Abstract
The first functor we have constructed on Top (actually, on hTop), namely, π0 takes values in Sets; it is of limited use because it merely counts the number of path components. The functor to be constructed in this chapter takes values in Groups, the category of (not necessarily abelian) groups. The basic idea is that one can “multiply” two paths f and g if f ends where g begins.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rotman, J.J. (1988). The Fundamental Group. In: An Introduction to Algebraic Topology. Graduate Texts in Mathematics, vol 119. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4576-6_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4576-6_4
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8930-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-4576-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive