Section4.3Topological Spaces and More Examples
Example4.3.1
Let \(\Delta^n\) be the geometric \(n\) simplex
\[\Delta^n = \{(t_0,\ldots,t_n) \in \RR_{\ge 0}^{n+1} : \sum t_i = 1\}.\]
Any \([m]\xrightarrow{\alpha} [n] \in \Delta\) induces a set map on the vertices which extends linearly to \(\Delta^m \xrightarrow{\alpha_*} \Delta^n\).
This makes \(\Delta^{\bullet}\) into a cosimplicial topological space.
Then \(\Hom_{\Top}(\Delta^{\bullet}, X)\) is naturally a simplicial set.
It is \(\Sing X\).
So we have a functor \(\Sing \colon \Top \to \SSet\) and we want an adjoint.
Definition4.3.2Geometric realisation
There is a functor \(|\cdot |\colon \SSet \to \Top\) defined by
\[
|A_n| = \coprod_n A_n \times \Delta^n / \sim.
\]
Where for \(\alpha \colon [m] \to [n]\) we identify \(A_m \times \Delta^n \ni (\alpha^* x, y)\) with \((x, \alpha_* y) \in A_n \times \Delta^n\).
Example4.3.3
\[|\Delta[n]| = \Delta^n.\]
We are going to restrict these functors.
Example4.3.4
Let \(G\) be a group, now let \(BG_n = G^{\times n}\) and
\[\dd_i(g_1,\ldots,g_n) = \begin{cases}(g_2,\ldots,g_n) & i = 0, \\(g_1\ldots,g_ig_{i+1},\ldots,g_n) & i = 1,\ldots,n-1,\\(g_1,\ldots,g_{n-1}) & i = n.\end{cases}\]\[\sigma_i(g_1,\ldots,g_n) = (g_1,\ldots,1,\ldots,g_n)\]
where the \(1\) goes in the \(i\)th place.
\(|BG|\) is called the classifying space of \(G\) and it is a \(K(G,1)\).
Example4.3.5
A group is just a category with only one object and where all arrows are isomorphisms.
So for a small category \(\cC\) we let \(B\cC_0\) be \(\ob \cC\) and \(B\cC_{n\ge 1}\) be all compatible \(n\)-tuples of morphisms.
We define the face and degeneracy maps by composition and identity as above.