Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2008/ii/paper-2/21f/solution

Suppose an odd continuous map existed. Restrict to the equator, parametrized by . Choose a continuous real lift with . Oddness gives for a fixed integer , since the integer-valued difference is continuous. Thus , and the equatorial map has odd degree of a continuous mapping, hence nonzero degree. But it extends over a hemisphere, which is a disk, so the equatorial loop is null-homotopic and has degree zero. This contradiction proves the dimension-two Borsuk-Ulam theorem in the stated form.
If a continuous injection existed, then would never vanish. Normalization would define
a continuous odd map, already ruled out. In particular the sphere cannot be homeomorphic to any planar subset.

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