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The Bockstein homomorphism for $0\to \mathbb{Z}/n\to \mathbb{Z}/n^2\to \mathbb{Z}/n\to 0$, with injection $[a]\mapsto [na]$, is coefficient reduction $\rho$ after the integral Bockstein homomorphism. The commuting maps of coefficient sequences prove this by naturality of the connecting homomorphism.

The connecting homomorphism ofsends a divisor on a complex manifold $D$ to its holomorphic line bundle associated to a divisor $\mathcal{O}(D)$ in the Picard group. Its kernel consists exactly of the principal divisors of global nonzero meromorphic functions.

The integral Bockstein is the connecting homomorphism of $0\to \mathbb{Z}\stackrel{n}{\to }\mathbb{Z}\to \mathbb{Z}/n\to 0$. Lift a modulo-$n$ cocycle to an integral cochain $a$; write its coboundary as $\delta a=nb$. Then $\hat{\beta }[a]=[b]$. Its image is the subgroup of integral cohomology killed by $n$.

A long exact sequence is a sequence of abelian groups or modules with arbitrarily many consecutive maps, for which the image of every map equals the kernel of the next. A short exact sequence of cochain complexes yields a long exact sequence of their cohomology, with connecting homomorphisms increasing degree by one. The exact sequences of relative cohomology and the Bockstein homomorphism are examples.

Unless a coefficient group is displayed, use integral singular cohomology. The standard CW complex structure on infinite-dimensional real projective space has one cell in each nonnegative dimension. Its cellular chain complex has boundary $d_j=2$ for positive even $j$ and $d_j=0$ for odd $j$. The cellular cohomology differential ${\delta }^j$ is therefore zero for even $j$ and multiplication by two for odd $j$. ConsequentlyMore generally, for an abelian group $A$, the positive odd groups are $A[2]=\{a:2a=0\}$ and the positive even groups are $A/2A$. In particular $H^j({\mathbb{RP}}^{\infty };{\mathbb{Z}}_2)={\mathbb{Z}}_2$ in every nonnegative degree.

For the required Bockstein homomorphism, use the short exact sequenceHere $m\ge 2$; for $m=1$ all three coefficient groups are zero. Since singular chains are free abelian groups, applying cochains gives a short exact sequence of cochain complexes. Its connecting homomorphism defines $\beta$ and its long exact sequence is precisely the required one, with the other maps induced by $\iota$ and $q$.

Explicitly, represent a class by a cocycle $u\in C^n(X;{\mathbb{Z}}_m)$ and choose a lift $\tilde{u}\in C^n(X;{\mathbb{Z}}_{m^2})$. Since $q(\delta \tilde{u})=0$, there is a unique cochain $v$ with $\iota (v)=\delta \tilde{u}$. Injectivity of $\iota$ and ${\delta }^2=0$ show $\delta v=0$. DefineChanging the lift by $\iota (w)$ changes $v$ by the coboundary $\delta w$. Changing the representative $u$ by a coboundary can be lifted by a coboundary as well and leaves the resulting class unchanged. Thus this is a well-defined group homomorphism, and the standard cochain lifting argument gives exactness.

Compute the Bockstein homomorphism on infinite-dimensional real projective space using its cellular cohomology complex. A generator with coefficients ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ is represented by $1$ in degree $n$, lifted to $1\in {\mathbb{Z}}_4$. Its coboundary is $0$ for even $n$ and $2$ for odd $n$. Dividing via $\iota (1)=2$ givesThus the odd-degree maps are isomorphisms. The comparison between cellular cohomology and singular cohomology is natural with respect to coefficient maps, so this computes the same connecting homomorphism constructed above.

The degree and its local signs. Orient $S^n$ and let $[S^n]$ generate its top reduced homology ${\tilde{H}}_n(S^n;\mathbb{Z})\cong \mathbb{Z}$. The mapping degree is the integer characterized byFor $n\ge 1$ this is the usual top homology definition using the fundamental class; using reduced homology also covers $S^0$.

Suppose $f$ is smooth and $p$ is a regular value. Each $x\in f^{-1}(p)$ has invertible tangent map $D{f}_x$, so the inverse function theorem makes $f^{-1}(p)$ discrete. It is also closed in the compact sphere, hence finite. Choose disjoint small neighborhoods of these points on which $f$ is a local diffeomorphism. The Excision theorem identifies the source local homology with the direct sum of one copy of $\mathbb{Z}$ for each inverse image. The induced local map is multiplication by $+1$ or $-1$ according as $D{f}_x$ preserves or reverses orientation. The map from the global fundamental class to these local orientation classes therefore proves the degree as a sum of local degrees formula:Here the determinant is computed in positively oriented tangent bases. Thus the mapping degree counts inverse images with signs, rather than just their cardinality.

The quotient map. Put $m=n+1$ and write $f=F{|}_{S^{m-1}}$. Give $D^m$ its standard orientation and its boundary the induced orientation. The connecting homomorphismis an isomorphism: the disk has zero positive reduced homology. It sends the relative fundamental class $[D^m,S^{m-1}]$ to $[S^{m-1}]$. If the map on relative homology induced by $F$ multiplies this class by $d$, naturality givesThus $d=\mathrm{deg}f$. Collapsing the boundary gives a sphere $D^m/S^{m-1}\cong S^m$, and the quotient map identifies its top reduced homology with the top relative homology of the disk pair. Give this quotient sphere the orientation determined by that identification. The relation $qF=\tilde{F}q$ now showsThis is the quotient-sphere degree identity.

The graph intersection. Orient $D^m\times D^m$ by the product orientation, orient $N=D^m\times \{0\}$ by its first factor, and orient the graph of a function $\Gamma$ by $x\mapsto (x,F(x))$. An intersection is precisely a zero of $F$, and no such zero lies on the boundary because $F(S^{m-1})\subset S^{m-1}$. At an intersection, transverse intersection means that $D{F}_x$ is surjective, hence invertible. The zeros are consequently isolated and finite.

For the smooth intersection number use the ordered tangent spaces $T_{x}N$ first and $T_{(x,F(x))}\Gamma$ second. Relative to the product basis their concatenated basis has matrixIts determinant is $\det D{F}_x$, so the intersection sign is ${ϵ}_x=\mathrm{sgn}\det D{F}_x$. By the same local Excision theorem argument, now in relative homology at the interior point $0$, the sum of these signs equals the multiplier of $F_{\ast }$ on $H_m(D^m,S^{m-1};\mathbb{Z})$. Therefore the graph intersection formula for mapping degree isIf the tangent spaces are ordered $\Gamma$ first and $N$ second, every sign changes by $(-1{)}^m$; the order above specifies the appropriate convention.

The one-dimensional model $F(x)=2x^3-x$ on $[-1,1]$ illustrates the graph intersection formula for mapping degree: its three zeros have signs $+1,-1,+1$, and its endpoint map has mapping degree $1$ on reduced homology.

The Mayer–Vietoris sequence for $K=M\cup N$ is the long exact sequence in homologyWe use integer coefficients. A simplicial cycle $c$ in $K$ can be written $c=m+n$ with chains in $M,N$. Since $\partial m=-\partial n$, this chain lies in $M\cap N$ and is a cycle. Define ${\partial }_n[c]=[\partial m]$; changing the splitting or the cycle representative changes this by a boundary, giving a well-defined connecting homomorphism.

First consider two acyclic subcomplexes. Their intersection is either empty or acyclic. If empty, positive-degree homology of their disjoint union vanishes. If nonempty, the reduced Mayer–Vietoris sequence implies the same conclusion, including degree one since the intersection has zero reduced $H_0$. This proves the claim for two subcomplexes.

Inductively let $U=M_1\cup \cdots \cup M_{n-1}$, $V=M_n$, and $W=U\cap V={\bigcup }_{i<n}(M_i\cap M_n)$. Discard empty members as necessary. Both $U$ and $W$ satisfy the same intersection hypothesis with at most $n-1$ members, so their homology vanishes in degrees at least $n-2$. The exact segment $H_i(U)\oplus H_i(V)\to H_i(K)\to H_{i-1}(W)$ then gives $\boxed{H_i(K)=0\text{ for }i\ge n-1}$. For $n\ge 3$ these degrees are positive and the induction applies directly; empty $W$ again means a disjoint union.

For sharpness, take the boundary of an $(n-1)$-simplex, covered by its $n$ facets. Every nonempty proper intersection of facets is a simplex and thus has the homology of a point; the intersection of all facets is empty. The union is a sphere $S^{n-2}$ and $H_{n-2}$ is nonzero. For $n=2$ it is two isolated vertices and $H_0\cong {\mathbb{Z}}^2$; for $n\ge 3$, $H_{n-2}\cong \mathbb{Z}$. The degree bound cannot be lowered.

First account for the unlabelled coefficient-sequence construction. The two short exact sequences of abelian groups areThe singular chain groups of $X$ are free abelian. Applying $\mathrm{Hom}(C_q(X),-)$ therefore preserves these exact sequences, degree by degree, giving short exact sequences of cochain complexes. The associated long exact sequence from a coefficient sequence gives the displayed maps in cohomology; the connecting maps are the integral Bockstein homomorphism $\hat{\beta }$ and the modulo-$n$ Bockstein homomorphism $\beta$. The first omitted map is multiplication by $n$, and the second is induced by $j$.

For the requested example, attach an $(i+1)$-cell to $S^i$ using a map of degree $n$. The resulting Moore space $X=M(\mathbb{Z}/n,i)$ has positive-degree cellular chain complexin degrees $i+1,i$. This construction also works for $i=1$, using the degree-$n$ map of the circle. In cellular cohomology with coefficients $\mathbb{Z}/n$, the differential is zero, so both $H^i$ and $H^{i+1}$ are $\mathbb{Z}/n$.

Lift the cochain taking value $1$ on the $i$-cell to a cochain with coefficients $\mathbb{Z}/n^2$. Its coboundary takes value $n$ on the $(i+1)$-cell, which is $j(1)$. The definition of the connecting homomorphism therefore sends the degree-$i$ generator to the degree-$(i+1)$ generator. HenceIt is nonzero for every $i\ge 1$ and $n\ge 2$, including composite $n$. This is the Bockstein on a cyclic Moore space.

Write $\rho :H^{\ast }(X;\mathbb{Z})\to H^{\ast }(X;\mathbb{Z}/n)$ for coefficient reduction. Compare the two coefficient sequences in part (a): the maps from the integral sequence to the finite sequence are reduction modulo $n$ on the left, reduction modulo $n^2$ in the middle, and the identity on the right. The square involving the injections commutes because $[na{]}_{n^2}=j([a{]}_n)$.

Naturality of the connecting homomorphism gives the Bockstein factorization through integral cohomologyOne can see this directly without a diagram: lift a modulo-$n$ cocycle to an integral cochain $a$. Its coboundary has the form $\delta a=nb$. Then $\hat{\beta }[a]=[b]$, whereas $\beta [a]=[b\mathrm{mod}n]$.

Exactness of the integral coefficient sequence gives $\hat{\beta }\rho =0$: a class obtained by reducing an integral cocycle has zero integral connecting class. ConsequentlyThis Bockstein square-zero identity holds without requiring $n$ to be prime. At the cochain level, ${\delta }^{2}a=0$ and the torsion-free integral cochain groups imply $\delta b=0$, which also makes the second connecting class vanish.

Let $\mathcal{P}={\mathcal{M}}_X/{\mathcal{O}}_X$, the sheaf of meromorphic principal parts. Exactness of taking stalks givesChoose a holomorphic coordinate $t$ vanishing at $x$. Every meromorphic germ has a finite negative tail in its Laurent series; the holomorphic tail vanishes in the quotient. HenceThis coordinate description is a vector-space identification; the intrinsic space is the quotient of germs, so a coordinate change need not preserve the displayed basis.

For each point inclusion $i_x:\{x\}\to X$, a principal part defines a local meromorphic germ near $x$, whose quotient class is zero off $x$. Gluing with zero on the complement gives a map from its skyscraper sheaf to $\mathcal{P}$. These maps induce an isomorphism on every stalk and therefore an isomorphism of sheaves:The direct sum of sheaves means the sheafification of the sectionwise direct-sum presheaf. Its sections can have infinitely many nonzero components globally, but their point supports form a locally finite family of subsets. This matches the fact that poles of a meromorphic function are locally finite. On a compact Riemann surface only finitely many points can occur; on a noncompact one a discrete infinite family is allowed.

For a global principal-part family $P$, choose local meromorphic lifts $m_i$ on a sufficiently small open cover. The differences $m_j-m_i$ are holomorphic functions and form a Čech cocycle. The connecting homomorphism sends $P$ to the resulting class in $H^1(X,{\mathcal{O}}_X)$. If this class vanishes, after refining the cover write $m_j-m_i=h_j-h_i$; then the functions $m_i-h_i$ glue to a global meromorphic function. Conversely any global lift makes the class zero. Equivalently, exactness of the given long exact sequence in sheaf cohomology saysThe connecting class is the obstruction to the Mittag-Leffler problem on a Riemann surface. It rules on the specified poles and their finite negative Laurent tails, with no additional poles allowed. When a solution exists, any two solutions differ by a global holomorphic function.

The real tautological line bundle has total space $E=\{(\ell ,v):\ell \in {\mathbb{RP}}^n,v\in \ell \}$ and projection $(\ell ,v)\mapsto \ell$. On the open chart $U_i=\{[x]:x_i\ne 0\}$, the vector $s_i([x])=x/x_i$ is a continuous nowhere-zero section of a vector bundle, independent of the representative of $[x]$. The explicit local trivialization iswith inverse $([x],v)\mapsto ([x],v_i)$. Both maps are continuous and linear on each fiber. The charts cover the base, proving the existence of the required local trivializations.

Let $E\to B$ be a rank-$r$ vector bundle oriented over a commutative ring $R$, with $r\ge 1$. An $R$-orientation is a coherent choice of generator of each fiber's top relative cohomology, or equivalently a Thom class $u_E$. The Thom isomorphism theorem identifies $H^{q-r}(B;R)$ with $H^q(D(E),S(E);R)$ by $a\mapsto {\pi }^{\ast }a⌣u_E$. The disk bundle retracts to $B$, and the relative-to-absolute map becomes multiplication by the Euler class $e(E)$. The pair's long exact sequence therefore becomes the Gysin sequence of a sphere bundle:With real coefficients, the bundle must be oriented in the usual sense. For the computation here use $R={\mathbb{F}}_2$, over which every real vector bundle is oriented, including the nonorientable real tautological line bundle when $n\ge 1$.

The unit sphere bundle of ${\gamma }_n$ is $S^n$: a unit vector determines its line. Put $a=e_2({\gamma }_n)=w_1({\gamma }_n)\in H^1({\mathbb{RP}}^n;{\mathbb{F}}_2)$. For $n\ge 1$, the pullback $H^0({\mathbb{RP}}^n;{\mathbb{F}}_2)\to H^0(S^n;{\mathbb{F}}_2)$ is an isomorphism, so the next connecting homomorphism is zero and multiplication by $a$ is injective on $H^0$. Since the sphere's cohomology vanishes strictly between degrees zero and $n$, exactness makes multiplication by $a$ an isomorphism $H^{q-1}\to H^q$ for $1\le q<n$, and injective for $q=n$. For $q=1$ these assertions also use the just-noted vanishing of the connecting homomorphism from $H^0(S^n)$.

The standard $n$-dimensional CW complex structure of Real projective space gives $H^q=0$ for $q>n$. Consequently the segment $H^n(S^n;{\mathbb{F}}_2)\to H^n({\mathbb{RP}}^n;{\mathbb{F}}_2)\stackrel{⌣a}{\to }{H}^{n+1}({\mathbb{RP}}^n;{\mathbb{F}}_2)=0$ makes $H^n$ at most one-dimensional. The preceding injectivity makes it exactly one-dimensional, generated by $a^n$. This includes $n=1$; $n=0$ is a point separately. We have derived the multiplication, not just the dimensions:

An odd map between spheres descends to $\bar{f}:{\mathbb{RP}}^n\to {\mathbb{RP}}^m$. The odd maps pull back the real tautological line bundle argument gives ${\gamma }_n\cong {\bar{f}}^{\ast }{\gamma }_m$: with $x$ a unit vector the fiber map is $tx\mapsto tf(x)$, unchanged when $(x,t)$ is replaced by $(-x,-t)$. Naturality of the first Stiefel–Whitney class gives ${\bar{f}}^{\ast }b=a$. If $n>m$, the relation $b^{m+1}=0$ would imply $a^{m+1}=0$ in a ring where this power is nonzero. Hence $\boxed{n\le m}$. The case $n=0$ is immediate, and the same argument rules out $m=0<n$.

For the map with separate oddness, pass to $\bar{g}:{\mathbb{RP}}^n\times {\mathbb{RP}}^n\to {\mathbb{RP}}^n$. Let $a,b$ be the degree-one classes from its two domain factors and $c$ the target class. There is an isomorphismgiven on fibers by $(sx)\otimes (ty)\mapsto stg(x,y)$; flipping either unit representative leaves this map well defined. The First Stiefel–Whitney class of a tensor product of real line bundles gives ${\bar{g}}^{\ast }c=a+b$. By the Künneth theorem,Pulling back $c^{n+1}=0$ shows that $(a+b{)}^{n+1}=0$. The two end monomials already vanish, while every interior monomial $a^j{b}^{n+1-j}$, $1\le j\le n$, is a distinct nonzero basis element. Therefore all interior binomial coefficients in row $N=n+1$ are even. To identify such rows, write $N={\sum }_{i\in I}{2}^i$. In ${\mathbb{F}}_2[t]$ repeated squaring gives $(1+t{)}^N={\prod }_{i\in I}(1+t^{2^i})$. If $I$ has at least two elements, the coefficient of $t^{2^{\min I}}$ is one and its exponent is strictly between zero and $N$, a contradiction. Thus $N$ is a power of two, as in binomial coefficients with even interior terms, andThis is the necessary cohomological obstruction to separately odd sphere multiplication; it does not assert existence in every dimension of this form.