Past exam of the topology course of the University of Oxford / 2021 / 2

For the sphere model of the real projective plane, letThen ${\mathbb{RP}}^2=S^2/{\sim }_S$ with the quotient topology: each equivalence class is an antipodal pair.

For the closed disc model, letGive $D^2/{\sim }_D$ the quotient topology. Only antipodal pairs on the boundary circle are identified in the closed disc model; interior points remain distinct.

Let $q_S:S^2\to S^2/{\sim }_S$ and $q_D:D^2\to D^2/{\sim }_D$ be the quotient maps. The continuous mapis a homeomorphism onto the upper hemisphere; its inverse function is the restriction of the projection map $(x,y,z)\mapsto (x,y)$. Every antipodal pair on $S^2$ meets that hemisphere. Moreover, two points of this hemisphere are antipodal only if both lie on the equator. ThusBy the universal property of the quotient topology, $q_S\circ h$ induces a continuous bijection

To justify continuity of the inverse function, the source is compact, being a continuous image of a compact space $D^2$; the Heine-Borel theorem gives compactness of $D^2$. The target is Hausdorff, as follows. For distinct equivalence classes $[u]\ne [v]$, putIn $S^2$, take the union $U$ of the two relative open balls of radius $\delta /3$ about $u,-u$, and similarly take $V$ about $v,-v$. Every distance between their respective centres is at least $\delta$, so the triangle inequality gives $U\cap V=\varnothing$. These open sets contain entire antipodal pairs, hence $q_S^{-1}(q_S(U))=U$ and similarly for $V$. The quotient topology therefore makes $q_S(U)$ and $q_S(V)$ disjoint open neighbourhoods of the two classes.

The compact-to-Hausdorff continuous bijection theorem now gives the required homeomorphism $H$.

The sphere $S^2$ is path-connected. For $u,v\in S^2$ which are not an antipodal pair, a continuous path isThe denominator never vanishes: a zero would make $u$ and $v$ antipodal. If $v=-u$, choose a unit vector $w$ perpendicular to $u$ and concatenate the paths from $u$ to $w$ and from $w$ to $v$ of the same form. Thus $S^2$ is connected. The quotient map $q_S$ is continuous and surjective, so the continuous image of a connected space theorem proves that ${\mathbb{RP}}^2$ is connected. In fact composing the paths above with $q_S$ also proves path connectedness.

False, with “disjoint union” understood as a topological disjoint union. Take the rational numbers $\mathbb{Q}$ with the usual subspace topology from the real line.

Every connected subset of $\mathbb{Q}$ has at most one point. Indeed, if it contained $r<s$, choose an irrational number $t\in (r,s)$. The two relatively open setspartition $\mathbb{Q}$ and separate any subset containing both $r$ and $s$. Hence the connected components of $\mathbb{Q}$ are singletons.

If a topological disjoint union of nonempty connected spaces were homeomorphic to $\mathbb{Q}$, the image of each summand would be connected, hence a singleton. Every summand would therefore be a one-point topological space. Their topological disjoint union is a discrete space, since each summand is open. But $\mathbb{Q}$ is not a discrete space: for each $r\in \mathbb{Q}$, the distinct rational numbers $r+1/n$ approach $r$, so $r$ is not an isolated point. This is a contradiction. The set decomposition into connected components always exists; giving those pieces the topological disjoint union topology need not recover the original topology.

Write $Z={\coprod }_{n\in \mathbb{N}}{X}_n$, where each $X_n$ is a labelled copy of the topological space $X$, with its topological disjoint union topology. Define the bijectionFor a subset $U\subseteq \mathbb{N}\times X$, let $U_n=\{x\in X:(n,x)\in U\}$. By definition of the topological disjoint union, $F^{-1}(U)$ is open in $Z$ exactly when each $U_n$ is open in $X$.

The same condition characterizes open sets in the product topology on $\mathbb{N}\times X$. If $U$ is open, the map $x\mapsto (n,x)$ is continuous, so each $U_n$ is open. Conversely, if each $U_n$ is open, thenis open, since the discrete topology makes every $\{n\}$ open in $\mathbb{N}$. Hence $F$ and its inverse function are continuous, proving the required homeomorphism. This also covers the case $X=\varnothing$.

Use positive indices $n\ge 1$ and write $p=(0,-1)\in S^1$. SetFor fixed $n$, this function is a homeomorphism from the unit circle to $C_n$: it scales its radius to $1/n$ and translates its centre to $(0,1/n)$. Thus it takes values in the Hawaiian earring $X$ and is surjective onto $X$. It is continuous on each open slice $\{n\}\times S^1$; since these slices form an open cover of $\mathbb{N}\times S^1$, $f$ is continuous on the whole product topology.

Distinct circles $C_n,C_m$ meet only at $o=(0,0)$. To see this directly, their equations areFor $m\ne n$, subtraction gives $y=0$, then $x=0$. Each slice contains exactly one preimage of $o$, namely $(n,p)$. Therefore the only nonsingleton fibre of $f$ is $A$.

Let $q:\mathbb{N}\times S^1\to (\mathbb{N}\times S^1)/A$ be the quotient map collapsing $A$. The universal property of the quotient topology supplies a unique continuous map $\bar{f}$ with $f=\bar{f}\circ q$. The fibre calculation proves injectivity, and surjectivity follows from that of $f$. Hence $\bar{f}$ is the required continuous bijection.

Let $W=(\mathbb{N}\times S^1)/A$, and choose in each circle the point opposite $o$:In the subspace topology from the Euclidean plane, the sequence $z_n$ converges to $o$, which does not belong to $B$. Thus $B$ is not closed in $X$.

On the other hand, let $D={\bar{f}}^{-1}(B)\subseteq W$. With the quotient map $q$ from part (i),This is closed in $\mathbb{N}\times S^1$: its complement is the open set $\mathbb{N}\times (S^1\setminus \{(0,1)\})$. The definition of the quotient topology, applied to complements, says that $D$ is closed in $W$. A homeomorphism would carry this closed set to the closed set $B$, a contradiction. Therefore $\bar{f}$ is not a homeomorphism.

The obstruction occurs at the common point. The open set $W\setminus D$ contains the collapsed point, but its image $X\setminus B$ contains no neighbourhood of $o$, since $z_n\to o$. The wedge sum topology allows a separate small neighbourhood on each circle; a neighbourhood of $o$ in the Hawaiian earring must contain all sufficiently small whole circles.