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The Simplicial approximation theorem states that a continuous map between realizations of finite simplicial complexes becomes homotopic to a simplicial map after sufficiently many barycentric subdivisions of the domain. More precisely, a vertex assignment is a simplicial approximation when the image of each open star is contained in the open star of its assigned vertex; sufficiently fine subdivision permits such an assignment. The resulting straight-line homotopy stays in the appropriate target simplices.

The vertices of a barycentric subdivision are the barycentres of nonempty faces. An $n$-simplex has $2^{n+1}-1$ such faces. A top-dimensional subdivided simplex corresponds to a full flag of faces of sizes $1,2,\dots ,n+1$, equivalently to an ordering of the original vertices. ThusTriangulate both copies of the sphere using finite complexes. For each fixed subdivision level there are only finitely many vertex maps to the finite target vertex set, hence only finitely many simplicial maps. Every continuous map is homotopic to one of them at some finite level. A countable union of finite sets is countable, proving at most countably many homotopy classes without needing their classification by degree.

A simplicial approximation to $f:|K|\to |L|$ is a simplicial map $g:K\to L$ satisfying the open-star conditionfor every vertex $v$. Equivalently, whenever $f(x)$ lies in the interior of a simplex of $L$, $|g|(x)$ lies in that simplex. In particular $f$ and $|g|$ are joined by the simplexwise straight-line homotopy.

The Simplicial approximation theorem says that, for finite $K$, every continuous $f$ has such an approximation after sufficiently many barycentric subdivisions of $K$. For general complexes one uses a subdivision adapted to the open-star cover; a single uniform number of barycentric subdivisions is the compact-domain version.

Given triangulations $X\cong |K|$, $Y\cong |L|$, choose a simplicial approximation $g$ on a suitable subdivision $K^{\prime }$. Its chain map sends an oriented simplex $[v_0,\dots ,v_r]$ to $[g(v_0),\dots ,g(v_r)]$, with repeated-vertex simplices sent to zero. It commutes with the boundary operator and induces $g_{\ast }$. Compose this with the subdivision isomorphism $H_r(K)\to H_r(K^{\prime })$ and the triangulation identifications to define $f_{\ast }:H_r(X)\to H_r(Y)$.

For $z\mapsto z^n$, a positively oriented fundamental loop winds $n$ times around the target circle. With integer coefficients,All higher homology groups vanish. The $H_1$ result can also be read from a subdivision into $n$ copies of a target fundamental cycle.

The Simplicial approximation theorem states that if $K$ is a finite simplicial complex, $L$ is a simplicial complex, and $f:|K|\to |L|$ is continuous, then for some $r\ge 0$ there is a simplicial approximation $g:K^{(r)}\to L$ to $f$.

The target open stars form an open cover of $|L|$, so their inverse images under $f$ form an open cover of the compact metric space $|K|$. The Lebesgue number lemma supplies $\delta >0$ such that every subset of diameter below $\delta$ lies in one inverse image. Choose $r$ so large that every vertex star in $K^{(r)}$ has diameter below $\delta$; this is possible because its diameter is at most twice $\mu (K^{(r)})$ and the mesh tends to zero.

For each vertex $v$ choose a vertex $w(v)$ of $L$ such thatIf $v_0,\dots ,v_q$ span a simplex, a point in its relative interior belongs to all their open stars. Its image belongs to all the open stars of $w(v_0),\dots ,w(v_q)$, so these target vertices span a simplex. Thus $v\mapsto w(v)$ extends to a simplicial map $g$, and its defining inclusion says exactly that $g$ approximates $f$. This proves the theorem.

Triangulate $S^n$ and $S^m$. By the Simplicial approximation theorem, after subdividing the domain, a continuous map $f:S^n\to S^m$ is homotopic to the realization of a simplicial map $g$. Since $n<m$, the image of $|g|$ lies in the $n$-skeleton of the target triangulation and therefore misses an interior point of every $m$-simplex. A sphere with one point removed is homeomorphic to the Euclidean space ${\mathbb{R}}^m$, which is contractible. Hence $|g|$, and therefore $f$, is homotopic to a constant map. Thus

For a based space $(X,x_0)$, the homotopy groupis the set of based homotopy classes, with its usual concatenation operation. A map $f:X\to Y$ is a weak homotopy equivalence when it induces a bijection on path components and an isomorphismfor every $k\ge 1$ and every basepoint $x$. It is an n-connected map when it is bijective on ${\pi }_k$ for $k<n$ and surjective on ${\pi }_n$; equivalently, every homotopy fiber is $(n-1)$-connected.

A CW complex is built from a discrete set of zero-cells by successively attaching $k$-discs along maps from their boundary spheres, with the weak topology and closure-finiteness conditions. Its filtration by skeleta is the CW filtration.

For any space $X$, form its singular simplicial set $\mathrm{Sing}X$. Its geometric realization of a simplicial set is a CW complex, with one cell for each nondegenerate singular simplex, and evaluation givesThe Simplicial approximation theorem identifies based maps and homotopies from finite simplicial spheres into $|\mathrm{Sing}X|$ with singular simplices in $X$. Consequently $ϵ$ induces a bijection on components and isomorphisms on all homotopy groups. Thus every space admits a CW approximation.

The vanishing assumptions do not permit removal of all $n$-cells. Take $n=2$ andThen ${\pi }_2(X)=0$, and homology of a finite cyclic group gives $H_2(X;\mathbb{Z})=0$. If a connected CW complex $Y$ had no two-cells, attaching cells of dimension at least three would not change the fundamental group of its one-skeleton. Hence ${\pi }_1(Y)$ would be a free group. A weak equivalence $Y\to X$ would instead give ${\pi }_1(Y)\cong \mathbb{Z}/r$, which is nontrivial and finite and therefore not free. No such $Y$ exists.

A map satisfying this condition is the object whose existence after subdivision is guaranteed by the Simplicial approximation theorem.

A simplicial map $g:K\to L$ is a simplicial approximation to a continuous map $f:|K|\to |L|$ whenfor every vertex $v$ of $K$.