Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-topology-and-groups-and-algebraic-topology-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2009/b/4/c/solution
Past exam of the topology and Groups and Algebraic Topology course of the University of Oxford 2009 B 4 c Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
Let be the antipodal map, whose degree is . The invariance condition is . Multiplicativity of degree gives , so if is even,For odd , factor the invariant map uniquely through the quotient , writing . The standard orientability and homology facts for Real projective space are that is orientable in odd dimension and has top integral homology . With compatible orientation the double cover has degree two: both local sheets preserve orientation because the antipodal map does. Thus is multiplication by an integer and .
Every such integer occurs. In the oriented projective space, choose a small oriented closed ball and collapse its exterior to a point. The resulting map has degree one, because a point in the interior image has one orientation-preserving preimage. Composing it with a degree- sphere map from part (b) givesHere denotes the dimension- map constructed by suspension. The factorization through makes the resulting map antipodally invariant.
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