shape ''J''.Universal property
Limits and colimits are important special cases of universal constructions. Let ''C'' be a category and let ''J'' be a small index category. The functor category ''C''''J'' may be thought of as the category of all diagrams of shape ''J'' in ''C''. The '' diagonal functor'' : is the functor that maps each object ''N'' in ''C'' to the constant functor Δ(''N'') : ''J'' → ''C'' to ''N''. That is, Δ(''N'')(''X'') = ''N'' for each object ''X'' in ''J'' and Δ(''N'')(''f'') = id''N'' for each morphism ''f'' in ''J''. Given a diagram ''F'': ''J'' → ''C'' (thought of as an object in ''C''''J''), a natural transformation ''ψ'' : Δ(''N'') → ''F'' (which is just a morphism in the category ''C''''J'') is the same thing as a cone from ''N'' to ''F''. To see this, first note that Δ(''N'')(''X'') = ''N'' for all X implies that the components of ''ψ'' are morphisms ''ψ''''X'' : ''N'' → ''F''(''X''), which all share the domain ''N''. Moreover, the requirement that the cone's diagrams commute is true simply because this ''ψ'' is a natural transformation. (Dually, a natural transformation ''ψ'' : ''F'' → Δ(''N'') is the same thing as a co-cone from ''F'' to ''N''.) Therefore, the definitions of limits and colimits can then be restated in the form: *A limit of ''F'' is a universal morphism from Δ to ''F''. *A colimit of ''F'' is a universal morphism from ''F'' to Δ.Adjunctions
Like all universal constructions, the formation of limits and colimits is functorial in nature. In other words, if every diagram of shape ''J'' has a limit in ''C'' (for ''J'' small) there exists a limit functor : which assigns each diagram its limit and each natural transformation η : ''F'' → ''G'' the unique morphism lim η : lim ''F'' → lim ''G'' commuting with the corresponding universal cones. This functor is right adjoint to the diagonal functor Δ : ''C'' → ''C''''J''. This adjunction gives a bijection between the set of all morphisms from ''N'' to lim ''F'' and the set of all cones from ''N'' to ''F'' : which is natural in the variables ''N'' and ''F''. The counit of this adjunction is simply the universal cone from lim ''F'' to ''F''. If the index category ''J'' is connected (and nonempty) then the unit of the adjunction is an isomorphism so that lim is a left inverse of Δ. This fails if ''J'' is not connected. For example, if ''J'' is a discrete category, the components of the unit are theAs representations of functors
One can use Hom functors to relate limits and colimits in a category ''C'' to limits in Set, the category of sets. This follows, in part, from the fact the covariant Hom functor Hom(''N'', –) : ''C'' → Set preserves all limits in ''C''. By duality, the contravariant Hom functor must take colimits to limits. If a diagram ''F'' : ''J'' → ''C'' has a limit in ''C'', denoted by lim ''F'', there is aInterchange of limits and colimits of sets
Let ''I'' be a finite category and ''J'' be a smallFunctors and limits
If ''F'' : ''J'' → ''C'' is a diagram in ''C'' and ''G'' : ''C'' → ''D'' is a functor then by composition (recall that a diagram is just a functor) one obtains a diagram ''GF'' : ''J'' → ''D''. A natural question is then: :“How are the limits of ''GF'' related to those of ''F''?”Preservation of limits
A functor ''G'' : ''C'' → ''D'' induces a map from Cone(''F'') to Cone(''GF''): if ''Ψ'' is a cone from ''N'' to ''F'' then ''GΨ'' is a cone from ''GN'' to ''GF''. The functor ''G'' is said to preserve the limits of ''F'' if (''GL'', ''Gφ'') is a limit of ''GF'' whenever (''L'', ''φ'') is a limit of ''F''. (Note that if the limit of ''F'' does not exist, then ''G'' vacuously preserves the limits of ''F''.) A functor ''G'' is said to preserve all limits of shape ''J'' if it preserves the limits of all diagrams ''F'' : ''J'' → ''C''. For example, one can say that ''G'' preserves products, equalizers, pullbacks, etc. A continuous functor is one that preserves all ''small'' limits. One can make analogous definitions for colimits. For instance, a functor ''G'' preserves the colimits of ''F'' if ''G''(''L'', ''φ'') is a colimit of ''GF'' whenever (''L'', ''φ'') is a colimit of ''F''. A cocontinuous functor is one that preserves all ''small'' colimits. If ''C'' is a complete category, then, by the above existence theorem for limits, a functor ''G'' : ''C'' → ''D'' is continuous if and only if it preserves (small) products and equalizers. Dually, ''G'' is cocontinuous if and only if it preserves (small) coproducts and coequalizers. An important property of adjoint functors is that every right adjoint functor is continuous and every left adjoint functor is cocontinuous. Since adjoint functors exist in abundance, this gives numerous examples of continuous and cocontinuous functors. For a given diagram ''F'' : ''J'' → ''C'' and functor ''G'' : ''C'' → ''D'', if both ''F'' and ''GF'' have specified limits there is a unique canonical morphism : which respects the corresponding limit cones. The functor ''G'' preserves the limits of ''F'' if and only this map is an isomorphism. If the categories ''C'' and ''D'' have all limits of shape ''J'' then lim is a functor and the morphisms τ''F'' form the components of a natural transformation : The functor ''G'' preserves all limits of shape ''J'' if and only if τ is a natural isomorphism. In this sense, the functor ''G'' can be said to ''commute with limits'' ( up to a canonical natural isomorphism). Preservation of limits and colimits is a concept that only applies to '' covariant'' functors. For contravariant functors the corresponding notions would be a functor that takes colimits to limits, or one that takes limits to colimits.Lifting of limits
A functor ''G'' : ''C'' → ''D'' is said to lift limits for a diagram ''F'' : ''J'' → ''C'' if whenever (''L'', ''φ'') is a limit of ''GF'' there exists a limit (''L''′, ''φ''′) of ''F'' such that ''G''(''L''′, ''φ''′) = (''L'', ''φ''). A functor ''G'' lifts limits of shape ''J'' if it lifts limits for all diagrams of shape ''J''. One can therefore talk about lifting products, equalizers, pullbacks, etc. Finally, one says that ''G'' lifts limits if it lifts all limits. There are dual definitions for the lifting of colimits. A functor ''G'' lifts limits uniquely for a diagram ''F'' if there is a unique preimage cone (''L''′, ''φ''′) such that (''L''′, ''φ''′) is a limit of ''F'' and ''G''(''L''′, ''φ''′) = (''L'', ''φ''). One can show that ''G'' lifts limits uniquely if and only if it lifts limits and is amnestic. Lifting of limits is clearly related to preservation of limits. If ''G'' lifts limits for a diagram ''F'' and ''GF'' has a limit, then ''F'' also has a limit and ''G'' preserves the limits of ''F''. It follows that: *If ''G'' lifts limits of all shape ''J'' and ''D'' has all limits of shape ''J'', then ''C'' also has all limits of shape ''J'' and ''G'' preserves these limits. *If ''G'' lifts all small limits and ''D'' is complete, then ''C'' is also complete and ''G'' is continuous. The dual statements for colimits are equally valid.Creation and reflection of limits
Let ''F'' : ''J'' → ''C'' be a diagram. A functor ''G'' : ''C'' → ''D'' is said to *create limits for ''F'' if whenever (''L'', ''φ'') is a limit of ''GF'' there exists a unique cone (''L''′, ''φ''′) to ''F'' such that ''G''(''L''′, ''φ''′) = (''L'', ''φ''), and furthermore, this cone is a limit of ''F''. *reflect limits for ''F'' if each cone to ''F'' whose image under ''G'' is a limit of ''GF'' is already a limit of ''F''. Dually, one can define creation and reflection of colimits. The following statements are easily seen to be equivalent: *The functor ''G'' creates limits. *The functor ''G'' lifts limits uniquely and reflects limits. There are examples of functors which lift limits uniquely but neither create nor reflect them.Examples
* Every representable functor ''C'' → Set preserves limits (but not necessarily colimits). In particular, for any object ''A'' of ''C'', this is true of the covariant Hom functor Hom(''A'',–) : ''C'' → Set. * The forgetful functor ''U'' : Grp → Set creates (and preserves) all small limits and filtered colimits; however, ''U'' does not preserve coproducts. This situation is typical of algebraic forgetful functors. * The free functor ''F'' : Set → Grp (which assigns to every set ''S'' the free group over ''S'') is left adjoint to forgetful functor ''U'' and is, therefore, cocontinuous. This explains why the free product of two free groups ''G'' and ''H'' is the free group generated by the disjoint union of the generators of ''G'' and ''H''. * The inclusion functor Ab → Grp creates limits but does not preserve coproducts (the coproduct of two abelian groups being the direct sum). * The forgetful functor Top → Set lifts limits and colimits uniquely but creates neither. * Let Met''c'' be the category ofA note on terminology
Older terminology referred to limits as "inverse limits" or "projective limits", and to colimits as "direct limits" or "inductive limits". This has been the source of a lot of confusion. There are several ways to remember the modern terminology. First of all, *cokernels, *coproducts, *coequalizers, and *codomains are types of colimits, whereas *kernels, *products *equalizers, and *domains are types of limits. Second, the prefix "co" implies "first variable of the ". Terms like "cohomology" and "cofibration" all have a slightly stronger association with the first variable, i.e., the contravariant variable, of the bifunctor.See also
* * * *References
Further reading
* * *External links