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ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2002/iii/paper-20/4/iv/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2002 iii Paper 20 4 iv Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
A precise commutation of iterated categorical limits statement is the following. For small categories and , if every column categorical limit and the resulting -limit exist, thenIf every row categorical limit and the resulting -limit also exist, thenEach isomorphism is the unique one identifying all projections to . Indeed, the preceding part proves that each iterated categorical limit has the universal property of the whole product diagram in a category. Its uniqueness gives the canonical isomorphism. Equivalently, categorical cones with vertex over the product diagram in a category are exactly compatible families, indexed by , of categorical cones over ; regrouping the same compatibility equations cannot change their representing object. In a complete category all the stated existence hypotheses hold for small . The theorem is about categorical limits with categorical limits, and makes no unconditional claim about commuting a categorical limit with a colimit.
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