Homotopical connectivityIn algebraic topology, homotopical connectivity is a property describing a topological space based on the dimension of its holes. In general, low homotopical connectivity indicates that the space has at least one low-dimensional hole. The concept of n-connectedness generalizes the concepts of path-connectedness and simple connectedness. An equivalent definition of homotopical connectivity is based on the homotopy groups of the space. A space is n-connected (or n-simple connected) if its first n homotopy groups are trivial.
Homotopy extension propertyIn mathematics, in the area of algebraic topology, the homotopy extension property indicates which homotopies defined on a subspace can be extended to a homotopy defined on a larger space. The homotopy extension property of cofibrations is dual to the homotopy lifting property that is used to define fibrations. Let be a topological space, and let . We say that the pair has the homotopy extension property if, given a homotopy and a map such that then there exists an extension of to a homotopy such that .
Cellular approximation theoremIn algebraic topology, the cellular approximation theorem states that a map between CW-complexes can always be taken to be of a specific type. Concretely, if X and Y are CW-complexes, and f : X → Y is a continuous map, then f is said to be cellular, if f takes the n-skeleton of X to the n-skeleton of Y for all n, i.e. if for all n. The content of the cellular approximation theorem is then that any continuous map f : X → Y between CW-complexes X and Y is homotopic to a cellular map, and if f is already cellular on a subcomplex A of X, then we can furthermore choose the homotopy to be stationary on A.
Subspace topologyIn topology and related areas of mathematics, a subspace of a topological space X is a subset S of X which is equipped with a topology induced from that of X called the subspace topology (or the relative topology, or the induced topology, or the trace topology). Given a topological space and a subset of , the subspace topology on is defined by That is, a subset of is open in the subspace topology if and only if it is the intersection of with an open set in .
Fundamental groupIn the mathematical field of algebraic topology, the fundamental group of a topological space is the group of the equivalence classes under homotopy of the loops contained in the space. It records information about the basic shape, or holes, of the topological space. The fundamental group is the first and simplest homotopy group. The fundamental group is a homotopy invariant—topological spaces that are homotopy equivalent (or the stronger case of homeomorphic) have isomorphic fundamental groups.
Cellular homologyIn mathematics, cellular homology in algebraic topology is a homology theory for the category of CW-complexes. It agrees with singular homology, and can provide an effective means of computing homology modules. If is a CW-complex with n-skeleton , the cellular-homology modules are defined as the homology groups Hi of the cellular chain complex where is taken to be the empty set. The group is free abelian, with generators that can be identified with the -cells of . Let be an -cell of , and let be the attaching map.
Mathematical proofA mathematical proof is a deductive argument for a mathematical statement, showing that the stated assumptions logically guarantee the conclusion. The argument may use other previously established statements, such as theorems; but every proof can, in principle, be constructed using only certain basic or original assumptions known as axioms, along with the accepted rules of inference. Proofs are examples of exhaustive deductive reasoning which establish logical certainty, to be distinguished from empirical arguments or non-exhaustive inductive reasoning which establish "reasonable expectation".
Cohomotopy setIn mathematics, particularly algebraic topology, cohomotopy sets are particular from the of pointed topological spaces and basepoint-preserving continuous maps to the category of sets and functions. They are dual to the homotopy groups, but less studied. The p-th cohomotopy set of a pointed topological space X is defined by the set of pointed homotopy classes of continuous mappings from to the p-sphere . For p = 1 this set has an abelian group structure, and, provided is a CW-complex, is isomorphic to the first cohomology group , since the circle is an Eilenberg–MacLane space of type .
Mathematical inductionMathematical induction is a method for proving that a statement is true for every natural number , that is, that the infinitely many cases all hold. Informal metaphors help to explain this technique, such as falling dominoes or climbing a ladder: Mathematical induction proves that we can climb as high as we like on a ladder, by proving that we can climb onto the bottom rung (the basis) and that from each rung we can climb up to the next one (the step). A proof by induction consists of two cases.
Proof theoryProof theory is a major branch of mathematical logic and theoretical computer science within which proofs are treated as formal mathematical objects, facilitating their analysis by mathematical techniques. Proofs are typically presented as inductively-defined data structures such as lists, boxed lists, or trees, which are constructed according to the axioms and rules of inference of a given logical system. Consequently, proof theory is syntactic in nature, in contrast to model theory, which is semantic in nature.
Brown's representability theoremIn mathematics, Brown's representability theorem in homotopy theory gives necessary and sufficient conditions for a contravariant functor F on the Hotc of pointed connected CW complexes, to the Set, to be a representable functor. More specifically, we are given F: Hotcop → Set, and there are certain obviously necessary conditions for F to be of type Hom(—, C), with C a pointed connected CW-complex that can be deduced from alone. The statement of the substantive part of the theorem is that these necessary conditions are then sufficient.
Comparison of topologiesIn topology and related areas of mathematics, the set of all possible topologies on a given set forms a partially ordered set. This order relation can be used for comparison of the topologies. A topology on a set may be defined as the collection of subsets which are considered to be "open". An alternative definition is that it is the collection of subsets which are considered "closed". These two ways of defining the topology are essentially equivalent because the complement of an open set is closed and vice versa.
