Qualifying Exam in Topology

Spring 1997

  1. Let exam_images/topology-spring971.jpg and exam_images/topology-spring972.jpg be two compact, connected topological manifolds. Show that the product exam_images/topology-spring973.jpg is orientiable if and only if exam_images/topology-spring974.jpg and exam_images/topology-spring975.jpg are orientable. Hint: consider exam_images/topology-spring976.jpg .

  2. Let exam_images/topology-spring977.jpg be the real projective plane, exam_images/topology-spring978.jpg be the unit circle and exam_images/topology-spring979.jpg the two dimensional torus. Use your knowledge of the homology of exam_images/topology-spring9710.jpg and exam_images/topology-spring9711.jpg to compute the homology of the following products: exam_images/topology-spring9712.jpg and exam_images/topology-spring9713.jpg .

  3. Let exam_images/topology-spring9714.jpg be an open set of exam_images/topology-spring9715.jpg . Suppose that exam_images/topology-spring9716.jpg is the union of exam_images/topology-spring9717.jpg convex open sets of exam_images/topology-spring9718.jpg . Show that the homology groups of exam_images/topology-spring9719.jpg (singular, with integral coefficients) are finitely generated groups. Hint: use induction on exam_images/topology-spring9720.jpg , the Mayer-Vietoris exact sequence and the following fact: if exam_images/topology-spring9721.jpg is an exact sequence of abelian groups where exam_images/topology-spring9722.jpg and exam_images/topology-spring9723.jpg are finitely generated, then exam_images/topology-spring9724.jpg is finitely generated.

  4. Define the unreduced suspension exam_images/topology-spring9725.jpg of a topological space X to be the quotient of the product exam_images/topology-spring9726.jpg obtained by identifying exam_images/topology-spring9727.jpg and exam_images/topology-spring9728.jpg to points. (You may visualize exam_images/topology-spring9729.jpg as the union of two cones with exam_images/topology-spring9730.jpg as a common base.) Show that there is a natural isomorphism exam_images/topology-spring9731.jpg . Hint: let exam_images/topology-spring9732.jpg and exam_images/topology-spring9733.jpg be the points of exam_images/topology-spring9734.jpg corresponding to exam_images/topology-spring9735.jpg and exam_images/topology-spring9736.jpg respectively. Observe that the open sets exam_images/topology-spring9737.jpg and exam_images/topology-spring9738.jpg are acyclic, because a deformation retraction of exam_images/topology-spring9739.jpg onto exam_images/topology-spring9740.jpg gives, by passing to the quotients, a deformation retraction of exam_images/topology-spring9741.jpg onto exam_images/topology-spring9742.jpg . What does ``natural'' mean?

  5. Let exam_images/topology-spring9743.jpg . Embed exam_images/topology-spring9744.jpg as a linear subspace of exam_images/topology-spring9745.jpg . Compute exam_images/topology-spring9746.jpg . More generally, let exam_images/topology-spring9747.jpg be a closed subspace of exam_images/topology-spring9748.jpg homeomorphic to exam_images/topology-spring9749.jpg . Compute exam_images/topology-spring9750.jpg . Hint: you may use the fact that for any embedding exam_images/topology-spring9751.jpg of exam_images/topology-spring9752.jpg into exam_images/topology-spring9753.jpg we have exam_images/topology-spring9754.jpg .

  6. Let exam_images/topology-spring9755.jpg be the torus. We regard exam_images/topology-spring9756.jpg as a differentiable oriented manifold. What are its De Rham cohomology groups? We have a quotient map exam_images/topology-spring9757.jpg . We use ``periodic'' coordinates exam_images/topology-spring9758.jpg . Thus a smooth function exam_images/topology-spring9759.jpg on exam_images/topology-spring9760.jpg is a smooth function on exam_images/topology-spring9761.jpg which factors through exam_images/topology-spring9762.jpg , that is, a doubly periodic smooth function exam_images/topology-spring9763.jpg on exam_images/topology-spring9764.jpg : for all exam_images/topology-spring9765.jpg

    exam_images/topology-spring9766.jpg

    There are unique differential 1-forms on exam_images/topology-spring9767.jpg denoted exam_images/topology-spring9768.jpg and exam_images/topology-spring9769.jpg whose inverse images under exam_images/topology-spring9770.jpg are the usual exam_images/topology-spring9771.jpg and exam_images/topology-spring9772.jpg on exam_images/topology-spring9773.jpg . Differential forms of degree 1 and 2 on exam_images/topology-spring9774.jpg can be written uniquely in the form:

    exam_images/topology-spring9775.jpg

    where exam_images/topology-spring9776.jpg , exam_images/topology-spring9777.jpg , exam_images/topology-spring9778.jpg are doubly periodic. The integral of exam_images/topology-spring9779.jpg for a suitable orientation is

    exam_images/topology-spring9780.jpg

    Likewise, if exam_images/topology-spring9781.jpg is a smooth 1-simlex in exam_images/topology-spring9782.jpg then exam_images/topology-spring9783.jpg is a smooth 1-simplex in exam_images/topology-spring9784.jpg and:

    exam_images/topology-spring9785.jpg

    This being so, show that for any 2-form exam_images/topology-spring9786.jpg on exam_images/topology-spring9787.jpg there is a form exam_images/topology-spring9788.jpg of degree 1 and a real number exam_images/topology-spring9789.jpg such that

    exam_images/topology-spring9790.jpg

    Likewise show that for any closed 1-form exam_images/topology-spring9791.jpg on exam_images/topology-spring9792.jpg there is a smooth function exam_images/topology-spring9793.jpg on exam_images/topology-spring9794.jpg and real numbers exam_images/topology-spring9795.jpg and exam_images/topology-spring9796.jpg such that

    exam_images/topology-spring9797.jpg



  7. Let exam_images/topology-spring9798.jpg be a connected topological exam_images/topology-spring9799.jpg -manifold. Suppose that exam_images/topology-spring97100.jpg is not orientable. Show that there is a two-fold cover exam_images/topology-spring97101.jpg where exam_images/topology-spring97102.jpg is a connected orientable topological manifold. Hint: choose for exam_images/topology-spring97103.jpg the orientation bundle, that is, the disjoint union over exam_images/topology-spring97104.jpg of the sets of generators of the broups exam_images/topology-spring97105.jpg . Use this to prove that exam_images/topology-spring97106.jpg has a subgroup of index two.

  8. Show that for any fintely generated group exam_images/topology-spring97107.jpg there is an arcwise connected topological space exam_images/topology-spring97108.jpg such that exam_images/topology-spring97109.jpg . Show that if exam_images/topology-spring97110.jpg is abelian then there is a connected topological space exam_images/topology-spring97111.jpg such that exam_images/topology-spring97112.jpg .


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