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For a CW complex $X$, abelian $G$ and $n\ge 1$, homotopy classes of maps to the Eilenberg–MacLane space correspond to cohomology classes by pullback of the universal cohomology class of an Eilenberg–MacLane space. Pointed maps give the reduced version. This converts a cohomology class into an actual map realizing its effect on homotopy.

A once-punctured genus-$h$ closed orientable surface retracts to a wedge of $2h$ circles. A retraction from ${\Sigma }_g$ would inject its degree-one cohomology as an isotropic subspace of a symplectic vector space for the Poincare duality pairing, since the punctured surface has zero degree-two cohomology. The maximal isotropic dimension is $g$, giving $2h\le g$. Equality is realized by folding the double of the punctured surface onto one copy. Additional handles in the other copy can be pinched away while fixing the joining boundary, proving sufficiency for every embedding of such a one-boundary subsurface when $g\ge 2h$.

The splitting principle for complex vector bundles makes pullback injective in integral cohomology and splits both bundles into lines with Chern roots $x_1,x_2$ and $y_1,y_2$. The tensor product has roots $x_i+y_j$. Expanding their six pairwise products gives the displayed formula. This integral computation does not divide by two, so it remains valid when the cohomology has two-torsion. In particular, taking $F$ trivial gives $c_2(E\oplus E)=c_1(E{)}^2+2c_2(E)$.

For a topological space $X$ and abelian group $A$, singular cohomology is the cohomology of the cochain complex $C^n(X;A)=\mathrm{Hom}(C_n(X;\mathbb{Z}),A)$, where $C_n$ is the singular chain group. Its differential is dual to the singular boundary. This theory has relative cohomology, long exact sequences and the Excision theorem. On spaces that are not locally contractible it can differ from Čech cohomology.

A succession of bigraded pages with $E_{r+1}=H(E_r,d_r)$. In the cohomological convention, the differential has bidegree $(r,1-r)$. A filtered complex produces such successive approximations to its cohomology.

For a map $f:{\mathbb{RP}}^{2k+1}\to {\mathbb{CP}}^k$ nontrivial on degree-two mod-two cohomology, an immersion in the homotopy class of $(f,f)$ has a rank-$(2k-1)$ normal bundle with total Stiefel–Whitney class $(1+x{)}^{2k+2}$. Its forbidden degree-$2k$ Stiefel–Whitney class is $(k+1)x^{2k}$, so $k$ must be odd.

Collapse the indicated standard skeleton to a point. Besides its basepoint, the quotient has one cell in dimensions $k+1$ through $m$. Its integral cellular boundary is two in even dimensions and zero in odd dimensions. Steenrod operations on its relative cohomology are inherited from real projective space.

A free graded-commutative rational differential graded algebra with decomposable differentials and a quasi-isomorphism to the rational polynomial forms of a space. For simply connected finite-type spaces, $V^i$ is dual to ${\pi }_i(X)\otimes \mathbb{Q}$. A proposed finite model must have its cohomology and representing quasi-isomorphism checked; matching a list of relations alone is insufficient.

For simply connected rational spaces of finite type, isomorphic minimal Sullivan models are equivalent to the same rational homotopy type. A quasi-isomorphism between minimal models is an isomorphism, so a zigzag of cochain quasi-isomorphisms produces the same minimal model. Existence and uniqueness come from adjoining closed generators to represent missing cohomology and generators with prescribed decomposable differential to kill kernel classes, degree by degree.

The two quadratic relations form a regular sequence in $\mathbb{Q}[a,b]$, so their Koszul complex has only the quotient-ring cohomology. Represent the two degree-two classes by rational polynomial forms and choose primitives for the exact relations to obtain a quasi-isomorphism. There are no further generators.

If $X$ is simply connected and $h_{\ast }:{\pi }_{\ast }(X)\otimes \mathbb{Q}\to {\tilde{H}}_{\ast }(X;\mathbb{Q})$ is onto, choose a homogeneous homology basis and representing sphere maps into $X_{\mathbb{Q}}$. Their wedge sum gives a rational homology equivalence, hence a rational homotopy equivalence by the rational Whitehead theorem. All positive cup products therefore vanish. In a minimal model, the induced map from cohomology to the indecomposable quotient is injective; replacing a set of generators by cocycle representatives produces a quasi-isomorphism to the square-zero cohomology algebra, proving formality of a topological space.

The total differential is $d_h+d_v$ for anticommuting differentials. For a double cochain complex bounded in both indices, both index filtrations are finite and have the same total cohomology as abutment.