All Questions
824 questions
48
votes
3
answers
13k
views
When is a Homology Class Represented by a Submanifold? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Cohomology and fundamental classes
Given an oriented manifold $M$ and an oriented submanifold $\phi:N\to M$ we can obtain a homology class $\phi_*[N]\in H_*(M)$ ...
- 2,283
42
votes
5
answers
4k
views
What are the main structure theorems on finitely generated commutative monoids?
I should read J. C. Rosales and P. A. García-Sánchez's book Finitely Generated Commutative Monoids and L. Redei's book The Theory of Finitely Generated Commutative Semigroups. I haven't. But here's ...
- 22.3k
41
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Topological Characterisation of the real line.
What is a purely topological characterisation of the real line( standard topology)?
- 521
32
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Does the Brouwer fixed point theorem admit a constructive proof?
Wikipedia and a few websites (and a few mathoverflow answers) say there is a constructive proof of the Brouwer fixed point theorem, some others say no. The argument for a constructive proof is always ...
- 18.7k
31
votes
17
answers
14k
views
Applications of Brouwer's fixed point theorem
I'm presenting Brouwer's fixed point theorem to an audience that knows some point-set topology. Does anyone have any zippy / enlightening / cool applications or consequences of it? So far, I have:
...
30
votes
4
answers
2k
views
is f a polynomial provided that it is "partially" smooth?
Let $f$ be a $C^\infty$ function on $(c,d)$ ,and
let $O=\cup_{n\in \mathbb{Z}^+} (a_n,b_n)$ where $(a_n,b_n)$ are disjoint open interval in $(c,d)$ and $O$ is dense in $(c,d)$.
Suppose for each $n\in ...
- 407
25
votes
2
answers
1k
views
The number of polynomials on a finite group
A function $f:X\to X$ on a group $X$ is called a polynomial if there exist $n\in\mathbb N=\{1,2,3,\dots\}$ and elements $a_0,a_1,\dots,a_n\in X$ such that $f(x)=a_0xa_1x\cdots xa_n$ for all $x\in X$. ...
- 41.9k
22
votes
6
answers
5k
views
Topological characterization of the closed interval $[0,1]$
This question is related to question 92206 "What properties make $[0, 1]$ a good candidate for defining fundamental groups?" but is not exactly equivalent in my opinion. It is even suggested in one ...
21
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Which complete Boolean algebras arise as the algebras of projections of commutative von Neumann algebras?
Projections in an arbitrary commutative von Neumann algebra form a complete Boolean algebra.
Moreover, a morphism of commutative von Neumann algebras induces
a continuous morphism of the corresponding ...
- 37.8k
19
votes
2
answers
804
views
Existence of a *really* nice topology on the powerset of a topological space
TL;DR. Given a topological space $X$, is there a natural way to "induce" a topology on $\mathcal{P}(X)$ from the topology of $X$ in such a way that 1) all the basic operations of set theory (...
- 11.8k
18
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Does Riemann map depend continuously on the domain?
I've always taken this for granted until recently:
In the simplest case, given Jordan curve $C \subseteq \mathbb{C}$ containing a neighborhood of $\bar{0}$ in its interior. Given parametrizations $\...
- 375
16
votes
12
answers
5k
views
Examples of $G_\delta$ sets
Recall that a subset $A$ of a metric space $X$ is a $G_\delta$ subset if it can be written as a countable intersection of open sets. This notion is related to the Baire category theorem. Here are ...
- 18.7k
16
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is Stone-Čech compactification of 0-dimensional space also 0-dimensional?
What is an example of a 0-dimensional locally compact Hausdorff space $X$ for which the Stone-Čech compactification $\beta(X)$ is not 0-dimensional?
It is known that if $X$ is a 0-dimensional locally ...
- 1,704
15
votes
3
answers
717
views
Does every set $X$ have a topology for which the only continuous self-surjection is the identity map?
This question is a special case of Dominic van der Zypen's question Reconstructing relations with the image relation of a topology, as discussed in the comments, particularly the comment of Eric ...
- 236k
14
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Hausdorff spaces with trivial automorphism group
Is the singleton space the only Hausdorff space $X$ such that the set of automorphisms $\varphi: X\to X$ equals $\{\textrm{id}_X\}$?
- 48.9k
13
votes
1
answer
1k
views
For what sets $X$ do there exist a pair of functions from $X$ to $X$ with the identity being the only function that commutes with both?
It is not too difficult to show that if $X$ is an infinite set, then there exists a two-element subset of the group $\operatorname{Sym}(X)$ with trivial centralizer iff $\lvert X\rvert \leq \lvert\...
- 328
13
votes
4
answers
1k
views
nonhausdorff dimension
if $X$ is a topological space, a first step in making $X$ hausdorff is taking the quotient $H(X)=X/\sim$, where $\sim$ is the equivalence relation generated by: if $x,y$ cannot be seperated by ...
- 63.1k
13
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Map from simplex to itself that preserves sub-simplices
I believe this may be a standard algebraic topology problem, so I apologize in advance if this belongs in stackexchange (it's not a homework problem, however, and came about in a research context). I'...
- 645
12
votes
4
answers
1k
views
What was Burroni's sketch for topological spaces?
In a 1981 talk, René Guitart cites Albert Burroni as having given "A first interesting example of a mixed sketch...for the category of topological spaces" in 1970. This was apparently done in Burroni'...
- 3,411
12
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Minimal Hausdorff
A Hausdorff space $(X,\tau)$ is said to be minimal Hausdorff if for each topology $\tau' \subseteq \tau$ with $\tau' \neq \tau$ the space $(X,\tau')$ is not Hausdorff.
Every compact Hausdorff space ...
- 48.9k
11
votes
1
answer
769
views
Is there a suitably generalized Baire property for topological spaces of arbitrary cardinalities?
Is there some suitable generalization to the notion of Baire property for topological spaces of arbitrary cardinalities which satisfies the following condition:
The meager sets are sets which are ...
- 1,416
9
votes
4
answers
1k
views
When $X \times Y \cong X \times Z$ implies $Y \cong Z$ (in the category of finite topological spaces)
The title has it all. I'm looking for a reference to the following:
Q. Let $X, Y, Z$ be finite, non-empty (topological) spaces. When does $X \times Y \cong X \times Z$ imply $Y \cong Z$ (in the ...
- 10.5k
8
votes
4
answers
714
views
Are there $2^{\aleph_0}$ pairwise non-isomorphic Boolean algebra structures on $\omega$?
Is there a collection of $2^{\aleph_0}$ pairwise non-isomorphic countable Boolean algebras?
Equivalently, are there $2^{\aleph_0}$ pairwise non-homeomorphic closed subsets in the Cantor space?
- 48.9k
8
votes
1
answer
474
views
A criterion for second countability
Let $(X,\tau)$ be a topological space.
Assume for any arbitrary topological base $\mathcal{E}$ of $\tau$ we have that: the Borel sigma algebras coming form $\mathcal{E}$ and $\tau$ are the same. ...
- 4,058
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
von neumann algebras and measurable spaces
I've read some pages on links between von neumann (VN) algebras and measurable spaces (Spectra of $C^*$ algebras and Non-commutative geometry from von Neumann algebras?), but I can't get the following:...
- 585
8
votes
2
answers
439
views
Coarsest admissible topology on $\text{Cont}(X,Y)$
Let $X, Y$ be topological spaces and let $\text{Cont}(X,Y)$ be the collection of continuous functions $f:X\to Y$. We say that a topology $\tau$ on $\text{Cont}(X,Y)$ is admissible if the evaluation ...
- 48.9k
7
votes
2
answers
355
views
Dense and co-dense subsets in connected $T_2$-spaces
Is there a connected $T_2$-space $(X,\tau)$ with more than 1 point and with the following property?
Whenever $D\subseteq X$ is dense, $X\setminus D$ is not dense.
- 48.9k
6
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Uniquely geodesic and CAT(0) spaces?
Improvement after J-M Schlenker's comment below :
This post has been divided into two parts, the second part is here.
Question : Is a finite dimensional metric space, uniquely geodesic if and only ...
5
votes
1
answer
597
views
Can every cancellative invertible-free monoid be embedded in a group?
A monoid is invertible-free if $xy=1$ implies $x=y=1$ for all $x,y$.
Question: Can every cancellative invertible-free monoid be embedded in a group?
I'm fairly sure that a quotient of the free product ...
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How to define compatible topology for first-order structures?
Background Because a bounded distributive lattice can be represented by the clopen sets of a Priestley space, I tried to learn some basics about Priestley spaces. After reading (on Wikipedia)
A ...
- 2,464
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Is the space of signed finite measures on a compact set $M([0,1])$ a sequential space?
Let $M([0,1])$ be the set of finite signed measures on $[0,1]$
(with the topology generated by the sets $\left\{ \mu \in M([0,1]) : \left| \int f(x) \mu(dx)- a\right| \leq \delta\right\}$ for all $\...
- 95
4
votes
2
answers
658
views
Admissible and proper topologies on $C(X,Y)$
Given non-empty sets $A, B, C$, set $B^A$ to be the set of all functions $f:A\to B$ there is a natural bijection $\Lambda: C^{A\times B} \to (C^A)^B$ defined in the following way: for $f:A\times B \to ...
- 48.9k
4
votes
0
answers
229
views
Do $G_\delta$-measurable maps preserve dimension?
This question (in a bit different form) I leaned from Olena Karlova.
Question. Let $f:X\to Y$ be a bijective continuous map between metrizable separable spaces such that for every open set $U\subset ...
- 41.9k
3
votes
1
answer
318
views
Properties of the interval topology of the lattice of functions
Let $(P,\leq)$ be a poset. The interval topology $\tau_i(P)$ on $P$ is generated by
$$\{P\setminus\downarrow x : x\in P\} \cup \{P\setminus\uparrow x : x\in P\},$$
where $\downarrow x = \{y\in P: y\...
- 48.9k
2
votes
1
answer
156
views
Continuous self-maps in the Golomb space that are neither increasing nor decreasing
Let $\mathbb{N}$ denote the set of the positive integers. The Golomb space is a space ${\bf G} =(\mathbb{N},\tau)$ where a basis of $\tau$ is generated by
$$\big\{\{a+bn: n\in \mathbb{N}\cup\{0\}\}: a,...
- 48.9k
155
votes
4
answers
18k
views
Does there exist a bijection of $\mathbb{R}^n$ to itself such that the forward map is connected but the inverse is not?
Let $(X,\tau), (Y,\sigma)$ be two topological spaces. We say that a map $f: \mathcal{P}(X)\to \mathcal{P}(Y)$ between their power sets is connected if for every $S\subset X$ connected, $f(S)\subset Y$ ...
- 39.1k
75
votes
3
answers
11k
views
Cohomology and fundamental classes
Let X be a real orientable compact differentiable manifold. Is the (co)homology of X generated by the fundamental classes of oriented subvarieties? And if not, what is known about the subgroup ...
- 14.7k
70
votes
28
answers
7k
views
Examples where it's useful to know that a mathematical object belongs to some family of objects
For an expository piece I'm writing, it would be useful to have good examples of the following phenomenon:
(1) ${\cal X}$ is a parameterized family of somethings. (Varieties, schemes, manifolds, ...
68
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Continuous maps which send intervals of $\mathbb{R}$ to convex subsets of $\mathbb{R}^2$
Let $f : \mathbb{R} \longrightarrow \mathbb{R}^2$ be a continuous map which sends any interval $I \subseteq \mathbb{R}$ to a convex subset $f(I)$ of $\mathbb{R}^2$. Is it true that there must be a ...
- 629
66
votes
4
answers
6k
views
Is $\mathbb{R}^3 \setminus \mathbb{Q}^3$ simply connected?
Similarly is the complement of any countable set in $\mathbb R^3$ simply connected?
Reading around I found plenty of articles discussing the path connectedness $\mathbb R^2 \setminus \mathbb Q^2$ and ...
- 1,187
60
votes
7
answers
17k
views
Is there a measure zero set which isn't meagre?
A subset of ℝ is meagre if it is a countable union of nowhere dense subsets (a set is nowhere dense if every open interval contains an open subinterval that misses the set).
Any countable set ...
58
votes
8
answers
9k
views
Is there a Whitney Embedding Theorem for non-smooth manifolds?
For smooth $n$-manifolds, we know that they can always be embedded in $\mathbb R^{2n}$ via a differentiable map. However, is there any corresponding theorem for the topological category? (i.e. Can ...
- 825
53
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Grothendieck's manuscript on topology
Edit: Infos on the current state by Lieven Le Bruyn: http://www.neverendingbooks.org/grothendiecks-gribouillis
Edit: Just in case anyone still thinks that Grothendieck's unpublished manuscripts are (...
48
votes
19
answers
17k
views
What is your favorite proof of Tychonoff's Theorem?
Here is mine. It's taken from page 11 of "An Introduction To Abstract Harmonic Analysis", 1953, by Loomis:
https://archive.org/details/introductiontoab031610mbp
https://ia800309.us.archive....
40
votes
3
answers
3k
views
A map of non-pathological topology?
I think of topological spaces as coming in several "islands of interestingness" (the CW island, the Zariski archipelago,...) dotting a vast "pathological sea" (the long line ocean, the gulf of the ...
- 64k
37
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Example of sequences with different limits for two norms
I was explaining to my students that if there is an inequality between two norms, then there is an inclusion between their spaces of convergent sequences, with matching limits. I then proceeded to ...
- 2,054
35
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Why should have Peter May worked with CGWH instead of CGH in "The Geometry of Iterated Loop Space"?
This is a follow-up to Dan Ramras' answer of this question.
The following correction can be found in the errata to The Geometry of Iterated Loop space (Page 484 here).
The weak Hausdorff rather ...
- 2,974
34
votes
4
answers
3k
views
In what rigorous sense are Sperner's Lemma and the Brouwer Fixed Point Theorem equivalent?
I understand that one can give a proof of each of these propositions assuming the truth of the other. But this seems a bit squishy to me, since there is a trivial sense in which any two true theorems ...
- 19.7k
33
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Can a connected planar compactum minus a point be totally disconnected?
What the title said. In a slightly more leisurely fashion:-
Let $X$ be a compact, connected subset of $\mathbb{R}^2$ with more than one point, and let $x\in X$. Can $X\smallsetminus\{x\}$ be ...
- 25k
33
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Is there a topology on growth rates of functions?
I've often idly wondered one can say about the collection of "growth rates". By growth rate, let's say we mean an equivalence class of functions $(0,\infty) \to (0,\infty)$, where two ...
- 793