In 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 have isomorphic fundamental groups. The fundamental group of a topological space is denoted by .
In mathematics, a chain complex is an algebraic structure that consists of a sequence of abelian groups and a sequence of homomorphisms between consecutive groups such that the image of each homomorphism is included in the kernel of the next. Associated to a chain complex is its homology, which describes how the images are included in the kernels.
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. 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.
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.
In mathematics, and specifically in topology, a CW complex is a topological space that is built by gluing together topological balls of different dimensions in specific ways. It generalizes both manifolds and simplicial complexes and has particular significance for algebraic topology. It was initially introduced by J. H. C. Whitehead to meet the needs of homotopy theory. CW complexes have better categorical properties than simplicial complexes, but still retain a combinatorial nature that allows for computation.
In mathematics, a characteristic class is a way of associating to each principal bundle of X a cohomology class of X. The cohomology class measures the extent to which the bundle is "twisted" and whether it possesses sections. Characteristic classes are global invariants that measure the deviation of a local product structure from a global product structure. They are one of the unifying geometric concepts in algebraic topology, differential geometry, and algebraic geometry.
In mathematics, particularly algebraic topology and homology theory, the Mayer–Vietoris sequence is an algebraic tool to help compute algebraic invariants of topological spaces. The result is due to two Austrian mathematicians, Walther Mayer and Leopold Vietoris. The method consists of splitting a space into subspaces, for which the homology or cohomology groups may be easier to compute. The sequence relates the (co)homology groups of the space to the (co)homology groups of the subspaces. It is a natural long exact sequence, whose entries are the (co)homology groups of the whole space, the direct sum of the (co)homology groups of the subspaces, and the (co)homology groups of the intersection of the subspaces.
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 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.
In mathematics, more specifically in group theory, a group is said to be perfect if it equals its own commutator subgroup, or equivalently, if the group has no non-trivial abelian quotients. In symbols, a perfect group is one such that G(1) = G, or equivalently one such that Gab = {1}.
In algebraic topology, a homology sphere is an n-manifold X having the homology groups of an n-sphere, for some integer . That is,
In mathematics, in the subfield of geometric topology, the mapping class group is an important algebraic invariant of a topological space. Briefly, the mapping class group is a certain discrete group corresponding to symmetries of the space.
In mathematics, real projective space, denoted or is the topological space of lines passing through the origin 0 in the real space It is a compact, smooth manifold of dimension n, and is a special case of a Grassmannian space.
In mathematics, specifically algebraic topology, an Eilenberg–MacLane space is a topological space with a single nontrivial homotopy group.
In algebraic topology, a branch of mathematics, Moore space is the name given to a particular type of topological space that is the homology analogue of the Eilenberg–Maclane spaces of homotopy theory, in the sense that it has only one nonzero homology group.
In 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.
In mathematics, in the realm of group theory, a group is said to be superperfect when its first two homology groups are trivial: H1(G, Z) = H2(G, Z) = 0. This is stronger than a perfect group, which is one whose first homology group vanishes. In more classical terms, a superperfect group is one whose abelianization and Schur multiplier both vanish; abelianization equals the first homology, while the Schur multiplier equals the second homology.
In homotopy theory, a branch of mathematics, the Barratt–Priddy theorem expresses a connection between the homology of the symmetric groups and mapping spaces of spheres. The theorem is also often stated as a relation between the sphere spectrum and the classifying spaces of the symmetric groups via Quillen's plus construction.
In topology, a branch of mathematics, a nilpotent space, first defined by Emmanuel Dror (1969), is a based topological space X such that
This is a glossary of properties and concepts in algebraic topology in mathematics.
