2008 Spring MATH 261-01
Bulletin Course Description Fundamental group and covering spaces, singular and cellular homology, Eilenberg-Steenrod axioms of homology, Euler characteristic, classification of surfaces, singular and cellular cohomology. Instructor: Staff
(Instructor named in bulletin description above may not be current. For current instructor, see listing below.)
Title ALGEBRAIC TOPOLOGY I Department MATH Course Number 2008 Spring 261 Section Number 01 Primary Instructor Aspinwall,Paul S Prerequisites Prerequisite: Mathematics 200 and 205 or consent of instructor. Course Homepage www.cgtp.duke.edu/~psa/cls/261/
Synopsis of course content
Algebraic topology is the use of algebraic structures to distinguish topological spaces. More than that, algebraic topology has provided the vocabulary of much of twentieth century mathematics, informing, among other disciplines, number theory, commutative algebra, and algebraic geometry.
Topics include: Fundamental group and covering spaces, knots. Simplicial, singular and cellular homology, Euler characteristic, classification of surfaces. Eilenberg-Steenrod axioms.
Textbooks
A. Hatcher, Algebraic Topology I, Cambridge University Press 2001 (and on the web).
Assignments
Weekly
Exams
Probably one midterm and one final.
Grade to be based on
Exams and homework.
