Skip to main content
1 of 3

If this were true, then any short exact sequence of vector bundles would split. Indeed, if $0 \to \mathscr E_1 \to \mathscr E_2 \to \mathscr E_3 \to 0$ is a short exact sequence of vector bundles, then both \begin{align*} K^\bullet = \cdots \to 0 \to \mathscr E_1 \to \mathscr E_2 \to 0 \to \cdots \end{align*} and $L^\bullet = \mathscr E_3[0]$ are resolutions of $\mathscr E_3$. If $g \colon L^\bullet \to K^\bullet$ is a homotopy equivalence (or even a quasi-isomorphism!), then the map $g^0 \colon \mathscr E_3 \to \mathscr E_2$ is a splitting of the short exact sequence $0 \to \mathscr E_1 \to \mathscr E_2 \to \mathscr E_3 \to 0$.

(On the other hand, there does always exist a quasi-isomorphism $K^\bullet \to L^\bullet$ in this case, just not in the other direction.)

An example of a short exact sequence of vector bundles that doesn't split is the Koszul sequence $$0 \to \mathcal O_{\mathbf P^1}(-2) \stackrel{\left(\begin{smallmatrix}-y \\ x\end{smallmatrix}\right)}\longrightarrow \mathcal O_{\mathbf P^1}(-1) \oplus \mathcal O_{\mathbf P^1}(-1) \stackrel{\left(x\ \ y\right)}\longrightarrow \mathcal O_{\mathbf P^1} \to 0$$ on $X = \mathbf P^1$.