Difference between revisions of "Paths and loops in a topological space"
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** Note that {{M|a*(b*c)}} performs {{M|b}} and {{M|c}} at 4 times their normal speed and {{M|a}} at just double whereas: | ** Note that {{M|a*(b*c)}} performs {{M|b}} and {{M|c}} at 4 times their normal speed and {{M|a}} at just double whereas: | ||
** {{M|(a*b)*c}} performs {{M|a}} and {{M|b}} at 4x their normal speed and {{M|c}} at just double - these are clearly different paths - so we don't even have associativity | ** {{M|(a*b)*c}} performs {{M|a}} and {{M|b}} at 4x their normal speed and {{M|c}} at just double - these are clearly different paths - so we don't even have associativity | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Constant path== | ||
| + | The constant path (often denoted {{M|e:[0,1]\rightarrow X}} is a map where: | ||
| + | * <math>\forall t\in[0,1]</math> we have <math>e(t)=x_0</math> | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | Clearly this is a loop | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 19:36, 16 April 2015
- This article aims towards defining the Fundamental group
- The name of the page was chosen to make it distinct from paths and loops, which are terms in graph theory
Contents
Path in a topological space
A path in [ilmath]X[/ilmath] is any continuous map [ilmath]p:[0,1]\rightarrow X[/ilmath][1].
Loop in a topological space
A path [ilmath]p[/ilmath] is a loop if [ilmath]p(0)=p(1)[/ilmath]
Loop based at
If [ilmath]p[/ilmath] is a loop based at [ilmath]x_0[/ilmath] if [ilmath]p(0)=p(1)=x_0[/ilmath]
Concatenating paths
Given two paths [ilmath]p_0[/ilmath] and [ilmath]p_1[/ilmath] in a topological space [ilmath]X[/ilmath] with [ilmath]p_0(1)=p_1(1)[/ilmath] we can obtain a new path by performing [ilmath]p_0[/ilmath] first, followed by [ilmath]p_1[/ilmath] in the same time by moving at double speed, this new path is called [ilmath]p_0*p_1[/ilmath] and is defined as:
- [math](p_0*p_1)(t)=\left\{\begin{array}{lr}
p_0(2t) & \text{if }t\in[0,\tfrac{1}{2}] \\
p_1(2t-1) & \text{if }t\in[\tfrac{1}{2},1]
\end{array}\right.[/math]
- this is fine to do as the functions agree when restricted to the intersection, that is to say when [ilmath]t=\tfrac{1}{2}[/ilmath] both "halves" agree
Note that:
- If [ilmath]p_0[/ilmath] and [ilmath]p_1[/ilmath] are loops based at [ilmath]x_0[/ilmath] then [ilmath]p_0*p_1[/ilmath] is always defined and is itself a loop based at [ilmath]x_0[/ilmath]
- [ilmath]p_0*p_1\ne p_1*p_0[/ilmath] usually - which is really easy to see.
- We can't define a group yet.
- Note that [ilmath]a*(b*c)[/ilmath] performs [ilmath]b[/ilmath] and [ilmath]c[/ilmath] at 4 times their normal speed and [ilmath]a[/ilmath] at just double whereas:
- [ilmath](a*b)*c[/ilmath] performs [ilmath]a[/ilmath] and [ilmath]b[/ilmath] at 4x their normal speed and [ilmath]c[/ilmath] at just double - these are clearly different paths - so we don't even have associativity
Constant path
The constant path (often denoted [ilmath]e:[0,1]\rightarrow X[/ilmath] is a map where:
- [math]\forall t\in[0,1][/math] we have [math]e(t)=x_0[/math]
Clearly this is a loop
References
- ↑ Introduction to topology - lecture notes nov 2013 - David Mond
