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The exterior derivative is an $\mathbb{R}$-linear map $d:{\Omega }^p(M)\to {\Omega }^{p+1}(M)$, agrees with the differential $df$ of a smooth function, satisfies the graded Leibniz rule $d(\alpha \wedge \beta )=d\alpha \wedge \beta +(-1{)}^p\alpha \wedge d\beta$ for $\alpha \in {\Omega }^p(M)$, and has $d^2=0$. These properties determine it locally and hence globally. To see locality directly, if a differential form $\alpha$ vanishes near $x$, choose a smooth bump function $\chi$ equal to one near $x$ and supported where $\alpha =0$. The identity $d(\chi \alpha )=d\chi \wedge \alpha +\chi d\alpha$ gives $(d\alpha {)}_x=0$. Thus global forms can be computed using local extensions in a manifold chart.

In coordinates write $\alpha ={\sum }_I{a}_{I}d{x}^{i_1}\wedge \cdots \wedge d{x}^{i_p}$. Since $d(d{x}^i)=d^2{x}^i=0$, the graded Leibniz rule forcesThis is the uniqueness of the exterior derivative from its axioms. The coordinate formula also establishes existence: it has the stated properties, and the chain rule shows that coordinate changes give the same operator.

The de Rham cohomology is the real quotient vector spaceThus a cohomology class records a closed differential form modulo an exact differential form. In degree zero there are no exact forms; closed functions are locally constant. The Poincaré lemma says that every closed form of positive degree on a star-shaped open subset of ${\mathbb{R}}^n$ is exact, and hence that positive-degree closed forms are locally exact on a smooth manifold.

For the first de Rham cohomology of the two-sphere, let $U=S^2\setminus \{N\}$ and $V=S^2\setminus \{S\}$. Stereographic projection identifies each with ${\mathbb{R}}^2$, so a closed one-form $\alpha$ has primitives $f_U,f_V$. On the connected overlap $U\cap V$, the derivative of $f_U-f_V$ is zero, so this difference is a constant. Subtracting that constant from $f_U$ makes the primitives agree. They glue to a global smooth primitive. Therefore $H_{\mathrm{dR}}^1(S^2)=0$.

Let $q:S^2\to {\mathbb{RP}}^2$ be the double covering map and $a$ the antipodal map. The pullback of a differential form identifies forms downstairs with $a$-invariant forms upstairs. Averaging $(\eta +a^{\ast }\eta )/2$ commutes with $d$. If an invariant form is exact upstairs, averaging its primitive proves it exact downstairs. Conversely an invariant cohomology class has an invariant representative by the same averaging. This proves the de Rham cohomology of a finite quotient identification $H_{\mathrm{dR}}^p({\mathbb{RP}}^2)\cong H_{\mathrm{dR}}^p(S^2{)}^{a^{\ast }}$. In degree zero the sphere is connected and $a^{\ast }$ fixes constants; degree one is zero; in degree two the granted action is multiplication by $-1$, whose invariant real subspace is zero. Forms of degree greater than two vanish. HenceThis is real de Rham cohomology; it does not detect the integral two-torsion of the real projective plane.

Cells and attaching maps. Regard ${\mathbb{RP}}^k$ as the lines in ${\mathbb{R}}^{k+1}$ and include ${\mathbb{RP}}^{k-1}$ as the lines whose last coordinate is zero. Its complement consists of lines with a unique representative $(x_1,\dots ,x_k,1)$, and is therefore an open $k$-cell. Inductively this makes Real projective space a CW complex with one cell in each dimension from zero to $n$.

A characteristic map is obtained from the northern closed hemisphere of $S^k$: send a unit vector to the line it spans. Its interior maps homeomorphically onto the open cell, while its equator has the antipodal identification. Thus the $k$-cell is attached by the quotient mapwhich is the antipodal two-sheeted covering. This includes the two endpoints of the one-cell attaching to the zero-cell.

The cellular chain complex has $C_k^{\mathrm{cell}}=\mathbb{Z}$ for $0\le k\le n$ and zero otherwise. To compute its differential, follow the attaching map by collapse of the $(k-2)$-skeleton. The resulting map to ${\mathbb{RP}}^{k-1}/{\mathbb{RP}}^{k-2}\cong S^{k-1}$ has two local contributions. They differ by the mapping degree $(-1{)}^k$ of the antipodal map on $S^{k-1}$. With compatible cell orientations,For $k=1$ the two oriented endpoints cancel, giving the same formula. Consecutive differentials compose to zero, as required.

The mod-two cup products. Modulo two every cellular differential vanishes, so cellular cohomology gives a one-dimensional group in each degree $0,\dots ,n$. Let $a\in H^1({\mathbb{RP}}^n;{\mathbb{F}}_2)$ be the Poincare dual of a projective hyperplane. This class is nonzero: a projective line transverse to that hyperplane meets it once. Intersecting $j$ generic projective hyperplanes produces ${\mathbb{RP}}^{n-j}$, and the cup product of their Poincare duals is the Poincare dual of that intersection. In particular, $a^n$ evaluates to one on the mod-two fundamental class. Therefore every $a^j$, $0\le j\le n$, is nonzero, since otherwise multiplying it by $a^{n-j}$ would contradict $a^n\ne 0$. Dimension makes $a^{n+1}=0$. The mod-two cohomology ring of real projective space isFor $n=0$ this simply means the cohomology of a point.

The product with integral coefficients. The final product's coefficients are unstated; take $\mathbb{Z}$ as the default. Dualizing the cellular chain complex above giveswith all unlisted groups zero. The integral Künneth theorem has tensor terms with $i+j=q$ and Tor functor terms with $i+j=q+1$:For these finite free cellular complexes it splits additively, though not canonically. Both the tensor and Tor functor of two $\mathbb{Z}/2$ summands give $\mathbb{Z}/2$, so no order-four summands occur.

For an efficient count, write $F_A(t)$ for the free-rank polynomial and $T_A(t)$ for the number of $\mathbb{Z}/2$ summands in each degree. The integral Künneth torsion polynomial rule isThe last two factors record respectively the tensor contribution in summed degree and the Tor functor contribution one degree lower. The three factors haveThe first two give $F_{23}=1+t^3$ and $T_{23}=2t^2+t^3+t^4+t^5$. Multiplying by the third givesConsequently the integral cohomology of a product of finite real projective spaces in this case isIf the intended coefficients were instead ${\mathbb{F}}_2$, the Künneth theorem over a field gives the dimension polynomialThus the mod-two groups in degrees zero through nine are respectivelyand all other degrees vanish.

Use the double covering map $\pi :S^n\to {\mathbb{RP}}^n$ and its deck involution, the antipodal map $a(x)=-x$. The given sphere cohomology vanishes outside degrees $0,n$, so only those degrees can survive as invariant classes. The degree-zero action is the identity because the sphere is connected for $n\ge 1$.

For the top degree, orient $S^n$ as the boundary of the unit ball. A positive tangent basis $(v_1,\dots ,v_n)$ at $x$ means that $(x,v_1,\dots ,v_n)$ has positive determinant in ${\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}$. Under the antipodal map every one of these $n+1$ vectors changes sign, so the orientation sign is $(-1{)}^{n+1}$. Equivalently, the sphere volume form isIts cohomology class is nonzero by the integral argument and therefore generates the one-dimensional top de Rham cohomology. Thus the top class is invariant precisely when $n$ is an odd integer. Applying the quotient result yieldsIn particular ${\mathbb{RP}}^1$ has one copy of $\mathbb{R}$ in each of degrees zero and one. These are real cohomology groups; integral torsion is not detected by de Rham cohomology.

The antipodal map is the restriction to the boundary of the unit ball of $-I$ on ${\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}$. The induced orientation on the sphere is reversed or preserved according to the determinant of that ambient linear map, namely $(-1{)}^{n+1}$. Its degree is therefore $(-1{)}^{n+1}$. With integral coefficients, for $n\ge 1$ the induced top-homology map isAt $n=0$, ordinary $H_0(S^0)={\mathbb{Z}}^2$ instead has its two generators exchanged; multiplication by $-1$ is the statement on reduced $H_0(S^0)\cong \mathbb{Z}$. This distinguishes the small-dimension exception from the usual top-degree formula.

Suppose such an $f$ exists. Orthogonality and unit lengths makea continuous map into the unit sphere, since its squared norm is one. This is a homotopy from the identity to the antipodal map. Their degrees would coincide, but for even $n\ge 2$ they are respectively $1$ and $(-1{)}^{n+1}=-1$, a contradiction. Thus no such continuous map exists for even $n$. At $n=0$ there is not even a unit vector orthogonal to either point of $S^0\subset \mathbb{R}$, so nonexistence holds there as well. This is a sphere form of the Hairy ball theorem.

For connected oriented closed manifolds of dimension $n$, the degree of a map between oriented manifolds is the integer determined bywhere the brackets are the chosen fundamental classes. Functoriality gives $\mathrm{deg}(g\circ f)=\mathrm{deg}g\mathrm{deg}f$.

Give $S^n$ its boundary orientation as the boundary of the unit ball in ${\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}$. The antipodal map is the restriction of $-I$. Its ambient determinant is $(-1{)}^{n+1}$, and it takes the outward normal at $x$ to the outward normal at $-x$. Thus its effect on the boundary orientation has this same sign, givingThe original PDF has $A:S^n\to S^n$, correcting the extra prime on the target in the TeX transcription.

For even dimension $n=2k\ge 2$, cellular homology of real projective space gives $H_n({\mathbb{RP}}^n;\mathbb{Z})=0$. Thus the composite map on top homology factors through zero, andZero is attained by constant maps.

For odd dimension $n=2k+1\ge 3$, Real projective space is orientable: the antipodal deck transformation has degree $+1$. Orient it so that the double covering map $q:S^n\to {\mathbb{RP}}^n$ has degree $2$. Since $S^n$ is simply connected, the lifting criterion for a covering space gives $f=q\circ \tilde{f}$ for a map $\tilde{f}:S^n\to S^n$. Hencewhich is even. Every even integer occurs: collapse the complement of an oriented embedded disk in ${\mathbb{RP}}^n$ to obtain a degree-one map $g:{\mathbb{RP}}^n\to S^n$, and choose $\tilde{f}$ of any prescribed integer degree $m$. Maps of all integer degrees on spheres are obtained, for example, by suspending the circle maps $z\mapsto z^m$. Setting $f=q\circ \tilde{f}$ gives degree $2m$. ThusThese are the degrees of maps factoring through real projective space. If $k=0$ is permitted in the odd-dimensional clause, there is an exception: ${\mathbb{RP}}^1\cong S^1$, so every integer degree occurs. The lifting argument requires dimension at least two. The initial connected-manifold degree definition excludes $S^0$; with the usual reduced-homology definition for self-maps of $S^0$, a factorization through the one-point ${\mathbb{RP}}^0$ has degree zero.

Finally suppose $\mathrm{deg}f=p$ is prime. Fix any prime $q\ne p$ and work over $F={\mathbb{F}}_q$. We claim that $f^{\ast }:H^r(N;F)\to H^r(S^n;F)$ is injective. If $a\ne 0$, Poincare duality supplies $b\in H^{n-r}(N;F)$ with $⟨a⌣b,[N{]}_F⟩\ne 0$. Naturality of the cup product and evaluation givesbecause $p$ is invertible in $F$. Hence $f^{\ast }a\ne 0$, proving cohomological injectivity of a map of invertible degree.

The intermediate cohomology of the sphere is zero, so $H^r(N;F)=0$ for $0<r<n$. Over a field, the universal coefficient theorem for cohomology identifies this with the dual of $H_r(N;F)$, so these homology groups vanish as well. The universal coefficient theorem for homology then givesEach integral group is a finitely generated abelian group, by the permitted finite CW complex model. Its decomposition can have no free summand, since that would survive modulo $q$, and no torsion summand divisible by any prime $q\ne p$. Thus it is a finite $p$-primary group. There are only finitely many intermediate degrees, so the exponents of their finite cyclic summands have a common bound $p^a$. Taking $a\ge 1$ also covers the case in which all the groups vanish. ThereforeThis proves that a prime-degree sphere map forces primary torsion, including one uniform exponent for all the degrees.

The exterior derivative is the real-linear degree-one map $d:{\Omega }^r(M)\to {\Omega }^{r+1}(M)$ characterized by $df(X)=Xf$ on smooth functions, the graded Leibniz ruleand $d^2=0$. In local coordinates $(x^1,\dots ,x^m)$, write $\alpha ={\sum }_I{\alpha }_{I}d{x}^{i_1}\wedge \cdots \wedge d{x}^{i_r}$ using multi-index notation. Since $d{x}^i=d(x^i)$ and hence $d(d{x}^i)=0$, the defining rules forceThis proves local uniqueness, and the coordinate formulas agree on overlaps because the same rules are preserved by the pullback of a differential form. They also directly define an operator satisfying all three rules, proving existence.

An exact differential form is a form $\omega =d\eta$. Let $\pi :S^{2n}\to {\mathbb{RP}}^{2n}$ be the antipodal double covering map and let $a(x)=-x$. For a $2n$-form $\omega$ on real projective space, $a^{\ast }{\pi }^{\ast }\omega ={\pi }^{\ast }\omega$, while the mapping degree of the antipodal map is $-1$. ThereforeBy the stated criterion, ${\pi }^{\ast }\omega =d\eta$. The invariant primitive under a finite group actionstill satisfies $d\bar{\eta }={\pi }^{\ast }\omega$ and descends to a form $\beta$ on ${\mathbb{RP}}^{2n}$. Since pullback through a covering is injective on differential forms, ${\pi }^{\ast }(d\beta -\omega )=0$ implies $d\beta =\omega$. Thus every $2n$-form on ${\mathbb{RP}}^{2n}$ is exact; this is the top-degree differential forms on even-dimensional real projective space are exact result.

The $k$th de Rham cohomology isthe closed differential forms modulo the exact ones. For the product, let $p:M\times S^1\to M$ be projection and choose a closed one-form $\nu$ on the circle with ${\int }_{S^1}\nu =1$. Averaging differential forms over the circle is cochain-homotopic to the identity, so every class has a rotation-invariant representative; if such a representative is exact, averaging a primitive gives an invariant primitive. Every invariant $k$-form has a unique decomposition $p^{\ast }\alpha +p^{\ast }\beta \wedge \nu$, andClosedness and exactness are therefore componentwise. Hence the mapis a well-defined bijection $H_{\mathrm{dR}}^k(M)\oplus H_{\mathrm{dR}}^{k-1}(M)\to H_{\mathrm{dR}}^k(M\times S^1)$, proving the de Rham cohomology of a product with a circle formula.

For unit vectors, the defining inequality for $Y$ is equivalent to $v\cdot w\ge 0$. WriteThen $t=(1-\Vert u{\Vert }^2{)}^{1/2}$, sois a homeomorphism $D(T{S}^{2n})\to Y$. Replacing $v$ by $-v$ gives the same description of $Y^{\prime }$. Their intersection isthe unit tangent bundle, equivalently a Stiefel manifold. Since $e(T{S}^{2n})$ evaluates to $\chi (S^{2n})=2$, its Gysin sequence gives the cohomology of the unit tangent bundle of an even-dimensional sphere:Every product of positive-degree classes vanishes.

Let $G$ consist of the eight signed permutations of the two factors:It is the group of signed permutation matrices in dimension two, hence isomorphic to the dihedral group $D_8$, and every element preserves the equation $v\cdot w=0$. If $a,b$ generate $H^{2n}(X;\mathbb{Z})$ from the two sphere factors, these maps act by the corresponding signed permutation matrix, because the antipodal map of the even-dimensional sphere has degree $-1$. The eight actions are distinct, so only the identity can be homotopic to $1_X$.

Every element of $G$ acts trivially on $H^{\ast }(Z;\mathbb{Z})$. The degree-$2n$ group is $\mathbb{Z}/2$, so its automorphism is forced to be the identity. On the top class, regard $Z$ as the Stiefel manifold of two-frames. The signed permutations are the right action of $O(2)$. The determinant-one component is connected, while a determinant-minus-one element is homotopic within that component to $(v,w)\mapsto (v,-w)$, the antipodal map on the $S^{2n-1}$ fibers. That map has degree $+1$, so the top class is also fixed.

The subgroup preserving $Y$ iswhere $A(v,w)=(-v,w)$, $B(v,w)=(v,-w)$, and $S(v,w)=(w,v)$. It consists exactly of the elements with ${\epsilon }_1{\epsilon }_2=1$. Under the deformation retraction $Y\simeq S^{2n}$ onto the diagonal, $1$ and $S$ act as the identity, while $AB$ and $ABS$ act as the antipodal map. They therefore act on $H^{2n}(Y;\mathbb{Z})$ by $+1,+1,-1,-1$, respectively.

The Thom isomorphism theorem identifies $H^{\ast }(Y,Z)$ with a degree-$2n$ shift of $H^{\ast }(S^{2n})$. On the Thom class in degree $2n$, the same four elements act by $+1,+1,-1,-1$: the factor swap reverses each normal vector, which preserves the orientation because the normal rank $2n$ is even, while the simultaneous antipodal map reverses the oriented tangent fiber. On the degree-$4n$ relative class every element acts by $+1$, since the base and fiber signs for the last two elements cancel.

When $n=1$, $Z=V_2({\mathbb{R}}^3)\cong SO(3)$. Every signed permutation of $(v,w)$ extends, after sending the third frame vector $v\times w$ to the required sign, to right multiplication by an element of $SO(3)$. Since $SO(3)$ is path-connected, every right translation is homotopic to the identity. Therefore

For distinct ordered $a_0<\cdots <a_m$, the quotient $\sum a_j{x}_j^2/\sum x_j^2$ on Real projective space has one critical point $[e_i]$ of index $i$. Its descending flow is $[x_j(t)]=[e^{-2a_{j}t}{x}_j(0)]$. The unstable cell at $[e_i]$ is ${\mathbb{RP}}^i\setminus {\mathbb{RP}}^{i-1}$. Between adjacent critical points there are two trajectories, whose relative orientation is the degree $(-1{)}^i$ of the antipodal map on $S^{i-1}$. Thus, up to generator orientation, the differential is two in even degrees and zero in odd degrees. This gives the integral cellular homology of real projective space rather than only its mod-two ranks.

Over Real projective space ${\mathbb{RP}}^n$, the real tautological line bundle isOn the standard chart $U_i=\{[x]:x_i\ne 0\}$, let $s_i([x])=x/x_i$. A local trivialization sends $([x],t)$ to $([x],t{s}_i([x]))$, with inverse $([x],v)\mapsto ([x],v_i)$. These maps prove that this is a real line bundle. Its unit sphere bundle is the antipodal map quotient $S^n\to {\mathbb{RP}}^n$. Its mod-two Euler class of a real line bundle is the degree-one generator of the mod-two cohomology ring of real projective space.

A triangulation of $S^k$ is regular in this antipodal-combinatorics convention when the antipodal map preserves its simplices and its nested coordinate equators $S^0\subset S^1\subset \cdots \subset S^{k-1}$ are subcomplexes. The two closed hemispheres at each stage are then triangulated balls. Barycentric subdivision preserves these conditions while making the mesh of a simplicial complex arbitrarily small. This convention is distinct from other meanings of regular triangulation in polyhedral geometry. Cambridge extremal-combinatorics notes use this convention.

For the double covering $\pi :S^{2n}\to {\mathbb{RP}}^{2n}$ and the antipodal map $a$, every pulled-back top form satisfies $a^{\ast }{\pi }^{\ast }\omega ={\pi }^{\ast }\omega$. Since $\mathrm{deg}a=-1$, its integral over the sphere is its own negative and hence vanishes. It is therefore exact on the sphere. Averaging a primitive under $a$ and descending it proves that $\omega$ is exact on real projective space.