Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2013/iii/paper-14/1/3/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2013 iii Paper 14 1 3 Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-07
Call this simultaneous antipodal quotient of two spheres . The simultaneous antipodal map acts freely on , so is a connected closed manifold of dimension four. Each antipodal factor has mapping degree ; their product preserves orientation. Hence is orientable.
The product is simply connected, so this double covering space is the universal cover. Consequentlyusing the abelianization of the fundamental group. The Euler characteristic under a finite covering gives . Its rational first Betti number is zero, and Poincare duality gives and . Thus as well.
The universal coefficient theorem for cohomology now gives andHere because . Integral Poincare duality further gives , and .
Let generate these groups in degrees respectively. The only potentially nonzero positive-degree cup product is . But , while has no nonzero torsion subgroup, so . Every other positive product vanishes by dimension. Thuswith every product of positive-degree elements equal to zero. The degree-three torsion is essential: it would be lost by computing only rational cohomology.
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