Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2025 iii Paper 165 2 v Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Regard the given short exact sequence as a degreewise short exact sequence of chain complexes concentrated in degree . The inverse functor in the Dold–Kan correspondence is exact, so it produces a degreewise short exact sequence of simplicial abelian groupsThe last map is degreewise surjective and hence a Kan fibration. Its strict fiber is , and a strict fiber of a fibration computes the homotopy fiber. This proves the asserted homotopy fiber sequence of pointed Kan complexes.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2026 iii Paper 101 1 c ii Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-24
Write the nonsplit short exact sequenceFor an endomorphism , the composite vanishes because . Hence restricts to an endomorphism of and induces an endomorphism of , giving a commutative diagram of short exact sequences.
Because and are brick modules, each of is either zero or an isomorphism. If both are isomorphisms, the short five lemma makes an isomorphism. If both vanish, factors successively through and through , hence through a map ; this map is zero, so .
The mixed cases would split the sequence. If is invertible and , then , so for some ; the identity makes a retraction of . If and is invertible, then , so ; the identity makes a section of . Both contradict nonsplitting. Thus every endomorphism of is zero or invertible, and is a brick.