Lecture

Cellular Approximation: Homotopy and CW Complexes

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In course

MATH-497: Topology IV.b - homotopy theory

We propose an introduction to homotopy theory for topological spaces. We define higher homotopy groups and relate them to homology groups. We introduce (co)fibration sequences, loop spaces, and suspensions. We study long exact sequences. We construct Eilen ...

Description

This lecture focuses on proving the cellular approximation theorem, which states that any map between CW complexes is homotopic to a cellular map. The instructor discusses the process of simplifying maps cell by cell and the historical background of Whitehead's contributions to CW complexes. The lecture delves into the logical construction of the course, the proof by induction, and the construction of homotopies. The implications of the theorem on homotopy groups of spheres and connectivity for pairs are also explored, providing a foundational understanding of homotopy theory.

Instructor

Jérôme Scherer

Teaching & PhD PhD Students Virgile Simon Constantin Past EPFL PhD Students Samuel Lavenir Past EPFL PhD Students as codirector Kay Remo Werndli, Lyne Moser Courses Topology IV.a - Cohomology rings MATH-506 Singular cohomology is defined by dualizing the singular chain complex for spaces. We will study its basic properties, see how it acquires a multiplicative structure and becomes a graded commutative algebra. We study an algebraic version, namely group cohomology, and compare both approa

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Mathematics

Topology: Algebraic topology

Related concepts (32)

Homotopy theory

In mathematics, homotopy theory is a systematic study of situations in which maps can come with homotopies between them. It originated as a topic in algebraic topology but nowadays is studied as an independent discipline. Besides algebraic topology, the theory has also been used in other areas of mathematics such as algebraic geometry (e.g., A1 homotopy theory) and (specifically the study of ). In homotopy theory and algebraic topology, the word "space" denotes a topological space.

Homotopy group

In mathematics, homotopy groups are used in algebraic topology to classify topological spaces. The first and simplest homotopy group is the fundamental group, denoted which records information about loops in a space. Intuitively, homotopy groups record information about the basic shape, or holes, of a topological space. To define the n-th homotopy group, the base-point-preserving maps from an n-dimensional sphere (with base point) into a given space (with base point) are collected into equivalence classes, called homotopy classes.

A¹ homotopy theory

In algebraic geometry and algebraic topology, branches of mathematics, A1 homotopy theory or motivic homotopy theory is a way to apply the techniques of algebraic topology, specifically homotopy, to algebraic varieties and, more generally, to schemes. The theory is due to Fabien Morel and Vladimir Voevodsky. The underlying idea is that it should be possible to develop a purely algebraic approach to homotopy theory by replacing the unit interval [0, 1], which is not an algebraic variety, with the affine line A1, which is.

Homotopy

In topology, a branch of mathematics, two continuous functions from one topological space to another are called homotopic (from ὁμός "same, similar" and τόπος "place") if one can be "continuously deformed" into the other, such a deformation being called a homotopy (həˈmɒtəpiː, ; ˈhoʊmoʊˌtoʊpiː, ) 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.

Simplicial complex

In mathematics, a simplicial complex is a set composed of points, line segments, triangles, and their n-dimensional counterparts (see illustration). Simplicial complexes should not be confused with the more abstract notion of a simplicial set appearing in modern simplicial homotopy theory. The purely combinatorial counterpart to a simplicial complex is an abstract simplicial complex. To distinguish a simplicial complex from an abstract simplicial complex, the former is often called a geometric simplicial complex.

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