Questions tagged [homological-algebra]

(Co)chain complexes, abelian Categories, (pre)sheaves, (co)homology in various (possibly highly generalized) settings, spectra, derived functors, resolutions, spectral sequences, homotopy categories. Chain complexes in an abelian category form the heart of homological algebra.

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Short exact sequences every mathematician should know

I'd like to have a big-list of "great" short exact sequences that capture some vital phenomena. I'm learning module theory, so I'd like to get a good stock of examples to think about. An ...
122 votes
12 answers
11k views

Spectral sequences: opening the black box slowly with an example

My friend and I are attempting to learn about spectral sequences at the moment, and we've noticed a common theme in books about spectral sequences: no one seems to like talking about differentials. ...
Dylan Wilson's user avatar
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90 votes
3 answers
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What is homology anyway?

Disclaimer: I don't feel qualified to ask this question and yet it's been troubling me for some time now and I lost my patience and decided to ask to get some kind of answer. If there are any stupid ...
Saal Hardali's user avatar
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88 votes
5 answers
7k views

Algorithm or theory of diagram chasing

One of the standard parts of homological algebra is "diagram chasing", or equivalent arguments with universal properties in abelian categories. Is there a rigorous theory of diagram chasing, and ...
Greg Kuperberg's user avatar
82 votes
6 answers
15k views

What is a cohomology theory (seriously)?

This question has bugged me for a long time. Is there a unifying concept behind everything that is called a "cohomology theory"? I know that there exist generalized cohomology theories, Weil ...
user717's user avatar
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73 votes
6 answers
5k views

whence commutative diagrams?

It seems that commutative diagrams appeared sometime in the late 1940s -- for example, Eilenberg-McLane (1943) group cohomology paper does not have any, while the 1953 Hochschild-Serre paper does. ...
Igor Rivin's user avatar
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73 votes
1 answer
8k views

Derived Functors Versus Spectral Sequences

Let $A{\buildrel F\over\rightarrow}B{\buildrel G\over\rightarrow}C$ be additive functors between abelian categories. Hartshorne, in Proposition 5.4 of Residues and Duality, constructs the obvious ...
Steven Landsburg's user avatar
71 votes
3 answers
17k views

What is Koszul duality?

Okay, let's make sure I'm on the same page with those who know homological algebra. What is Koszul duality in general? What does it mean that categories are Koszul dual (I guess representations of ...
Ilya Nikokoshev's user avatar
71 votes
3 answers
7k views

Where do all these projection formulas come from?

I have been intrigued for a long time by the formal similarity of results from different areas of mathematics. Here are some examples. Set theory Given a map $f:X\to Y$ and subsets $X' \subset X, Y'\...
Georges Elencwajg's user avatar
62 votes
4 answers
6k views

When size matters in category theory for the working mathematician

I think a related question might be this (Set-Theoretic Issues/Categories). There are many ways in which you can avoid set theoretical paradoxes in dealing with category theory (see for instance ...
jg1896's user avatar
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60 votes
8 answers
13k views

Sheaf cohomology and injective resolutions

In defining sheaf cohomology (say in Hartshorne), a common approach seems to be defining the cohomology functors as derived functors. Is there any conceptual reason for injective resolution to come ...
user avatar
57 votes
5 answers
8k views

Why are spectral sequences so ubiquitous?

I sort of understand the definition of a spectral sequence and am aware that it is an indispensable tool in modern algebraic geometry and topology. But why is this the case, and what can one do with ...
Akhil Mathew's user avatar
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57 votes
5 answers
8k views

How to make Ext and Tor constructive?

EDIT: This post was substantially modified with the help of the comments and answers. Thank you! Judging by their definitions, the $\mathrm{Ext}$ and $\mathrm{Tor}$ functors are among the most non-...
darij grinberg's user avatar
56 votes
12 answers
27k views

Homological Algebra texts

I would like to hear the communities' ideas on good Homological Algebra textbooks / references. The standard example is of course Weibel (which I'll leave for someone else to describe). As usual, ...
52 votes
3 answers
5k views

What the heck is the Continuum Hypothesis doing in Weibel's Homological Algebra?

On page 98 of Weibel's An Introduction to Homological Algebra he mentions that the ring $R = \prod_{i=1}^\infty \mathbb{C}$ has global dimension $\geq 2$ with equality iff the continuum hypothesis ...
David White's user avatar
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51 votes
8 answers
7k views

Motivating the category of chain complexes

Let $R$ be a commutative ring. For awhile I have been trying to motivate to myself more fully the definition of and various structures on the category $\text{Ch}(R)$ of chain complexes of $R$-modules (...
Qiaochu Yuan's user avatar
48 votes
8 answers
8k views

When are there enough projective sheaves on a space X?

This question is being asked on behalf of a colleague of mine. Let $X$ be a topological space. It is well known that the abelian category of sheaves on $X$ has enough injectives: that is, every ...
Pete L. Clark's user avatar
48 votes
2 answers
11k views

Kunneth formula for sheaf cohomology of varieties

What is a good reference for the following fact (the hypotheses may not be quite right): Let $X$ and $Y$ be projective varieties over a field $k$. Let $\mathcal{F}$ and $\mathcal{G}$ be coherent ...
Charles Staats's user avatar
47 votes
1 answer
3k views

Do all exact $1 \to A \to A \times B \to B \to 1$ split for finite groups?

Let $A$, $B$ be finite groups. Is it true that all short exact sequences $1 \rightarrow A \rightarrow A \times B \rightarrow B \rightarrow 1$ split on the right? In other words, do there exist ...
Dan Glasscock's user avatar
47 votes
1 answer
3k views

A three-line proof of global class field theory?

There is an idea (I think originally due to Tate) that class field theory is fundamentally a consequence of Pontrjagin duality and Hilbert Theorem 90. I'm curious whether this can phrased using modern ...
Dmitry Vaintrob's user avatar
45 votes
8 answers
10k views

A down-to-earth introduction to the uses of derived categories

When I was learning about spectral sequences, one of the most helpful sources I found was Ravi Vakil's notes here. These notes are very down-to-earth and give a kind of minimum knowledge needed about ...
44 votes
19 answers
16k views

introductory book on spectral sequences

I have studied some basic homological algebra. But I can't send to get started on spectral sequences. I find Weibel and McCleary hard to understand. Are there books or web resources that serve as ...
44 votes
1 answer
2k views

Existence and uniqueness of Haar measure on compacta; a cohomological approach

I am trying to use a modification of group cohomology to prove the existence and uniqueness of Haar measure on a compact Hausdorff group. I think the best way of introducing the idea I am pursuing is ...
Ronald J. Zallman's user avatar
42 votes
6 answers
8k views

Why does non-abelian group cohomology exist?

If $K$ is a non-abelian group on which a group $G$ acts via automorphisms, we can define 1-cocycles and 1-coboundaries by mimicking the explicit formulas coming from the bar resolution in ordinary ...
Hunter Brooks's user avatar
42 votes
4 answers
7k views

Serre intersection formula and derived algebraic geometry?

Let $X$ be a regular scheme (all local rings are regular). Let $Y,Z$ be two closed subschemes defined by ideals sheaves $\mathcal I,\mathcal J$. Serre gave a beautiful formula to count the ...
Hailong Dao's user avatar
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41 votes
4 answers
8k views

Definition of an E-infinity algebra

Can anyone give me a plain-and-simple definition of an E-infinity algebra without using the words "operad," "ring spectrum," or "stable homotopy"? Sorry, but I honestly couldn't find it using all on-...
Eric Zaslow's user avatar
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41 votes
2 answers
8k views

How do I know the derived category is NOT abelian?

I have heard the claim that the derived category of an abelian category is in general additive but not abelian. If this is true there should be some toy example of a (co)kernel that should be there ...
Harold Williams's user avatar
39 votes
4 answers
3k views

Chain homotopy: Why du+ud and not du+vd?

When one wants to prove that a morphism $f_*$ between two chain complexes $\left(C_*\right)$ and $\left(D_*\right)$ is zero in homology, one of the standard approaches is to look for a chain homotopy, ...
darij grinberg's user avatar
38 votes
3 answers
5k views

What is so "spectral" about spectral sequences?

From recent mathematical conversations, I have heard that when Leray first defined spectral sequences, he never published an official explanation of his terminology, namely what is "spectral" about a ...
bhwang's user avatar
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36 votes
11 answers
10k views

Categories First Or Categories Last In Basic Algebra?

Recently, I was reminded in Melvyn Nathason's first year graduate algebra course of a debate I've been having both within myself and externally for some time. For better or worse, the course most ...
36 votes
6 answers
5k views

How to think about model categories?

I've read about model categories from an Appendix to one of Lurie's papers. What are the examples of model categories? What should be my intuition about them? E.g. I understand the typical examples ...
Ilya Nikokoshev's user avatar
36 votes
5 answers
6k views

Tips on cohomology for number theory

I am curious about what is a good approach to the machinery of cohomology, especially in number-theoretic settings, but also in algebraic-geometric settings. Do people just remember all the rules and ...
36 votes
2 answers
2k views

A more natural proof of Dold-Kan?

The Dold-Kan correspondence gives an equivalence of categories between $SAb$, the category of simplicial abelian groups, and $Ch_{\geq 0}$, the category of non-negatively graded chain complexes of ...
user avatar
35 votes
5 answers
3k views

Heuristic explanation of why we lose projectives in sheaves.

We know that presheaves of any category have enough projectives and that sheaves do not, why is this, and how does it effect our thinking? This question was asked(and I found it very helpful) but I ...
B. Bischof's user avatar
  • 4,782
35 votes
4 answers
3k views

References for sign conventions in homological algebra

There is no shortage of sign conventions in homological algebra. And once these conventions are set out, there is no shortage of diagrams where an obvious commutative diagram on the underlying ...
34 votes
1 answer
5k views

Freyd-Mitchell's embedding theorem

Freyd–Mitchell's embedding theorem states that: if $A$ is a small abelian category, then there exists a ring R and a full, faithful and exact functor $F\colon A \to R\text{-}\mathrm{Mod}$. I have been ...
Bruno Stonek's user avatar
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33 votes
3 answers
2k views

Non-split extension of the rationals by the integers

Can someone describe explicitly an abelian group $A$ such that the extension $$0 \to \mathbb{Z} \to A \to \mathbb{Q} \to 0$$ doesn't split ? Background: The Stein-Serre theorem (Hilton, Stammbach: A ...
Mark Opitz's user avatar
33 votes
2 answers
5k views

Example Wanted: When Does Čech Cohomology Fail to be the same as Derived Functor Cohomology?

I want to know exactly how derived functor cohomology and Cech cohomology can fail to be the same. I started worrying about this from Dinakar Muthiah's answer to an MO question, and Brian Conrad's ...
Chris Schommer-Pries's user avatar
33 votes
1 answer
699 views

Equivalence of topological Hochschild homology and Mac Lane homology via an equivalence $QA\simeq HA \wedge_{\mathbb{S}} H\mathbb{Z}$

Mac Lane homology is a homology theory for (not necessarily commutative) rings. Given a ring $A$, Eilenberg and Mac Lane define its cubical construction $QA$ to be a certain connective chain complex, ...
Matt Booth's user avatar
32 votes
8 answers
5k views

triangulated vs. dg/A-infinity

Someone recently said "derived/triangulated categories are an abomination that should struck from the earth and replaced with dg/A-infinity versions". I have a rough idea why this is true ("don't ...
Kevin Walker's user avatar
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32 votes
8 answers
2k views

Noncommutative rational homotopy type

Ok, this question is much less ambitious than it might sound, but still: Two commutative differential graded algebras (cdga's) are quasi-isomorphic if they can be connected by a chain of cdga quasi-...
algori's user avatar
  • 23.2k
32 votes
5 answers
4k views

Some intuition behind the five lemma?

Slightly simplified, the five lemma states that if we have a commutative diagram (in, say, an abelian category) $$\require{AMScd} \begin{CD} A_1 @>>> A_2 @>>> A_3 @>>> A_4 @...
Armin Straub's user avatar
  • 1,372
32 votes
1 answer
2k views

What was the error in the proof of Roos' theorem?

Background: In 1961, Roos (who, sadly, apparently passed away just last month) purported to prove [1] that in an abelian category with exact countable products (AB4${}^\ast_\omega$), limits of inverse ...
Tim Campion's user avatar
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31 votes
6 answers
3k views

What should I call a "differential" which cubes, rather than squares, to zero?

If I had a vector space with a linear endomorphism $D$ satisfying $D^2 = 0$, I might call it a differential and study its (co)homology $\operatorname{ker}(D) / \operatorname{im}(D)$. I might say that $...
31 votes
3 answers
6k views

(co)homology of symmetric groups

Let $S_n=\{\text{bijections }[n]\to[n]\}$ be the n-th symmetric group. Its (co)homology will be understood with trivial action. What are the $\mathbb{Z}$-modules $H_k(S_n;\mathbb{Z})$? Using GAP, we ...
Leo's user avatar
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30 votes
3 answers
3k views

Replacing triangulated categories with something better

Gelfand and Manin in their 1988 book on homological algebra write that the non-functoriality of cones means that "something is going wrong in the axioms of a triangulated category. Unfortunately at ...
Hugh Thomas's user avatar
  • 6,075
30 votes
7 answers
4k views

"Sums-compact" objects = f.g. objects in categories of modules?

Hello, Let us call an object of an additive category sumpact (contraction of "sums" and "compact") if taking $Hom$ from it (considered as functor from the category to $Ab$) commutes with coproducts. ...
Sasha's user avatar
  • 5,492
30 votes
0 answers
893 views

On the definition of regular (non-noetherian, commutative) rings

All rings are commutative with unit. A ring $R$ is called regular if it satisfies (Reg) Every finitely generated ideal of $R$ has finite projective dimension. Clearly this gives the usual ...
Laurent Moret-Bailly's user avatar
29 votes
6 answers
3k views

Poincare duality and the $A_\infty$ structure on cohomology

If $X$ is a topological space then the rational cohomology of $X$ carries a canonical $A_\infty$ structure (in fact $C_\infty$) with differential $m_1: H^\ast(X) \to H^{\ast+1}(X)$ vanishing and ...
Jeffrey Giansiracusa's user avatar
29 votes
4 answers
3k views

origin of spectral sequences in algebraic topology

I have the following somewhat vague question. I am not sure if it is appropriate for this forum, please feel free to close (or migrate to stackexchange). I have been "brought up" as an algebraic ...
Tom Bachmann's user avatar
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