Elementary Algebraic Topology

Peter Koroteev 

833 Evans, pkoroteev@math.berkeley.edu, /~pkoroteev 

Lectures: Tues/Thurs 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm, 9 Evans Hall

Office Hours: Tuesday 11:10 am -- 12:40 pm, Thursday 4:45 pm -- 6:15 pm

Textbooks: main book: `Topology' by J. Munkres. Additional sources: `Basic Topology' by M. A. Armstrong (can be downloaded on a campus connection.), `Algebraic Topology' by A. Hatcher, `Quantum Field Theory and Topology' by A. Schwarz, as well as online MIT courses.

Useful Links: Academic honesty in mathematics courses: (courtesy of Michael Hutchings), How to get an A in this class (courtesy of Kathryn Mann).

 

Plan of the lectures:

(will be updated throughout the course)

Week 1 (Jan 22nd and 24th)

Topological spaces, continuous functions

Munkres: Chapter 2 (Sec 12,17,18)

Week 2 (Jan 29th and 31st)

Continuity, product topology, identification spaces, quotient topology, compactness

Munkres: Sec 19, 22, Sec 3

Armstrong: Chapter 4 then Chapter 3

Week 3 (Feb 5th and 7th)

Compactness, Connectedness

Munkres: Chapter 3

Armstrong: Sec 3.1, 3.3, 3.4 (compactness), 3.5, 3.6 (connectedness)

Week 4 (Feb 12th and 14th)

Connectedness, Separation Axioms, Normal Spaces, Homotopy

Munkres: Sec 31, 32 (separation axioms)

Armstrong: 3.5, 3.6 (connectedness) 5.1 5.4 (homotopy)

Week 5 (Feb 19th and 21st)

Homotopy, Fundamental Group

Munkres: Chapter 9 (51-55)

Armstrong: 5.1 -- 5.4

Hatcher: Chapters 0,1

Week 6 (Feb 26th and 28th)

Review of the material. Midterm 1.

Week 7 (March 5th and 7th)

Fundamental groups of orbit spaces. Covering spaces. Fixed points.

Munkres: Sec. 53, 58, 60

Armstrong: 4.4, 5.3, 5,4, 10.4

Week 8 (March 12th and 14th)

Manifolds. Classification of 1-manifolds

Some useful links: Introduction to topological manifolds (available with campus connection) (see Chapter 2 from p.38 and Chapter 3 p. 73-77 for general background on manifolds). Note on classification of closed connected 1-manifolds (part of the proof in class). 

Week 9 (March 19th and 21st)

Surfaces

Chapter 6 of Introduction to topological manifolds

Armstrong: 7.1, 7.5

Week 10 (April 2nd and 4th)

Classification of surfaces. Seifert-van Kampen theorem Homology

Armstrong: Section 7.5

Chapter 10 (pp 251-261, 264-267) of Introduction to topological manifolds

John Conway's  ZIP proof of the classification of compact surfaces.

No HW this week

Week 11 (April 9th and 11th)

Review of the material, Midterm #2: 

Armstrong: Sections 4.4 (but only discrete groups) 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 (no path/homotopy lifting lemma questions), 5.4, 5.5 7.1, 7.5 10.4 

From Lee's book on top manifolds: Chapters 2 (from p38), 3 (from p73, only discrete groups), 6 (up to p178), 9 (for reference), 10 (pp 251-257, 264-267)

Classification of 1-manifolds

Descriptions/notations of some manifolds: projective space, spheres, tori, balls, surfaces

No HW this week

Week 12 (April 16th and 18th)

Knot theory.

Armstrong: section 10.1

Wikipedia reference: 3-colourability

(Optional) More details on knot theory: An Introduction to Knot Theory

Week 13 (April 23rd and 25th)

Knot theory

More useful links: https://katlas.math.toronto.edu/wiki/Main_Page

Week 14 (April 30th and May 2nd)

Knot theory, Review

Material for the final: Everything from Midterms 1, 2 and knot theory up to Lecture on April 23rd.

Week 15

RRR week